Abstract: In assisting migration of data processing resources from a first operating environment to a second operating environment, a migration controller responds to a problem encountered during a migration process by invoking a network-based service to discover migration resources. A service provider makes migration resources available via the network-based service. The migration controller can obtain the latest migration rules and use them to resolve certain migration problems. The cooperation between the migration controller and network-based service can be automated to reduce reliance on manual updating of installed computer programs.

Abstract: In assisting migration of data processing resources from a first operating environment to a second operating environment, a migration controller responds to a problem encountered during a migration process by invoking a network-based service to discover migration resources. A service provider makes migration resources available via the network-based service. The migration controller can obtain the latest migration rules and use them to resolve certain migration problems. The cooperation between the migration controller and network-based service can be automated to reduce reliance on manual updating of installed computer programs.

Abstract: Provided are apparatus and a method for establishing communications between a Web client computer in a vehicle and a Web server computer connected to the Internet or an intranet, initiated from a remote Web Browser. The Web Browser sends a request to the server, which invokes a process at the server causing a SMS message to be sent to a telephone connected to the client computer. This SMS message includes an identification of the server process (such as a URL) and causes the client computer to establish communications with the server. This allows the Browser to interact with the client computer via a standard Browser request without the overheads of security exposure of requiring the client to be a Web server. The invention is useful for allowing a remote Browser to interact with a computer controlling a vehicle's electronic control systems.

Abstract: A system and method of making broadcast content selectively available to users in different forms, including a system for charging and collecting compensation for at least one form. Broadcast content such as digital music or other information or entertainment is sent out in a protected form and receiving devices may be provided with different keys to unlock the content for long-term storage. The receiver also includes a system for requesting additional rights (such as permanent storage and playing of the content) and for compensating for that additional set of rights. When the user's request is received with the necessary compensation, the user is provided a permission for the greater rights and a method of accessing those rights; otherwise, the content is provided in an ephemeral form and ceases to exist on the users machine.

Abstract: Provided are a system and a method for data retrieval which identify from requested data retrieval operations those operations which require a particular processing task to be performed, and then separate those operations from operations not requiring the processing task. The separated sets of tasks are queued separately for independent processing. This enables resource scheduling to be performed which avoids the operations which do not require performance of the task from having to wait for the operations which do require the task. This is an advantage where the task is a processor-intensive task such as digital watermarking of images. A particular resource allocation method includes enqueuing the set of operations requiring the processing task in a circularly linked list and then employing a scheduler to implement a round-robin allocation of resources for each of the system users in turn.