Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for a security platform to implement network service policies based on custom attributes assigned to endpoints. An attribute agent on the security platform monitors at least one custom attribute and corresponding attribute value associated with endpoints. The security platform generates a host map associating a network address of each endpoint with one or more of the custom attributes and corresponding attribute values. The security platform determines network access policies based on at least one custom attribute and corresponding attribute value. The security platform generates an access control list based on the network access policies and the host map, and implements the access control list to control network traffic between the endpoints.

Abstract: Apparatus and an accompanying method for implementing a communications protocol for use in generally a distributed, and particularly a highly parallel, multi-processing system (5), for communicating application data of arbitrarily varying strides between separate processors and generally without the need for intermediate data storage. Specifically, application data is transferred through a succession of packets (770) between originating and destination application programs (252), with each packet containing a partial data message. Each partial data message contains a portion of the data that is stored in a stride one portion of an originating application data memory (700). Upon reception, each data portion is written into a stride one portion of a destination application data memory (760). An application interface (254), executing independently at both the originating and destination processing elements (10.sub.1, 10.sub.