Abstract: A telephone call processing system and method for providing operator service. The system maintains a number of customer directories, each customer directory having information pertaining to a number of subscribers of the customer. When an incoming telephone call is received by the system, the system automatically identifies the customer directory corresponding to the customer indicated by the telephone number dialed by the caller. Upon locating the appropriate customer directory, the system automatically switches access by the system operator thereto. Thereafter, the system operator may perform a search in the customer directory for the subscriber who the caller wishes to contact. Upon successfully locating information pertaining to the subscriber in the customer directory, the subscriber information may be communicated to the caller.

Abstract: A system and technique enables network level locks, called network mutexes, on network objects such as databases and ports. A remote data server (RDS) element resides on a server for receiving network mutex (NM) request from remote clients. A NM request includes, in part, a network mutex name, a locking priority, identification of the requesting element and client, and an indication as to whether the network mutex may be shared with other equivalent applications or elements. The RDS element grants the NM request when no other application or element has established the network mutex or the network mutex is held by an equivalent application or element and is in a sharable status. Network mutexes are removed when the remote locking client transmits a NM unlock request. Network mutexes enable central control of the locking and unlocking of network objects.

Abstract: A computer network system and technique enables linked files, such as those that are physically distinct but data dependent, to be simultaneously accessed. Elements, whether they are realized in hardware or software, are located in both the servers and the clients in a network. A remote data server (RDS) element in a server receives coupled file access (CFA) requests from clients. A corresponding element at the client includes the names of the linked files, a file access priority, and a file access communication timeout in the CFA request. The RDS element, upon accepting a CFA request, initializes a CFA thread. A CFA thread maps the requested files into virtual memory. The server, through the CFA thread, can then proceed to provide the requisite access from the virtual-memory-mapped images. Other elements within the network can therefore access the same files from the same or another virtual memory mapping. The coupled file accessing prevents mismatches of linked files.