Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for tailoring content for a session of a first data processing system communicating with a second data processing system by obtaining session specific information from the first data processing system and distributing tailoring functions between the first data processing system and the second data processing systems based upon the obtained session specific information. In particular, policies which control the distribution of tailoring functions between data processing systems based on session specific information may be obtained from a repository and tailoring functions distributed between the first data processing system and the second data processing system according to the obtained policies and the session specific information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interconnecting first and second networks that use the same protocols for communications by a third network. The third network is defined in the first and second networks as a single virtual communications link of the native type used by the first and second networks. In response to requests from initiating nodes in the first and second networks to communicate with destination nodes in the other of the first and second networks, routing computation services in the first and second networks compute routes through the first and second networks that will connect the originating and destination nodes and that include the virtual link as such a route. The virtual link is also used to remotely support the communication needs of dependent nodes in the first and second networks that do not have the ability to establish communications sessions within the networks on their own.

Abstract: The present invention is an improvement in a known LOCATE process used to locate resources in a computer network. The known LOCATE process always requires that information about a target resource be verified by forwarding a LOCATE request to the node owning the target resource. The present invention improves upon this process by use of selective verification. If predetermined conditions are met, a node in the network may reply to a received LOCATE request by using information about the target resource found in its cache directory. The LOCATE request need not be propagated to the node owning the target resource except for predetermined types of sessions or where past attempts to use selective verification have not been successful.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of releasing resources allocated to terminated sessions at a secondary data processing node. A first node transmits one or more switch messages to a second node requesting the second node to redistribute sessions on a first route between the nodes among one or more alternate routes. Each switch message identifies the sessions to be switched and an alternate route to which the sessions are to be switched. The last switch message transmitted by the first node is indicated to be the last message in some appropriate way and includes a count of the total number of sessions that have been requested to be switched. The second node accumulates a count of the total number of sessions on the first route for which it has received a switch request. The second node compares its accumulated count with the total count derived from the last switch message and releases the resources allocated to all remaining sessions on the first route in the event the counts are equal.