Abstract: A method, implementable in a system coupled to a display device and a network, includes generating in a first region of a screen of the display device a user-interface portion associated with a first electronic destination address. The user-interface portion is configured to receive from a second region of the screen, in response to a command by a user of the system, a first icon representing a data set. In response to the user-interface portion receiving the first icon, a copy of the data set, or the data set itself, is electronically transferred over the network to the first destination address.

Abstract: A system automatically builds custom virtual appliances and/or other computing environments and their components, where applicable, based on user requirements and may offer a service for hosting, maintaining, monitoring and managing such appliances remotely. These virtual appliances may be delivered over a network, such as the Internet, and can be run at a customer site or at a hosting provider. Some embodiments of the invention can build these appliances using custom applications developed by customers.

Abstract: A system automatically builds custom virtual appliances and/or other computing environments and their components, where applicable, based on user requirements and may offer a service for hosting, maintaining, monitoring and managing such appliances remotely. These virtual appliances may be delivered over a network, such as the Internet, and can be run at a customer site or at a hosting provider. Some embodiments of the invention can build these appliances using custom applications developed by customers.

Abstract: A facility for adapting a representation of a real workload is described. The facility retrieves a stored representation of a real workload produced on a source N-tiered computing system. The retrieved representation specifies a plurality of requests received by one or more applications executing on the source N-tiered computing system. The facility selects a performance characteristic to be produced by playing back the real workload represented by the retrieved representation on a target N-tiered computing system. The facility modifies one or more aspects of the retrieved real workload representation to adapt the real workload representation to produce the selected performance characteristic when the modified real workload representation is played back on the target N-tiered computing system.

Abstract: A facility for playing back live workload data in a N-tiered computing system executing a group of application programs is described. The facility retrieves live workload data identifying a set of recorded requests and their arguments that have been received during an earlier recording period in a particular order by a specified application program among the group of application programs. The facility presents each request identified by the retrieved live workload data to the specified application with its arguments to play back the requests identified by the retrieved live workload. The played-back requests are presented in the same order as the recorded requests were received during the recording period and with the same arguments with which the recorded requests were received during the recording period. Such presentation preserves the semantic correctness of the application and preserves the performance accuracy of the N-tiered system in which the identified requests were received.

Abstract: A system for recording workload data is described. The system includes an N-tiered computing system running on one or more computer systems. Instrumentation is installed on one or more tiers of the N-tiered computing system that captures live workload data, including both requests and responses, during a recording period. The system further includes one or more non-volatile storage devices that collectively store the live workload data captured by the instrumentation in enough fidelity to be used in a replay process that reproduces performance characteristics of the original workload.