Abstract: This disclosure describes aspects of an efficient blockchain API communication mechanism that reduces the energy usage and data usage. In some examples, a publish-subscribe mechanism is used for completed transaction receipts for blockchain transactions of a blockchain. The publish-subscribe mechanism uses an open source remote procedure call protocol or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Components of a distributed blockchain application use a single transport or communications protocol for both synchronous and asynchronous communications.

Abstract: A decentralized identity access management (IAM) architecture that executes IAM service code on the distributed nodes (i.e., replicas) of a Byzantine fault tolerant (BFT) state machine replication (SMR) system is provided. For example, the IAM service code may be implemented as a blockchain smart contract or as a native execution engine that runs on each replica. With this decentralized architecture, up to f replicas (where f is a threshold number defined by the system's BFT consensus protocol) can be faulty/corrupted without affecting the security of the system.

Abstract: Techniques for securely and efficiently distributing the application binary interface (ABI) and address of a smart contract to end-users are provided. In one set of embodiments, these techniques include persisting the ABI with the smart contract on a blockchain, signing, by the replicas maintaining the blockchain, the smart contract address using a threshold signature scheme, and providing the signed smart contract address to the end-users. With this general approach, the end-users can verify that the smart contract address is authentic by validating its signature. Further, the end-users can directly retrieve the ABI from the blockchain on an as-needed basis using the verified address, thereby ensuring the integrity of the ABI and avoiding the need for the end-users to store and manage it themselves.

Abstract: This disclosure describes aspects of parallel processing of blockchain requests, including prescreening that prevents conflicts for parallel processing. In some examples, an address is identified from a blockchain request. The blockchain request is prescreened to determine a conflict status. The conflict status is determined by comparing the address from the blockchain request to at least one address in a parallel execution batch. The blockchain request is placed in the parallel execution batch or a subsequent parallel execution batch based on the conflict status. The blockchain request is performed by parallel processing of the parallel execution batch or the subsequent parallel execution batch.

Abstract: This disclosure describes aspects of decentralized authorization and authentication for blockchain contracts. A permissioned blockchain includes requires decentralized approval of a particular number of users out of a specified set of users in order to approve permissioning rule updates for the permissioned blockchain. A signed blockchain request is received. The signed blockchain request specifies an action to perform with respect to the permissioned blockchain. Access to the permissioned blockchain is performed based at least in part on a confirmation that an action specified by the signed blockchain request approved according to permissioning rules of the permissioned blockchain.

Abstract: This disclosure describes aspects of an efficient blockchain API communication mechanism that reduces the energy usage and data usage. In some examples, a publish-subscribe mechanism is used for completed transaction receipts for blockchain transactions of a blockchain. The publish-subscribe mechanism uses an open source remote procedure call protocol or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Components of a distributed blockchain application use a single transport or communications protocol for both synchronous and asynchronous communications.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system and method of using the same for risk-aware sessions in role based access control. Role Based Access Control (RBAC) has received considerable attention as a model of choice for simplified access control. Risk awareness in access control has emerged as an important research theme to mitigate risks involved when users exercise their privileges to access resources under different contexts such as accessing a sensitive file from work versus doing the same from home. In an embodiment, incorporated herein are “risks” in RBAC—in particular, in RBAC sessions. Described herein are systems comprising the RBAC model in conjunction with incorporating risk awareness in sessions where the risk is bounded by a session-based “risk-threshold.” Further described herein are systems comprised of frameworks of models for role activation and deactivation in a session based on this threshold.

Abstract: In the present specification, a methodology for incremental security policy specification at varying levels of abstraction is disclosed. The method maintains strict equivalence with respect to authorization state and is based on the group-centric secure information sharing (g-SIS) domain, which is known in the art. A g-SIS authorization policy is specified statelessly, in that it focuses solely on specifying the precise conditions under which authorization can hold in the system while only considering the history of actions that have occurred. The policy supports join, leave, add, and remove operations, which may have either strict or liberal semantics. The stateful application policy is then specified using linear temporal logic. The stateful specification is authorization equivalent to the stateless specification, and may enforce well-formedness constraints.

Abstract: A system for managing networked devices comprising a plurality of racks of computing devices, each rack computing device further comprising a plurality of constraints and configured to operate one or more hosted systems, each rack comprising a bit vector stored in a data memory defining the minimum available set of constraints for each of the plurality of rack computing devices. A plurality of enterprises, each comprising one or more enterprise computing device configured to operate a virtual network system that is configured to interactively operate with the one or more hosted systems of one of the rack computing devices. A network function virtualization system configured to receive a service request and to determine that a new hosted system is required to respond to the service request, and to select a rack for instantiation of the new hosted system as a function of the plurality of bit vectors.

Abstract: Various embodiments of apparatus, systems and methods for providing a timing system to ensure prompt service of customer orders are disclosed. A timer tracks a predetermined maximum service time to determine when customer orders are served beyond the predetermined maximum service time. If a customer order is served after the predetermined maximum service timer has expired, a credit is provided to the customer automatically.

Abstract: A system for managing networked devices comprising a plurality of racks of computing devices, each rack computing device further comprising a plurality of constraints and configured to operate one or more hosted systems, each rack comprising a bit vector stored in a data memory defining the minimum available set of constraints for each of the plurality of rack computing devices. A plurality of enterprises, each comprising one or more enterprise computing device configured to operate a virtual network system that is configured to interactively operate with the one or more hosted systems of one of the rack computing devices. A network function virtualization system configured to receive a service request and to determine that a new hosted system is required to respond to the service request, and to select a rack for instantiation of the new hosted system as a function of the plurality of bit vectors.

Abstract: Techniques for end-to-end network bandwidth optimization using software defined networking are provided. In one embodiment, a computer system can receive information regarding a flow to be admitted to a network, where the flow is associated with a source and a destination. The computer system can further calculate, for each path in a plurality of paths between the source and the destination, a projected utilization of the path in view of the flow. If the projected utilization of the shortest path in the plurality of paths is less than or equal to a target utilization threshold, the computer system can assign the flow to the shortest path. Otherwise, the computer system can select a path in the plurality of paths that comes closest to the target utilization threshold without exceeding the threshold and can assign the flow to that selected path.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a client device (CD) maintains a contact profile for a user of the CD, the contact profile including a universal identifier (UID) for the user and a list of devices and addresses at which the user of the CD can be contacted. The CD establishes a communication session with a remote CD (RCD) via a given contact address from the set of contact addresses for the RCD. The CD shares, in response to the communication session establishment, at least a portion of the contact profile to the RCD. The RCD generates and/or updates a given contact profile for the user of the CD that is maintained on the RCD based on the shared contact profile. The RCD can also share its profile with the CD in response to the communication session establishment, causing the CD to generate and/or update a contact profile for the RCD.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for avoiding hidden node collisions in a communication network. A network communication device includes a packet transmitter. The packet transmitter is configured to subdivide a packet to be transmitted via a communication network into a plurality of segments based on the packet exceeding a predetermined maximum size, and to sequentially transmit the segments via the communication network. The packet transmitter is also configured to construct an acknowledgement packet responsive to reception of each segment of a packet received via the communication network. The acknowledgement packet includes a field indicating whether an additional segment of the packet is to be transmitted via the communication network. The packet transmitter is further configured to transmit the acknowledgement packet via the communication network.

Abstract: Aspects for enhancing call control for directing a content path over multiple connections may include a method which includes establishing a first connection to a destination to use as a content path, receiving information from the destination for establishing an alternative connection, establishing as the alternative connection a background connection to the destination based on the information received, evaluating whether the background connection is preferable to the first connection for use as the content path, and switching the content path to the background connection when the background connection is preferable.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bidder negotiates with a VoIP provider and/or a VoIP access network to establish the VoIP provider as a preferred or default VoIP provider for the VoIP access network (e.g., a set of particular WiFi APs, a non-roaming cellular access network, etc.). As the preferred or default VoIP provider, the VoIP access network gives preferential performance and/or contract terms (or VoIP opportunities) for providing VoIP service to user equipments (UEs) via the VoIP provider as compared to one or more other VoIP providers that are also configured to provide VoIP service to the UEs over the VoIP access network. In a further embodiment, one of the UEs connects to the VoIP access network and advertises, to a user of the UE, the preferential performance and/or contract terms available to the UE via the VoIP provider over the VoIP access network.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a client device (CD) maintains a contact profile for a user of the CD, the contact profile including a universal identifier (UID) for the user and a list of devices and addresses at which the user of the CD can be contacted. The CD establishes a communication session with a remote CD (RCD) via a given contact address from the set of contact addresses for the RCD. The CD shares, in response to the communication session establishment, at least a portion of the contact profile to the RCD. The RCD generates and/or updates a given contact profile for the user of the CD that is maintained on the RCD based on the shared contact profile. The RCD can also share its profile with the CD in response to the communication session establishment, causing the CD to generate and/or update a contact profile for the RCD.

Abstract: Techniques for end-to-end network bandwidth optimization using software defined networking are provided. In one embodiment, a computer system can receive information regarding a flow to be admitted to a network, where the flow is associated with a source and a destination. The computer system can further calculate, for each path in a plurality of paths between the source and the destination, a projected utilization of the path in view of the flow. If the projected utilization of the shortest path in the plurality of paths is less than or equal to a target utilization threshold, the computer system can assign the flow to the shortest path. Otherwise, the computer system can select a path in the plurality of paths that comes closest to the target utilization threshold without exceeding the threshold and can assign the flow to that selected path.

Abstract: An apparatus for a power line communication network includes a power line transmitter/receiver, a processor coupled to the power line transmitter/receiver, and memory accessible to the processor. The processor is configured to store a routing table in the memory for routing packets in an upward direction towards a data concentrator (DC). However, no routing table is provided for routing packets in a downward direction away from the DC. Instead of using a routing table to route packets in the downward direction, the processor is configured to employ source routing in the downward direction.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a client device (CD) maintains a contact profile for a user of the CD, the contact profile including a universal identifier (UID) for the user and a list of devices and addresses at which the user of the CD can be contacted. The CD establishes a communication session with a remote CD (RCD) via a given contact address from the set of contact addresses for the RCD. The CD shares, in response to the communication session establishment, at least a portion of the contact profile to the RCD. The RCD generates and/or updates a given contact profile for the user of the CD that is maintained on the RCD based on the shared contact profile. The RCD can also share its profile with the CD in response to the communication session establishment, causing the CD to generate and/or update a contact profile for the RCD.