Abstract: A payment system for accessing Internet content is located within an Internet service providers network. The system includes an access controller (106) and a payment authority (108). When an end-user makes a request for a URL, the access controller terminates the request and determines whether the requested URL is one for which a charge for accessing the content referenced by that URL is required. That determination is made by comparing the requested URL with a set of rules that are supplied by all the content providers for which the service provider supports payment. If no match is found, the request is forwarded to the content provider. If a rule is found that matches the requested URL, the end-user is identified and the request is forwarded to the payment authority where a payment policy associated with the matched rule is applied. If the end-user fulfills the requirements of this payment policy, then access to the content is granted.

Abstract: Duplicate processing at network operators is avoided by applying once-only processing at operators which are adjacent to either the source or destination host of a data packet. An operator is adjacent to a host if there exists a path between the operator and the host containing no other operators. In one embodiment, an operator determines that it is adjacent to a host if it receives a special broadcast data packet from the host. To ensure that no other operators receive the special broadcast data packet, the adjacent operator drops the packet. In another embodiment, operators determine whether they are adjacent to identified hosts by transmitting special ping packets to the hosts. If an operator receives a ping response from the host, the operator determines that it is adjacent to the host. To ensure that only adjacent operators receive ping responses, intervening operators drop special ping packets received from other operators.

Abstract: A payment system for accessing Internet content is located within an Internet service providers network. The system includes an access controller (106) and a payment authority (108). When an end-user makes a request for a URL, the access controller terminates the request and determines whether the requested URL is one for which a charge for accessing the content referenced by that URL is required. That determination is made by comparing the requested URL with a set of rules that are supplied by all the content providers for which the service provider supports payment. If no match is found, the request is forwarded to the content provider. If a rule is found that matches the requested URL, the end-user is identified and the request is forwarded to the payment authority where a payment policy associated with the matched rule is applied. If the end-user fulfills the requirements of this payment policy, then access to the content is granted.

Abstract: A method for improving the performance of a system having a main-memory database which has at least one database containing at least one data item, and having a permanent storage device. The system executes at least one update transaction for modifying the data item to produce update results, and at least one read transaction for reading the data item. The method includes the steps of requiring the update transaction to acquire a database mutex before the update transaction modifies the data item. A timestamp is assigned to the update transaction and to the data item to be updated by the update transaction. After the update transactions updates the data item and before it release the database mutex, the update transaction acquire a mutex associated with the timestamp. Before the update's results are stored to the permanent storage device, the update transaction releases the database mutex.