Abstract: A host enables any adapter of multiple adapters of the host to concurrently support any VIPA of the multiple VIPAs assigned to the host. Responsive to a failure of at least one particular adapter from among the multiple adapters, the host triggers the remaining, functioning adapters to broadcast a separate hardware address update for each VIPA over the network, such that for a failover in the host supporting the multiple VIPAs the host directs at least one other host accessible via the network to address any new packets for the multiple VIPAs to one of the separate hardware addresses of one of the remaining adapters.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer-usable program code for moving a software partition from an origination network file system client data processing system to a destination network file system client data processing system. Responsive to receiving a request to perform a checkpoint operation on a software partition, network file system related mount information for the software partition is gathered. Determined ports of a network are unblocked. Unwritten data on the origination network file system client data processing system is synchronized with a remote network file system server. The network is re-blocked. A checkpoint file is generated and stored. The checkpoint file is sent to the destination network file system data processing system.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing keepalive transmissions. A keepalive packet is received from a remote data processing over a particular connection within a set of connections to the remote data processing system. Timers for each of the set of connections are reset in response to receiving a response to a keepalive packet from the remote data processing system such that only a single keepalive packet is required to maintain all of the plurality of connections with the remote data processing system. In this manner, the number of requests and responses with respect to whether a connection is active is minimized, reducing congestion in a network data processing system.

Abstract: A graphic user interface of a network client (106) includes a stock ticker from a stock server (110) and a news sidebar from a news server (112) over the IP addresses advertised to the client (106) in its list of multi-homed addresses from the video server (104) specified under Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). The client accepts real-time data from the stock exchange server and the news agency server on the multi-homed IP addresses designated in the association with the video server (104) without knowing that the data is coming from a different source than the video server (104). The real-time data feeds from the video, stock and news servers are aggregated on the client (106) with enhanced speed because the feeds come directly to the client and not via the video server.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product in a computer-readable medium for delivering data, received from a network, to a storage buffer assigned to an application is proposed. An application designates a communication buffer within a local data processing system for buffering data communicated with an application. The local data processing system reports to a network interface of the local data processing system a memory address of the designated communication buffer, and the data processing system creates a cookie containing the memory address. The data processing system then sends the cookie form the local data processing system to a remote data processing system, such that the remote data processing system may address data directly to the designated communication buffer.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for transferring a privilege to a module. In one embodiment, a set of privileges required to initiate execution of code associated with the software module is identified to form enhanced privileges. The application is frozen. The enhanced privileges are unassigned to the application and the application has insufficient privileges to initiate execution of code associated with the software module. The software module is loaded into available application address space associated with the application. The enhanced privileges are transferred to the application. Execution of the application is unsuspended and the code associated with the software module is executed within the application.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for checkpoint and restart of a process. In one embodiment, a process shell representing a restartable process is created on an arrival server in response to identifying a process on a departure server that is a restartable process. The process shell is frozen. A name of the restartable process, an identifier of the restartable process, and an identifier of a parent process of the restartable process is assigned to the process shell. The process shell is then unfrozen and exits. A parent process restarts the restartable process when the process shell exits.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for dynamically loading a module into an application address space. In response to receiving a checkpoint signal by a plurality of threads associated with an application running in a software partition, the plurality of threads rendezvous to a point outside an application text associated with the application. Rendezvousing the plurality of threads suspends execution of application text by the plurality of threads. The application text is moved out of an application address space for the application to form an available application address space. The available application address space is an address space that was occupied by the application text. A software module is moved into the available application address space.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for multicast tunneling for mobile devices. The method comprises receiving a multicast packet directed to a plurality of mobile nodes, the mobile nodes being associated with a home subnet and identifying if any of the plurality of the mobile nodes are coupled to a subnet other than the home subnet, wherein each of the identified mobile nodes has an associated transmission path through which that mobile node can be reached. The method further provides that in response to determining that at least some of the mobile nodes are coupled to the subnet other than the home subnet, determining which of the identified mobile nodes has a common next hop in their associated transmission path and generating a packet including at least a portion of the multicast packet and including in the packet a list of mobile nodes that have the common next hop. The method further provides for transmitting the generated packet to the common next hop.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for an improved bulk read socket call are provided. With the apparatus and method, a new field, so_rcvlen, is added to the socket structure that identifies the bulk read size requested by the user. The kernel of the prior art recv( ) function is also modified so that it sets the so_rcvlen to the size requested by the user prior to the recv( ) function going to sleep and waiting for the full data size requested by the user. A new flag, SP_MSGWAITALL, is also provided in the socket structure. In the TCP input processing, when data is received for a particular socket, the current setting of the SP_MSGWAITALL is checked. If the SP_MSGWAITALL flag is set, it is determined whether the amount of data stored in the socket receive buffer is less than the value of so_rcvlen. If not, the TCP input processing does not wake up the recv( ) thread. However, for every alternate segment, the TCP input processing sends back an acknowledgment (ACK).

Abstract: The present invention provides receiving and transmitting devices for providing fragmentation at a transport level along a transmission path. The transmitting device comprises an interface and a control unit coupled to the interface. The control unit is adapted to negotiate a packet size with a remote device. The control unit is also adapted to transmit a data packet of up to the negotiated size. The control unit is further adapted to receive acknowledgments from the remote device associated with one or more fragments, fragmented at the transport-level, of the transmitted data packet. The receiving device comprises an interface and a control unit coupled to the interface. The control unit is adapted to receive two or more fragments of a data packet transmitted by a remote device. The control unit is also adapted to transmit one or more acknowledgments to the remote device based on the received fragments.

Abstract: A method, system and network protocol that enables each host within a virtual local area network (VLAN) environment to automatically discover to which VLANs the host belongs. When a host initially sets up a communication interface, the host generates a series of probing packets, each including a different one of the range of possible VLAN IDs within the packet header. The probing packet requests a response from the switch indicating whether the corresponding VLAN (identified by the VLAN ID) is supported by the switch. The switch automatically drops any packets with a VLAN ID not recognized/supported/configured in the switch. The destination device only receives supported packets, and thus the interface only receives a response for those request packets having a VLAN ID associated with a supported VLAN. The host's interface then knows which VLAN ID(s) are supported, and the host assigns/utilizes only those VLAN IDs for outgoing traffic.

Abstract: A method, data processing system, and computer usable code are provided for protocol definition for software bridge failover. In a first aspect of the present invention, a first software bridge determines the proper working operation of a physical adapter. Limbo packets are sent to a second software bridge alerting the second software bridge that the first software bridge is no longer bridging traffic responsive to the physical adapter failure in the first software bridge. The second software bridge receives the limbo packets, and, in response to receiving the limbo packets, asserts primary control and initiates bridging of traffic. In an alternative aspect of the present invention a first software bridge sends keep-alive packets. A second software bridge monitors the keep-alive packets from the first software bridge and, in response to a failure to detect the keep-alive packets from the first software bridge, the second software bridge initiates bridging of traffic.

Abstract: A method for negotiating a protocol for a conversation in which data packets are transmitted. Responsive to establishment of a link aggregation with an endpoint for the conversation, an algorithm for processing the data packets in the conversation is selected to form a preferred algorithm. A request is sent to the endpoint. This request indicates the preferred algorithm for processing the data packets in the conversation. A reply to the request is received from the endpoint. A determination is made as to whether a convergence has occurred. The data packets in the conversation are processed using the preferred algorithm in response to a determination that the convergence has occurred.

Abstract: A method for securely maintaining communications network connection data is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method is disclosed according to which a user is prompted for network element address substitution data which specifies a substitute network element address for a network element address associated with a network element of a first communications network. The network element address substitution data is then stored within a first storage element, wherein access to the first storage element outside of the first communications network is restricted. Connection monitor data associated with the first communications network is processed utilizing the network element address substitution data. According to the described embodiment, such connection monitor data processing includes identifying metadata of the connection monitor data which specifies the described network element address, and substituting the metadata with metadata which specifies the substitute network element address.

Abstract: The server side Transfer Control Protocol is modified so that the server returns a SYNACK message with the window size equal to zero if the server is busy. When a client sends a TCP connection request and receives a synchronization acknowledgement message with the window size equal to zero, the client knows that the server received the connection request and that the server is busy. The client may then send an acknowledgement message to complete the three-way synchronization handshake, thus successfully completing the connection. Thereafter, the client side TCP may probe the server side TCP until a window update message is received from the server. When the server sends a window update message to set the window size to a non-zero size, the client knows that the server is no longer busy and the client application may then use the TCP connection.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method is provided for creating a media access control (MAC) address for a device. The first method includes the steps of (1) obtaining one or more identifiers; (2) obtaining a first MAC address; and (3) creating at least a second MAC address based on the one or more identifiers and the first MAC address. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: A TCP/IP retransmission frame contains multiple TCP segments containing non-contiguous missing packets from a data communication. A TCP option in the first segment in the frame indicates the presence of multiple TCP payloads in the frame. Each TCP payload has a corresponding prepended TCP header. An offset address specified in each TCP header within the frame identifies the location of the next TCP header in the frame. Network throughput performance is enhanced by permitting multiple non-contiguous packets to be retransmitted in a single IP packet.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for accessing data processing systems behind a NAT enabled network are provided. According to one aspect of the present invention, a NAT data processing system is located behind a NAT enabled network with a NAT device as a gateway to the NAT enabled network. A client system located outside the NAT enabled network queries the NAT device for the address of the NAT data processing system located behind the NAT enabled network. The query is automatically routed through the NAT device to a DNS server. The DNS server then returns an address for the NAT data processing system and source routing for the NAT device. The NAT device forwards the address and source routing to the client system. Then, the client system sends packets to the NAT data processing system at the address with source routing through the NAT device, such that the NAT data processing system behind the NAT enabled network is directly accessed by the client system from outside the NAT enabled network.

Abstract: A NAT data processing system is located behind a NAT enabled network with a NAT device as a gateway to the NAT enabled network. A client system located outside the NAT enabled network queries the NAT device for the address of the NAT data processing system located behind the NAT enabled network. The query is automatically routed through the NAT device to a DNS server. The DNS server returns an address for the NAT data processing system and source routing for the NAT device. The NAT device forwards the address and source routing to the client system. The client system sends packets to the NAT data processing system at the address with source routing through the NAT device, such that the NAT data processing system behind the NAT enabled network is directly accessed by the client system from outside the NAT enabled network.