Abstract: Methods are disclosed for displaying and manipulating a plurality of mouse cursors at different locations in a viewable area for a computer. As preferred, only one mouse cursor is active and moveable at any one time, with the user being allowed to switch or toggle among them to activate an appropriate mouse cursor. Each mouse cursor is preferably restrained within a region of the viewable area of the monitor or monitors with which the technique is employed. The user can select among the active and inactive mouse cursors for example by pressing an appropriate key on the keyboard. The regions associated with the mouse cursors can be defined to suit user preferences, and can be set up to encompass logical regions within the viewable area. Alternatively, each cursor is not restrained to its particular region, and more than one mouse cursor can appear within the same region. Data associated with the presently-active cursor can be automatically moved to a newly-active cursor when the cursors are switched.

Abstract: A method for monitoring an optical network includes communicating optical traffic along a working path of an optical network. The optical network comprises a protection path for the optical traffic to communicate the optical traffic upon a failure in the working path. The protection path comprises two or more network elements coupled together by optical lines. The method also includes monitoring an idle signal of the protection path to detect an error in the protection path comprising an error in a component of one or more of the network elements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting one or more instances to perform database recovery is provided. According to one aspect, one or more performance metrics are determined for each instance on each node in a cluster. Based on these performance metrics, which may be weighted to give one or more metrics more significance relative to the other metrics, an overall score is determined for each instance on each surviving node when a node in the cluster fails. One or more instances with the highest of these scores are selected. The selected instances are assigned the task of performing the database recovery process. Because instances best able to handle to database recovery process are selected, the database recovery process consumes less time, thereby making data accessible in less time after a node fails.

Abstract: A communication system and method provides the ability to modify and transform media files remotely. The modification of a media file allows for media files, for example audio or video files, to be modified by adding effects such as echoes to preexisting audio or video files. The transformation of a media file allows for media files, for example MIDI files, to be transformed from music notation format into, for example, an audio file.

Abstract: Remastering of shared resources among nodes in a cluster, while minimizing the time that such resources are unavailable for access, comprises dividing the shared resources being remastered into multiple “windows” and freezing and remastering one window at a time. The remastering windows are defined over one or more buckets associated with a hash table of resources. In clusters with unequally sized hash tables, an enhancement to the fundamental windowing approach utilizes a functionally specific hashing algorithm and a hash table size constraint to ensure that the set of all resources that hash to a given bucket in a hash table of a given size will hash precisely to the same bucket, plus a set of higher buckets which are well defined, in a node that has a larger hash table.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for remastering resources based on node utilization. According to one such technique, resources are remastered in response to the over-utilization of the node that currently masters those resources. The utilization of each node is tracked, and when a particular node's utilization exceeds a specified threshold, selected resources that are currently mastered by that node are remastered so that nodes other than the particular node become the new masters for the selected resources. Each node's utilization is based on that node's capacity, and each node's capacity may differ. According to an aspect of one technique, each node's capacity is based on that node's processing resources and memory resources. Remastering resources in this manner tends to reduce the average amount of time taken for nodes to handle requests for the resources that they master.

Abstract: The present hot printing machine aims to be easier to use and comprises a printing platten for carrying the item to be printed which is reciprocatable between a forward loading and unloading position and a rearward printing position, a downwardly movable printing head including means for heating a printing die, means for linking the downward movement of the printing head with the rearward movement of the reciprocatable platten so that, before contact of the die with the item to be printed, the reciprocatable platten has been moved to its rearward printing position and means for supporting a length of printing foil beneath the heated die so that when the die is pressed against the item to be printed, the foil is sandwiched therebetween to give the printing effect required. Preferably, the heated platten carrying the printing die is pivotally mounted so that it can be turned outwardly to expose the underside of the heated platten for the ready attachment of the printing die.