Abstract: A method and apparatus for communicating files over a communications network in which links, such as hyperlinks, to files are logical in nature, rather than physical in nature, i.e., associated with a particular electronic address. An up-to-date replication directory is maintained on each server and each server inserts current physical references corresponding to a file's logical references into a requested parent file, along with a reference to a server selection program, before the parent file is transmitted to the requesting client. The server selection program selects physical references in the order of their likelihood of providing the fastest response. If a queried server does not currently store the file, an alternate server is queried. Servers communicate with each other to create and delete replicas of files and to make corresponding updates to each server's replication directory.

Abstract: Systems and methods for provisioning QoS paths with restoration in a network. In one embodiment, one system includes: (1) a primary path generator configured to identify a suitable primary path between source and destination nodes in a network, (2) an auxiliary graph generator, associated with the primary path generator, configured to construct a directed auxiliary graph from an undirected graph representing the network by reversing each link in a primary QoS path of the undirected graph and replacing each other link in the undirected graph by two directed links, (3) a walk identifier, associated with the auxiliary graph generator, configured to identify a walk in the auxiliary directed graph corresponding to a set of bridges in the network and (4) a bridge identifier, associated with the walk identifier, configured to identify a set of bridges in the network such that at least one link of the primary path is protected by a bridge.

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: Physical connectivity is determined between elements such as switches and routers in a multiple subnet communication network. Each element has one or more interfaces each of which is physically linked with an interface of another network element. Address sets are generated for each interface of the network elements, wherein members of a given address set correspond to network elements that can be reached from the corresponding interface for which the given address set was generated. The members of first address sets generated for corresponding interfaces of a given network element, are compared with the members of second address sets generated for corresponding interfaces of network elements other than the given element. A set of candidate connections between an interface of the given network element and one or more interfaces of other network elements, are determined.

Abstract: A real-time event processing system (EPS) for processing a sequence of events generated by one or more applications. In an illustrative embodiment, the EPS includes a set of real-time analysis engines (RAEs) operating in parallel, e.g., a set of clusters each including one or more RAEs, and one or more mappers for mapping a given input event to a particular one of the clusters. A main-memory database system is coupled to the RAEs, and the RAEs process events associated with input streams from one or more data sources and deliver output streams to one or more data sinks. The data source and data sinks may be, e.g., network elements, clients, databases, etc. The events are processed in accordance with services implemented in the RAEs, and utilize data stored in a memory portion of the main-memory database system accessible to the RAEs. The data may include, e.g., a subscription table storing subscription information indicating the service or services that should be executed for a given event.

Abstract: The invention provides protocols for managing transactions operating on replicated data items at multiple physical sites in a distributed database system. The protocols make use of dynamically changing sets of data items referred to as "virtual sites" and a replication graph or other suitable globally consistent representation of the relationships between the transactions and the virtual sites. Illustrative embodiments of the invention include a static global serializability (SGS) protocol, a commit-oriented protocol (COP) and a multiversion optimistic protocol (MOP). The SGS protocol broadcasts the data access set of a given transaction to all physical sites, and applies the Thomas Write Rule (TWR) to write-write conflicts on secondary copies of data items. The COP protocol defers testing of the replication graph until a transaction is ready to commit, and each transaction is allowed to proceed at its origination site independently of other transactions that are executing at other sites.

Abstract: Method and system for managing transactions operating on replicated data items at multiple physical sites in a distributed database system. The transactions include local transactions each being processed at one of the physical sites and global transactions each being processed at multiple physical sites. Each transaction originates at one of the physical sites, and is permitted to read data items only at that physical site. In addition, only transactions originating at a physical site at which a primary copy of a data item is located are permitted to update that data item. A number of virtual sites are defined such that a given virtual site VS.sub.i.sup.j at a particular point in time includes a set S.sub.i.sup.j of all data items at a physical site s.sub.j that a given transaction T.sub.i has accessed from an initial operation up to that point in time. A replication graph is maintained to represent the relationships between the transactions and the virtual sites.