Vmware, Inc.

Salesforce, Inc.

Binyuan Chen

Azeem Feroz

Amit Chopra

Parth Vijay Vaishnav

Prasad Sharad Dabak

Mitchell Christensen

Wei Gao

Embodiments are directed to a pluggable architecture for performance of pricing operations. An embodiment of a storage medium includes instructions for installing multiple pricing methods at a pricing service including a pluggable architecture for pricing methods, each pricing method including a set of pricing functions; receiving a pricing request for a sales transaction including one or more sales items, the pricing request including a pricing context for each sales item; and performing a price calculation for the sales transaction, including resolving a pricing method for each sales item, applying the set of pricing functions for the resolved pricing method for each sales item, the application of the set of pricing functions being based at least in part on the pricing context for the sales item, calculating a price for each sales item based upon an outcome of the pricing functions, and aggregating the calculated prices for the sales items.

Pluggable architecture for performance of pricing operations

In a virtualized computer system, gray applications that are selected to be executed in a first virtual computing instance are executed and monitored in a second virtual computing instance that is a clone of the first virtual computing instance, and classified according to their monitored behavior. This process is conducted in real-time, in response to a notification that a gray application has been selected for execution in the first virtual computing instance. The execution of the gray application in the first virtual computing instance is delayed until the first virtual computing instance receives a notification from an application admission control manager that the gray application is safe to be executed in the first virtual computing instance. Although the execution of the gray application in the first virtual computing instance is delayed, all other processes running in the first virtual computing instance continue to their execution so that a user accessing the first virtual computing instance will not experience any downtime.

Monitoring application execution in a clone of a virtual computing instance for application whitelisting

A method for enforcing a network policy is described herein. In the method, a network socket event request from an application executing in a first context is intercepted by an agent prior to the request reaching a transport layer in the first context. A context refers to virtualization software, a physical computer, or a combination of virtualization software and physical computer. In response to the interception of the request, the agent requests a decision on whether to allow or deny the network socket event request to be communicated to a security server executing in a second context that is distinct from the first context. The request for a decision includes an identification of the application. The agent then receives from the security server either an allowance or a denial of the network socket event request, the allowance or denial being based at least in part on the identification of the application and a security policy. The agent blocks the network socket event from reaching the transport layer when the denial is received from the security server. In one embodiment, the method is implemented using a machine readable medium embodying software instructions executable by a computer.

Method and apparatus for application awareness in a network

Methods and systems for protecting a virtual machine network are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method involves storing an application whitelist including application-to-user associations in memory such that the application whitelist is immutable by a guest virtual machine, receiving a request to execute an application including an application identifier and a user identifier, comparing the application identifier and the user identifier of the request with the application whitelist, and generating an execution decision indicating whether the requested application can execute on the guest virtual machine.

Growing community of inventors

Belmont, CA, United States of America

Binyuan Chen