International Business Machines Corporation

Ian Beaumont Shields

Mark Edward Molander

Barron Cornelius Housel, Iii

George E Hall, Jr

Peter Williams Volkmar

Teresa A Meriwether

A method and system is presented which enables the user to maintain the receipt of information from an application bar while the application bar is minimized. In addition, the conveyance of information and availability of controls to the user is maintained while the user moves the window which the application bar is docked to off or around the presentation space.

Maintaining visibility and status indication of docked applications and application bars

Method, apparatus and program products are provided for persistent cache synchronization for a first communication session and a concurrent second communication session over an external communication link between a client protocol conversion application executing on a first computer and a server protocol conversion application executing on a second computer located remote from the first computer. An active cache is established independently for each session with a corresponding cache for each session at the other computer for use with the first and the second communication session respectively. A checkpoint request is transmitted to the server application indicating one of the active protocol caches from either the first session or the second session to be used to provide a checkpoint. On receipts of the request from the server application, the active protocol cache for the indicated session is copied to provide a checkpoint cache of the second computer. Regardless of which session was indicated, the resulting checkpoint cache of the second computer is associated with both the first and the second session. A checkpoint confirmation message is transmitted to the client application with the first computer responsive to the copying operation. On receipt of the checkpoint confirmation message, the client application creates a checkpoint cache of the first computer as a copy of the indicated one of the first or second sessions protocol cache. The checkpoint cache of the first computer is associated with both the first session and the second session to provide a checkpoint. Operations to create new checkpoints are repeated as desired based upon checkpoint criteria.

Methods, systems and computer program products for maintaining a common checkpoint cache for multiple sessions between a single client and server

Presumptive option negotiation is provided between a first entity and a second entity, each of which is operative to communicate according to a communications protocol including a plurality of negotiable options. A first information transfer from the first entity to the second entity is performed according to the communications protocol, the first information transfer including a message indicating support of an option and a message conforming to the option. A second information transfer from the second entity to the first entity it then performed according to the communications protocol, the second information transfer including a message indicating support of the option and a message responding to the message conforming to the option. The first information transfer may include transfer a message indicating support of a terminal type negotiation option and a message conforming to the terminal type negotiation option, and the second information transfer may include transfer of a message indicating support of the terminal type negotiation option and a message responding to the message conforming to the terminal type negotiation option. The communications protocol may include a Telnet or other option-negotiating protocol. Data communications systems, apparatus and computer program products for employing the above-described presumptive negotiation functions are also described.

Systems, methods and computer program products for employing presumptive negotiation in a data communications protocol

Changing the status of a window for docked applications and application bars

System for maintaining visible presentation of status indication by undocking it when it is moving out of visible presentation space and redocking thereto

Construction and usage of a pre-warmed cache for client-server emulator

Maintaining visibility and status indication of docked applications and

Method, appartus and program products for persistent cache synchronization for communications over an external communication link between a client protocol conversion application executing on a first computer and a server protocol conversion application executing on a second computer located remote from the first computer are provided. Protocol conversion applications are provided on both the host side and the terminal side of the external communication link to provide communications over the external communication link using a differenced communication data stream which includes a reduced volume of data for transmittal. A checkpoint is provided to allow for improved performance on start up of a new communication session over the external communication link between the client application and the server application by initiating a checkpoint request and transmitting the request from the client to the server. The active protocol cache of the server is copied to a checkpoint cache responsive to a received checkpoint request. A checkpoint confirmation message is sent to the client from the server. Responsive to receipt of a checkpoint confirmation message indicating successful copying of the server active protocol cache to a checkpoint cache, the client application creates a checkpoint cache of the first computer as a copy of the protocol cache of the first computer. The first computer creates a checkpoint cache by first creating a temporary cache before initiating the checkpoint and on receipt of a confirmation from the server, converting the temporary cache to a confirmed checkpoint cache.

Persistent cache synchronization and start up system

A session is established between a terminal and host, each of which are operative to communicate according to a communications protocol. A communications channel is established between the terminal and the host via a client and a server of a communications network, the client being connected to the terminal and the server being connected to the host. Terminal type information is communicated from the client to the server via the communications channel. An indication of readiness to communicate data between the terminal and the host is communicated between the server and the client via the communications channel. Messages are communicated between the client and the terminal and between the server and the host according to the communications protocol to emulate communication of session establishment messages operative to establish a session between the terminal and the host according to the communications protocol without requiring communication of the session establishment messages via the communications channel. Related apparatus and computer program products are also discussed.

Methods, system and computer program products for establishing a session

Method, apparatus and program products are provided for persistent cache synchronization for a first communication session and a concurrent second communication session over an external communication link between a client protocol conversion application executing on a first computer and a server protocol conversion application executing on a second computer located remote from the first computer. An active cache is established independently for each session with a corresponding cache for each session at the other computer for use with the first and the second communication session respectively. A checkpoint request is transmitted to the server application indicating one of the active protocol caches from either the first session or the second session to be used to provide a checkpoint. On receipt of the request from the server application, the active protocol cache for the indicated session is copied to provide a checkpoint cache of the second computer. Regardless of which session was indicated, the resulting checkpoint cache of the second computer is associated with both the first and the second session. A checkpoint confirmation message is transmitted to the client application with the first computer responsive to the copying operation. On receipt of the checkpoint confirmation message, the client application creates a checkpoint cache of the first computer as a copy of the indicated one of the first or second sessions protocol cache. The checkpoint cache of the first computer is associated with both the first session and the second session to provide a checkpoint. Operations to create new checkpoints are repeated as desired based upon checkpoint criteria.

Client/server system in which protocol caches for multiple sessions are

A system for allowing application programs to be written that can communicate over a multitude of transmission media without requiring the application program to be rewritten or reconfigured. This system includes a hook program which resides between the application programs and the operating system upon which the application programs run. The hook program intercepts information targeted for the operating system and the transmission medium and transforms it into the desired format, ensuring that the appropriate content is contained in the transmission. This system also intercepts data being sent to the application programs from the operating system while allowing interrupts to be sent from the transmission medium to the application programs without being intercepted by the hook program.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Ian Beaumont Shields