Abstract:
Architecture that facilitates communications between two network nodes of the different networks by providing a routing mechanism that uses alternative modalities driven entirely by policies that are authored and stored in a computing cloud and enforced on the client. This allows the selection of one network path over another path based on criteria such as, physical location of the hosts and service level agreements (SLAs) to be provided, for example. With respect for path selection, a packet can be routed through a datacenter closest to the hosts. With respect to SLAs, there may be different SLAs available to different clients. For clients with the highest bandwidth/uptime or other guarantees, a network path different from other types of clients can be selected. Additionally, connectivity can be allowed or disallowed based on other kinds of policy rules such as a virtual circle to which the hosts may belong.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Routing between two hosts (e.g., on the Internet) is typically handled based on the IP (Internet Protocol) addresses assigned to the hosts. Hence, the route chosen is determined using the IP addresses of the hosts involved. This technique may not be problem when the hosts are on the same network; however, this can be very problematic as requiring more administrative interaction when the hosts are on different networks. Moreover, since most hosts can connect to the Internet, the inability to conveniently interconnect hosts on the Internet is a technical and administrative challenge. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0002]    The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some novel embodiments described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
         [0003]    The disclosed architecture facilitates communications between two network nodes of the different networks using alternative modalities driven entirely by policies that are authored and stored in the cloud and enforced on the client and/or outside the cloud, as desired. This allows the selection of one network path over another path based on criteria such as, physical location of the hosts and service level agreements (SLAs) to be provided, for example. This can be facilitated at least by a virtual layer employed over the physical layer in the network stack and supporting programs to provide smart client capability in routing selection between hosts. 
         [0004]    With respect for path selection, a packet can be routed through a peer-to-peer connection or a relay connection. With respect to SLAs, there may be different SLAs available to different clients. For clients with the highest bandwidth/uptime or other guarantees, a network path different from one for other types of clients can be selected. Additionally, connectivity can be allowed or disallowed based on other kinds of policy rules such as a virtual circle to which the hosts may belong. 
         [0005]    To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be practiced and all aspects and equivalents thereof are intended to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates computer-implemented connectivity system in accordance with the disclosed architecture. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a connectivity system that includes an authoring component. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates a local node system that utilizes a virtual adapter to facilitate path selection as defined according to the policy received from the computing cloud. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates a computer-implemented host connectivity method in accordance with the disclosed architecture. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates additional aspects of the method of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates an alternative host connectivity method. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates additional aspects of the method of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  illustrates yet another an alternative host connectivity method. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates a block diagram of a computing system operable to execute cloud-based connectivity in accordance with the disclosed architecture. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates a schematic block diagram of a computing environment in which cloud-based connectivity is deployed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    The disclosed architecture is smart network switching based on policies. Network switching is employed in conjunction with cloud computing to enable on-premise connectivity with cloud-based resources. Note, however, this is just one scenario for smart routing, in that smart routing is applicable generally to any two or more endpoints irrespective of whether the endpoints are in the cloud or a corpnet. The architecture provides a combination of policy authoring of connectivity rules, name service resolution hooks, as well as dynamic routing on the client, that allow the selection of the most appropriate path through which two host machines can connect to each other. This allows flexibility in terms of guaranteeing the lowest operations cost for a vendor, providing the highest service level agreement (SLA) for the customer, or a combination of both. 
         [0017]    Policies (e.g., cloud-based) can be utilized to determine various connectivity rules that are applied to determine the order in which the routing will be performed. For instance, a policy manifest can indicate that for a client connecting to another client: the two clients shall exist in the same circle and that the connections will first attempt tunneling (e.g., Teredo-based) in peer-to-peer (P2P) connectivity, if available, before attempting a cloud-mediated connectivity method such as SSTP (secure socket tunneling protocol). 
         [0018]    Policies can be defined at various levels. For example, policies can be defined to, determine a connection between two specific hosts, and in the context of circles and links determine a connection between two different hosts within the same circle, linked circles, or even to define connectivity between any two machines without the machines being part of the same circle and not linked in any way. (Circles can be described as associations of users or organizations over networks and the links are the relationships between the users or organizations.) These policies can be determined a priori, such as statically, or generated based on a set of rules the inputs of which include, and are not limited to, geolocation, SLA, desired costs, circle membership, etc. 
         [0019]    Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the novel embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. The intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates computer-implemented connectivity system  100  in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The system  100  includes a resolution component  102  of a local node  104  that attempts resolution of identification information  106  of a remote node  108  to which connectivity is intended, using a resolution call  110 . A translation component  112  of the local node  104  intercepts the resolution call  110  and translates the resolution call  110  into a web service call  114  to a resource  116  of a computing cloud  118 . A policy component  120  of the local node  104  receives a policy  122  from the computing cloud  118  and establishes a connection  124  between the local node  104  and the remote node  108  based on the policy  122 . 
         [0021]    The policy  122  received from the computing cloud  118  can be selected based on the identification information  106 , which is a name of the remote node  108  and the resolution call  110  which is a name resolution call. The policy  122  also facilitates creation of the connection  124  by selection of one network path over another network path. Still further, the policy  122  facilitates creation of the connection  124  based on at least one of physical location of the local node  104  or physical location of the remote node  108  relative to a datacenter. Additionally, the policy  122  facilitates creation of the connection  124  based on a service level agreement. The policy  122  also facilitates creation of the connection  124  based on a virtual circle to which at least one of the local node  104  or the remote node  108  is associated. The policy component  120  configures the connection  124  to the remote node  108  through a relay server. 
         [0022]    In other words, a host (e.g., local node  104 ) attempting to connect to another host (e.g., remote node  108 , which can be client or server) first attempts to resolve the name of the other node (e.g., remote node  108 ). The name resolution call (e.g., resolution call  110 ) is interpreted on the client (local node  104 ) and translated into a cloud-based web service call (web service call  114 ) to an implementation of name resolution in the cloud  118 . Note, however, this is just one example of an interception technique, since interception can be performed using various implementations such as local-based and/or cloud-based. The implementation uses policies (e.g., policy  122 ) to determine the network costs for the various networks and then sends this to the aforementioned host. 
         [0023]    The host (local node  104 ) uses the information obtained from the cloud-based service to inform the name resolver of the local node  104  the address to be used for the connection  124 , configure the appropriate connectivity to a relay server (e.g., SSTP, etc.), and sets a routing table on a virtual adapter of the local node  104  to enable use of the desired connection. However, it is to be understood that in a broader context, the instant architecture enables connectivity between any two network endpoints irrespective of endpoint location. Thus, although described in the context of on-premise and/or cloud-based implementations, the architecture can be applied more generally. One or more of these steps can be performed at client initialization time (e.g., when the machine boots up or the correct user logs on to the machine), while other steps can be performed at actual connection set up time. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a connectivity system  200  that includes an authoring component  202 . The authoring component  202  for authoring the policy that includes connectivity rules for establishing communications between the local and remote nodes, and storing the policy in the cloud. 
         [0025]    As depicted, the system  200  also includes the entities and components described in  FIG. 1 . The system  200  includes the resolution component  102  of the local node  104  that attempts resolution of identification information  106  of a remote node  108  to which connectivity is intended, using the resolution call  110 , which is a name resolution call. The translation component  112  of the local node  104  intercepts the resolution call  110  (e.g., name resolution call) and translates the resolution call  110  into the web service call  114  (e.g., cloud-based) to the resource  116  (one of many possible cloud resources) of the computing cloud  118 . The policy component  120  of the local node  104  receives the policy  122  from the computing cloud  118  and establishes the connection  124  between the local node  104  and the remote node  108  based on the policy  122 . 
         [0026]    It is to be appreciated that the remote node  108  can include the same components as the local node  104  when attempting connectivity to the local node  104  and/or another node. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates a local node system  300  that utilizes a virtual adapter  302  to facilitate path selection as defined according to the policy received from the computing cloud. In this specific example, consider that the cloud is designed to be an IPv6-only infrastructure, although the applicability of the disclosed architecture is not so limited. Further consider that a well-written application  304  will process all the returned addresses from the cloud until the application  304  succeeds in connecting to the remote node. Based on a policy received from the cloud, the application  304  will pick the IPv6 destination address (of the remote node), and IPv6 source address (of the local node) exposed by a virtual adapter  302  of the local node. 
         [0028]    The virtual adapter  302  is created, as further illustrated, to include IPv4 and IPv6 addresses associated with an IPv4/IPv6 adapter  306  that interfaces to an SSTP IPv6 adapter  308  and a Teredo IPv6 adapter  310 . Based on which transport (Teredo vs. SSTP) is available the virtual adapter  302  encapsulate the IPv4/IPv6 packet in an appropriate IPv6 packet and inject the packet back into the client stack to be handled by SSTP or Teredo. As illustrated, the virtual adapter  302  can be designed to overlay the physical layer  312 . 
         [0029]    With respect to assignment to interfaces the local node can talk to the cloud service to reserve an IPv4 address. This IP address is assigned to the virtual adapter. Additionally, a prefixed IPv6 address will be generated from this IPv4 address and assigned to the same interface. When a Teredo local node talks to a Teredo server, the Teredo IPv6 address is assigned to the local node. 
         [0030]    Similarly, when an SSTP local node attempts to setup an SSTP tunnel, an SSTP server can hand out an IPv6 address by combining the reserved IPv4 address and site ID. The local node uploads all these IP addresses belonging to the cloud service. Thus, there can be four addresses associated per node: the virtual adapter IPv4 address, virtual adapter IPv6 address, Teredo IPv6 address, and SSTP IPv6 address. Of these four addresses, the virtual adapter addresses are exposed to the applications (e.g., application  304 ). Domain name service (DNS) name query from the node resolve these two addresses. 
         [0031]    Sets of related addresses can be maintained as a tuples, for example, &lt;virtual adapter IPv4 address, Teredo IPv6 address, relay IPv6 address&gt;. Then, given a destination IPv4 address, routing can be performed accordingly. Another variant is if the source and/or destination have global IPv4/IPv6 connectivity, the system is bypassed. If the global IPv6 address is added to this tuple, then the global IPv6 addresses can be leveraged as well. 
         [0032]    Inside the virtual adapter  302 , the four addresses associated with the destination can be cached. Connectivity processing can be according to a predetermined order. For example, connectivity to the destination can be attempted in the following order: first, the Teredo IPv6 address, followed by the SSTP IPv6 address, the adapter IPv4 address and then encapsulation in the adapter SSTP IPv6. A Teredo connection is attempted on a peer IPv6 Teredo address. If this connection succeeds, then the virtual adapter  302  encapsulates the IPv6 traffic inside the Teredo IPv6 address, and sends the encapsulated IPv6 traffic out on the Teredo interface (Teredo adapter  310 ). 
         [0033]    If the above fails, the virtual adapter  302  attempts to reach the destination (remote node) using SSTP IPv6 address. The reachability can be verified by a ping mechanism. If this connection succeeds, the virtual adapter  302  encapsulates the traffic in SSTP IPv6 packets and sends the encapsulated traffic out on the SSTP interface (SSTP adapter  308 ). 
         [0034]    If the above connection through IPv6 fails, the application  304  can pick the remote node IPv4 address and attempt to connect. This connection has a high probability in succeeding, as most, if not all, applications will be listening on IPv4. In response to this success, the virtual adapter  302  encapsulates the traffic in SSTP IPv6 and sends the encapsulated traffic over the SSTP interface (SSTP adapter  308 ). 
         [0035]    With respect to IPv4 over IPv6 encapsulation by the virtual adapter  302 , the virtual adapter  302  can be implemented as an NDIS (network drive interface specification) miniport driver. The virtual adapter  302  can be configured to be selected for IPv4 communications. This way, the virtual adapter  302  can intercept all IPv4 traffic. 
         [0036]    Which IPv6 address (e.g., SSTP versus Teredo) is used for encapsulation can be determined as follows. If the Teredo interface is connected, an attempt is made to ping the Teredo IP of the peer. The teredo IPv6 address of peer can be determined by combining the destination IPv4 address, Teredo prefix, and site ID. If the ping succeeds on Teredo IPv6 address, the Teredo IPv6 addresses can be used for encapsulation. If the above fails, then retry on SSTP IPv6 address of the peer. If successful, use the SSTP IPv6 addresses for encapsulation. 
         [0037]    After the IPv4-over-IPv6 encapsulation, the virtual adapter  302  inserts the packet back into the TCP/IP stack so that the packet can be correctly picked up by SSTP or Teredo. To make this happen, extra information (set a flag) can be added in the IPv6 header during encapsulation at the virtual adapter  302 . When the receiver receives the IPv6 packet the receiver looks at the flag and decides if the IPv6 packet needs to be decapsulated by the virtual adapter  302  or to simply bypass the virtual adapter  302 . One option is to set the next header field in the outer IPv6 header to four, thereby indicating that the IPv4 packet is encapsulated inside this IPv6 packet. Other options can also be applied. 
         [0038]    Included herein is a set of flow charts representative of exemplary methodologies for performing novel aspects of the disclosed architecture. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the one or more methodologies shown herein, for example, in the form of a flow chart or flow diagram, are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a different order and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all acts illustrated in a methodology may be required for a novel implementation. 
         [0039]      FIG. 4  illustrates a computer-implemented host connectivity method in accordance with the disclosed architecture. At  400 , at a local host, an attempt is made to resolve identification information of a remote host to which connectivity is intended, using a resolution call. At  402 , the identification information is sent to a cloud-based resource of a computing cloud. At  404 , policy information is received from the cloud-based resource. At  406 , the local host is connected to the remote host based on the policy information. 
         [0040]      FIG. 5  illustrates additional aspects of the method of  FIG. 4 . At  500 , the resolution call is intercepted on the local host for transmission to the cloud-based resource. At  502 , the resolution call is translated into a cloud-based web service call at the local host for transmission to the cloud-based resource. At  504 , network costs are defined in the policy information for utilizing specific networks for processing by the local host. At  506 , a routing path to the remote host is selected based on the policy information. At  508 , a routing path is obtained from the policy information. At  510 , connectivity to a protocol service is enabled based on the routing path. At  512 , the local host is assigned to a virtual circle in the computing cloud on which the remote host is a part. At  514 , a routing table in the local host is configured that enables use of the connectivity. 
         [0041]      FIG. 6  illustrates an alternative host connectivity method. At  600 , at a local host, resolve of a name of a remote host to which connectivity is intended is attempted using a name resolution call. At  602 , the name resolution call is intercepted. At  604 , the name resolution call is translated into a cloud-based web service call. At  606 , the cloud-based web service call is submitted. The submission can be to a computing cloud. At  608 , policy information is received in response to the cloud-based web service call. At  610 , the local host is connected to the remote host based on the policy information. 
         [0042]      FIG. 7  illustrates additional aspects of the method of  FIG. 6 . At  700 , the local host is assigned to a virtual circle on which the remote host is a part. At  702 , routing information to the remote host is obtained from the policy information. At  704 , the connectivity is configured to a protocol service. At  706 , a routing table in the local host is configured that enables use of the connectivity. 
         [0043]      FIG. 8  illustrates yet another an alternative host connectivity method. At  800 , a local client attempts to open a website on a remote client. At  802 , a local client application performs a domain name service (DNS) lookup for the name of the remote client. The local client application receives two addresses: an IPv4 address for the remote client and an IPv6 address for the remote client. A well-written application will process all the returned addresses until it succeeds. At  804 , the DNS resolution call is intercepted and translated into web service call to the cloud. 
         [0044]    At  806 , a policy received from the cloud is processed to obtain the associated routing rule(s). For example, based on the policy, the application will pick the IPv6 remote (destination) address and IPv6 local (source) address exposed by a virtual adapter of the local client. At  808 , the addresses are processed according to a predetermined order. For example, the rules can indicate to process IPv6 address before IPv4 addresses and then according to one protocol (e.g., Teredo) over another protocol (e.g., SSTP). At  810 , the connection to the destination is established based on the first successful attempt. 
         [0045]    As used in this application, the terms “component” and “system” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple storage drives (of optical, solid state, and/or magnetic storage medium), an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. The word “exemplary” may be used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. 
         [0046]    Referring now to  FIG. 9 , there is illustrated a block diagram of a computing system  900  operable to execute cloud-based connectivity in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In order to provide additional context for various aspects thereof,  FIG. 9  and the following description are intended to provide a brief, general description of the suitable computing system  900  in which the various aspects can be implemented. While the description above is in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that a novel embodiment also can be implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software. 
         [0047]    The computing system  900  for implementing various aspects includes the computer  902  having processing unit(s)  904 , a computer-readable storage such as a system memory  906 , and a system bus  908 . The processing unit(s)  904  can be any of various commercially available processors such as single-processor, multi-processor, single-core units and multi-core units. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the novel methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers (e.g., desktop, laptop, etc.), hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices. 
         [0048]    The system memory  906  can include computer-readable storage such as a volatile (VOL) memory  910  (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and non-volatile memory (NON-VOL)  912  (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in the non-volatile memory  912 , and includes the basic routines that facilitate the communication of data and signals between components within the computer  902 , such as during startup. The volatile memory  910  can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data. 
         [0049]    The system bus  908  provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the memory subsystem  906  to the processing unit(s)  904 . The system bus  908  can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), and a peripheral bus (e.g., PCI, PCIe, AGP, LPC, etc.), using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. 
         [0050]    The computer  902  further includes machine readable storage subsystem(s)  914  and storage interface(s)  916  for interfacing the storage subsystem(s)  914  to the system bus  908  and other desired computer components. The storage subsystem(s)  914  can include one or more of a hard disk drive (HDD), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD), and/or optical disk storage drive (e.g., a CD-ROM drive DVD drive), for example. The storage interface(s)  916  can include interface technologies such as EIDE, ATA, SATA, and IEEE 1394, for example. 
         [0051]    One or more programs and data can be stored in the memory subsystem  906 , a machine readable and removable memory subsystem  918  (e.g., flash drive form factor technology), and/or the storage subsystem(s)  914  (e.g., optical, magnetic, solid state), including an operating system  920 , one or more application programs  922 , other program modules  924 , and program data  926 . 
         [0052]    The one or more application programs  922 , other program modules  924 , and program data  926  can include the local node  104 , policy  122  and entities/components of the local node  104  of  FIG. 1 , the virtual adapter layer  302  of  FIG. 3 , and the methods represented by the flow charts of  FIGS. 4-8 , for example. 
         [0053]    Generally, programs include routines, methods, data structures, other software components, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. All or portions of the operating system  920 , applications  922 , modules  924 , and/or data  926  can also be cached in memory such as the volatile memory  910 , for example. It is to be appreciated that the disclosed architecture can be implemented with various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems (e.g., as virtual machines). 
         [0054]    The storage subsystem(s)  914  and memory subsystems ( 906  and  918 ) serve as computer readable media for volatile and non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer  902  and includes volatile and non-volatile internal and/or external media that is removable or non-removable. For the computer  902 , the media accommodate the storage of data in any suitable digital format. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computer readable media can be employed such as zip drives, magnetic tape, flash memory cards, flash drives, cartridges, and the like, for storing computer executable instructions for performing the novel methods of the disclosed architecture. 
         [0055]    A user can interact with the computer  902 , programs, and data using external user input devices  928  such as a keyboard and a mouse. Other external user input devices  928  can include a microphone, an IR (infrared) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, camera recognition systems, a stylus pen, touch screen, gesture systems (e.g., eye movement, head movement, etc.), and/or the like. The user can interact with the computer  902 , programs, and data using onboard user input devices  930  such a touchpad, microphone, keyboard, etc., where the computer  902  is a portable computer, for example. These and other input devices are connected to the processing unit(s)  904  through input/output (I/O) device interface(s)  932  via the system bus  908 , but can be connected by other interfaces such as a parallel port, IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, etc. The I/O device interface(s)  932  also facilitate the use of output peripherals  934  such as printers, audio devices, camera devices, and so on, such as a sound card and/or onboard audio processing capability. 
         [0056]    One or more graphics interface(s)  936  (also commonly referred to as a graphics processing unit (GPU)) provide graphics and video signals between the computer  902  and external display(s)  938  (e.g., LCD, plasma) and/or onboard displays  940  (e.g., for portable computer). The graphics interface(s)  936  can also be manufactured as part of the computer system board. 
         [0057]    The computer  902  can operate in a networked environment (e.g., IP-based) using logical connections via a wired/wireless communications subsystem  942  to one or more networks and/or other computers. The other computers can include workstations, servers, routers, personal computers, microprocessor-based entertainment appliances, peer devices or other common network nodes, and typically include many or all of the elements described relative to the computer  902 . The logical connections can include wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), hotspot, and so on. LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which may connect to a global communications network such as the Internet. 
         [0058]    When used in a networking environment the computer  902  connects to the network via a wired/wireless communication subsystem  942  (e.g., a network interface adapter, onboard transceiver subsystem, etc.) to communicate with wired/wireless networks, wired/wireless printers, wired/wireless input devices  944 , and so on. The computer  902  can include a modem or other means for establishing communications over the network. In a networked environment, programs and data relative to the computer  902  can be stored in the remote memory/storage device, as is associated with a distributed system. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used. 
         [0059]    The computer  902  is operable to communicate with wired/wireless devices or entities using the radio technologies such as the IEEE 802.xx family of standards, such as wireless devices operatively disposed in wireless communication (e.g., IEEE 802.11 over-the-air modulation techniques) with, for example, a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This includes at least Wi-Fi (or Wireless Fidelity) for hotspots, WiMax, and Bluetooth™ wireless technologies. Thus, the communications can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11x (a, b, g, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wire networks (which use IEEE 802.3-related media and functions). 
         [0060]    Referring now to  FIG. 10 , there is illustrated a schematic block diagram of a computing environment  1000  in which cloud-based connectivity is deployed. The environment  1000  includes one or more client(s)  1002 . The client(s)  1002  can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The client(s)  1002  can house cookie(s) and/or associated contextual information, for example. 
         [0061]    The environment  1000  also includes one or more server(s)  1004 . The server(s)  1004  can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers  1004  can house threads to perform transformations by employing the architecture, for example. One possible communication between a client  1002  and a server  1004  can be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes. The data packet may include a cookie and/or associated contextual information, for example. The environment  1000  includes a communication framework  1006  (e.g., a global communication network such as the Internet) that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s)  1002  and the server(s)  1004 . 
         [0062]    Communications can be facilitated via a wire (including optical fiber) and/or wireless technology. The client(s)  1002  are operatively connected to one or more client data store(s)  1008  that can be employed to store information local to the client(s)  1002  (e.g., cookie(s) and/or associated contextual information). Similarly, the server(s)  1004  are operatively connected to one or more server data store(s)  1010  that can be employed to store information local to the servers  1004 . 
         [0063]    What has been described above includes examples of the disclosed architecture. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and/or methodologies, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, the novel architecture is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.