Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

The present disclosure relates to a method performed in an operator network providing data network connectivity to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices, for charging of a service session involving a plurality of the M2M devices. The method comprises, from each of the plurality of M2M devices involved in the service session, receiving a service message comprising a service identifier (SID) corresponding to the service session. The method also comprises, by means of the received SID from each of the plurality of M2M devices, determining the number of M2M devices involved in the service session. The method also comprises, based on the determined number of M2M devices, calculating a charging rate for the service session. The method also comprises using the calculated rate, charging the service session.

A token-based billing model for delivering server-side rendered applications to remote users. A token represents a right to access a server-side rendered application. Each remote user is associated with one or more tokens. When a given token expires, the set of tokens associated with a user is decremented. The rate at which tokens expire are modulated based on aggregate load across the resources of the server-side rendered application provider, as well as the individual loads attributable to each of the users.

Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple intercommunicating computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, users may specify groups of computing nodes and optionally associated access policies for use in the managing of the communications for those groups, such as by specifying which source nodes are allowed to transmit data to particular destinations nodes. In addition, determinations of whether initiated data transmissions from source nodes to destination nodes are authorized may be dynamically negotiated for and recorded for later use in automatically authorizing future such data transmissions without negotiation. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Technologies are provided for managing a federation of resources using modules hosted at a cloud federation management system. In some variants an identity provider module establishes a connection between a first cloud management system associated with a first cloud computing resource and an electronic device associated with a user. The identity provider module may also establish a connection between a second cloud management system associated with a second cloud computing resource and the electronic device associated with the user. A collector module may access first and second data buses respectively hosted at the first and second cloud management systems. The data set gathered by the collector module may then be used to generate cloud federation usage data indicative of a usage of the federation of resources.

A token-based billing model for delivering server-side rendered applications to remote users. A token represents a right to access a server-side rendered application. Each remote user is associated with one or more tokens. When a given token expires, the set of tokens associated with a user is decremented. The rate at which tokens expire are modulated based on aggregate load across the resources of the server-side rendered application provider, as well as the individual loads attributable to each of the users.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a plurality of accounting nodes, each accounting node being associated with a service node of a communication network, each accounting node being configured to collect data usage information for a network segment of the communication network including an associated service node, and an accounting server in data communication with accounting nodes of the plurality of accounting nodes, the accounting server configured to receive from the accounting nodes the data usage information for each service node and determine billing for data usage of each network segment. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A duration of time a communications device is connected to a first network is monitored. A signal of a second network is detected. Next, it is determined whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed such that the communications device makes efficient use of the first network, and in response to a determination that the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, a connection of the communications device to the second network is initiated.

A system for tracking usage of a wireless device includes monitoring, at a tracking device connected to and different from a wireless network, information regarding a first data packet sent from a wireless device to the wireless network, wherein the information regarding the first data packet includes an identifier of the wireless device, an identifier of a first type of wireless service, and an amount of data included in the first data packet.

A system receives, from an account holder, a customized selection of notification methods and notification conditions associated with notifying an account holder about a first family member's network activity, wherein the first family member's network activity includes a first device's activity in a first network and a second device's activity in a second network, and wherein the second network is a different network than the first network. The system monitors multiple first types of network activity of the first device in the first network, and monitors multiple second types of network activity of the second device in the second network. The system provides notifications to the account holder based on the customized selection of notification methods and notification conditions and based on the monitored first types of the network activity of the first device and the monitored second types of the network activity of the second device.