Abstract: An overlay protocol and system for allowing multicast routing in the Internet to be performed at the application level. The overlay protocol uses “native” Internet multicast and multicast routing protocols to route information, according to overlay routing tables. Overlay groups are mapped to native multicast groups to exploit native multicasting in regional or local forwarding domains. Use of the overlay protocol allows overlay distribution to be handled in a more intelligent and bandwidth-managed fashion. Overlay routers are placed at each of several local area networks, Internet service provider's point of presence, enterprise, or other cohesively-managed locations. The overlay computers are configured according to bandwidth and security policies, and perform application-level multicast distribution across the otherwise disjoint multicast networks by using the overlay routing. The result is an overlay multicast network that is effectively managed according to local network management policies.

Abstract: A computer-implemented approach for routing an integrated circuit using non-orthogonal routing is accomplished during two phases: a global routing phase and a detailed routing phase. During global routing, routing indicators, in the form of hint polygons, are added to the integrated circuit layout and strategy lists, that include bias directions and straying limits, are generated for the new wires to be added. The hint polygons and strategy lists are used during detailed routing to aid in placing the new wires. If obstacle conflicts or insufficient space problems prevent the detailed routing of a new wire, then an obstacle resolution portion of global routing is used to resolve the obstacle conflict and/or provide additional space in the integrated circuit layout to route the new wires.

Abstract: A modulating mechanism is provided comprising a first storage and a corresponding first DAC, and a second storage and a corresponding second DAC. The first storage stores an adjusted digital representation of a first waveform, while the second storage stores an adjusted digital representation of a second waveform. The adjusted representation of the first waveform is adjusted to compensate for the deviation effects experienced by the first DAC (e.g. amplitude deviation, DC offset, non-linearity, etc.). The adjusted representation of the second waveform is adjusted to compensate for the deviation effects experienced by the second DAC. In effect, the adjusted representations of the first and second waveforms cause the DAC's to exhibit the proper behavior, despite the presence of the deviation effects. By storing and using adjusted digital representations of waveforms in this manner, many benefits can be realized, including for example, eliminating the need for any analog compensation circuits.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for managing network devices using a parsable string that conforms to a specified grammar. The parsable string is used to represent locations of entities and is called an entity location specifier. The grammar may conform to Augmented Backus-Naur Form (ABNF). The entity location specifier comprises one or more location elements taken from a superset of location elements needed to specify the locations of entities for network device platforms. The superset of location elements can include both physical and logical entities. As a result, a network management application can retrieve a description of entities and elements contained in a network device using a single request, and can receive a single string value that is parsable to identify individual entities or elements in the device.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for carrying out network device provisioning and configuration, and communication of other information to a network device, automatically and in an assured manner. A configuration service receives a request from a network device to provide configuration information. The configuration service retrieves a template representing the configuration from a storage location, e.g., a directory service. The configuration service also retrieves one or more parameter values specific to the device. Device-specific values are instantiated for the generic parameters in the template, based on the retrieved values. The resulting configuration is stored in XML format using XML tags to delimit configuration commands, tested for well-formed-ness, and syntax checked. A reliable transport protocol carries the configuration information to the device. At the device, a configuration agent syntax checks the embedded configuration information, and then applies the configuration information to the device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for facilitating uniform access control to data managed by a database server that can emulate hierarchically organized systems, whether the data is accessed through hierarchical or relational access mechanisms. A database server that can emulate hierarchically organized systems uses separate relational or object-relational database tables to store the content of the resources that belong to a hierarchy (the “content structures”) and information that captures the hierarchy (the “hierarchy structures”). Both types of structures contain access control data that define consistent user access privileges. To determine access privileges for a user requesting access to data in the database, access control information is accessed in the hierarchy structures when the request is made through the hierarchical access mechanism, or accessed in the content structures when the request is made through a relational access mechanism.

Abstract: A mechanism for enabling customized session managers to interact with a network server is disclosed. A programming interface enables customized session managers to “plug in” to and to interact with the server, making it possible to change session management functionality without having to make any changes to the core server. It also makes it possible to incorporate multiple session managers into the server. These aspects of the programming interface significantly increase the flexibility and scalability of the web server. The mechanism further includes a service engine for coordinating the interaction with the session managers. For each client request, the service engine determines which application needs to be invoked. Then, based upon that application, the service engine determines which, if any, associated session manager needs to be invoked to manage session (i.e. state) information for that application. The service engine invokes the session manager via the programming interface.

Abstract: A method for generating compressed correlation key values for use in correlating alarms generated by network elements in a telecommunications network is disclosed. An alarm message generated by a network element is received. A context value in the alarm message is identified. A table that associates context values to correlation key value formulas is maintained. A formula specifying how to generate the correlation key value is retrieved from the table. Each formula may specify, for an associated context value, one or more ordinal positions of fields in the alarm message, a concatenation of which yields the correlation key value. The correlation key value is created based on the formula. A unique ordinal number is generated to represent the correlation key value, which acts as a context key. The alarm message and correlation key value are sent to an external system for use in correlating alarms.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically evaluating an electronic commerce business model through click stream analysis is disclosed. An electronic commerce business model is incorporated into a Web site. The Web site includes a plurality of related Web pages structured in a hierarchical manner. Each Web page includes one or more hyperlinks selectable by a user. A plurality of data vectors is stored. Each data vector represents a click stream path through the Web site. Each data vector includes a set of data entries that each corresponds to Web content selected via the hyperlinks in the related Web pages. Each click stream path is classified based on at least one such data entry in the data vector. The classified click stream path shares at least one common characteristic with one or more other click stream paths. The classified click stream paths are analyzed according to a pre-defined evaluation procedure directed at determining at least one of efficacy of presentation and shifts in demography.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium configured for maintaining consistent per-hop packet forwarding behavior among a plurality of network devices in a network within a Differentiated Services (DS) domain are disclosed. In one aspect, a method involves creating and storing a network-wide PHB definition that associates a PHB with a DS code point (DSCP) value, and with a set of parameters that define the bandwidth and buffer resources allocated to the PHBs on all interfaces of network devices within the DS domain. A mapping of each of the PHBs in the network-wide PHB definition to one or more queues of the network devices is determined. Drain size and queue size values are determined for each of the queues to which PHBs are mapped. A mapping of each of the PHBs to a threshold value associated with the queues is determined. Parameters of fragmentation and interleave mechanisms are determined.

Abstract: Load balanced transport of best efforts traffic together with delay-bounded traffic over a multilink bundle combines fragmentation and fragment distribution for best efforts packets with per-flow balancing for delay-bounded traffic. In the preferred embodiments, the best efforts packets receive Multilink Protocol treatment, including fragmentation and addition of sequence headers. Fragments of packets for one such communication go over the various links within the bundle, as appropriate for load balancing on the links. For each delay-bounded flow, such as for a VOIP service, the sending node hashes the packet header data and applies all packets for the flow to one of the links, assigned as a function of the hash value. Different flow headers produce different hash results; therefore the node sends different flows over the different links in a substantially balanced manner.

Abstract: Techniques for optimizing a distributed lock manager (DLM) for faster reconfiguration includes using a constant hash function to associate each resource of a plurality of shared resources with a hash value. A hash map is maintained which associates a plurality of hash value ranges with each of one or more master nodes. In response to one or more factors, the hash value ranges are re-mapped to master nodes by revising the hash map without changing the constant hash function. The factors include at least a measure of the amount of lock information or a weight. A weight is associated with each node in the cluster, and is selected from a set of non-uniform master weights.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for delivering search results pages to the users of a search engine, where one or more search result listings on the search results pages include items that are not included by default. The non-default items may take many forms, including but not limited to images, banners, controls, animations, and even Java applets. The non-default items may be designed to entice the search engine users to select the search result listing with which they are associated over possibly higher-ranked search result listings that contain only default items.

Abstract: Data is stored in a memory in a manner which eliminates dead time which occurs when the number of words in a page which are read-out are insufficient to provide enough time for simultaneously opening the next page. If the length of a frame being stored in memory is not an exact integral multiple of words in a page, a penultimate (or earlier) page is written with fewer words than the page can hold. This allows additional words to be placed into the last page, sufficient to provide every page used for storing a frame at least a number of words equal to the number of clock cycles needed for opening a next page.

Abstract: To efficiently recognize characters from several character sets, a palmtop computer system is disclosed wherein more that one character input area is displayed. Each character input area is designed to recognize strokes that represent characters from a different character set. In one embodiment, the palmtop computer system has an alphabetic input area and a numeral input area. In such an embodiment, strokes entered in the alphabetic input area are interpreted as alphabetic characters and strokes entered in the numeral input area are interpreted as numerals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for dynamically determining the order of execution of a plurality of computer program components. A characterization mechanism provides an annotation of each executable component. A partial order mechanism depends upon the characterization mechanism, and enables a first executable component to declare which other executable components, times, data sets, or other resources are pre-conditions to execution of the first executable component. At load time, a partial order evaluator resolves the pre-conditions and generates a final order of execution of the components based upon interdependencies and resource requirements represented in the pre-conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the pre-conditions are stored in an acyclic directed graph, and the final order is generated by making a breadth-first traversal of the graph and adding nodes of the graph to the final order in the order in which the nodes are traversed.

Abstract: An authorizing apparatus for use with a client that connects to a first server in a network is described. The authorizing apparatus includes a second server that authorizes session requests of the client for the first server. A plurality of records of resource allocation data is coupled with the second server. Each record indicates whether a session may be established between the client and the first server. Coupled to the second server is information that associates an entity that includes and is associated with one or more clients, and information that associates the second server to a third server that is authoritative for the second server and the associated clients. Means are provided for receiving a request to establish a session between the client and the first server and for determining, at the second server, based on one of the records that is associated with the client, whether the session may be established when the client is associated with the entity.

Abstract: A computerized query optimizer for use with a database system having an ordered set of records. The optimizer employs a scanner and an evaluator. A query is composed as ranges of record values related by logical operators. The query is converted to a Boolean tree in canonical form. The tree is optimized to express the ranges as a set of disjoint semi-open ranges. The scanner reads a next record from the database. The evaluator, using the query, delivers a logical true or false condition for the record. In addition, the evaluator also delivers an interval of values having the same logical condition as the logical condition of the record. If this logical condition is false, the scanner skips over records having values of the interval, otherwise, if the logical condition is true, records having values of the interval are selected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that provide network access control are disclosed. In one embodiment, a network access control apparatus is configured to receive and authenticate a password that uses the “Fortezza” cryptographic protocol, and to receive and authenticate passwords of other types, to thereby selectively permit a client associated with the Fortezza password to access a protected network. A Fortezza card reader is coupled to the client and associated with a Fortezza card that contains the Fortezza password. A network access server is logically coupled to the client. An access control server is coupled logically between the client and the protected network and that controls access of the client to the protected network. A Fortezza authentication server is coupled to the access control server for communication therewith. A database is coupled to the access control server and that contains profile information associated with the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for accessing ancillary data, and for generating and accessing ancillary data more efficiently. Ancillary data is generated during execution of the operator routine of a primary operator. The ancillary data is stored in a shared content and may be accessed through ancillary operators associated with the primary operator. Metadata is used to define a primary operator and ancillary operators associated with the primary operator. A DBMS, for example, receives a statement that includes a primary and at least one of its ancillary operators, and executes routines that implement the primary operator and the ancillary operator. During execution of the routine the implements the primary operator, ancillary data is generated and stored in shared content. During the execution of the routine that implements the ancillary operator, the ancillary data is retrieved from the shared content and is used.