Abstract: An interface unit for interfacing a computer device and a telecommunications terminal device such, for example, as a telephone, with a data network capable of carrying data associated with each type of device. The interface unit is powered independently from the computer device and includes both the processing and memory resources needed to interact with the network and an interface for establishing a link to the telecommunications terminal.

Abstract: In order to increase the number of datastreams provided by a multimedia system, a cluster of clusters of multimedia A/V server subsystems is provided. Each cluster in turn is comprised of a plurality of A/V servers, a shared loop architecture plurality of data storage devices interconnected to the A/V servers whereby any storage device is substantially equally accessible by any of the servers in the cluster; and a highly available control server subsystem interconnected to the A/V servers and the data storage devices for controlling the A/V servers and the data storage devices. Each of the clusters is interconnected to a high speed switch for delivery of datastreams from the cluster to the end user. One of the control server subsystems also serves as a master control server assigning a request for a datastream to one of the clusters.