Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving performance of a loop network, in particular a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop. The loop network has two loops and a plurality of dual-ported devices each with one port on each loop. The method includes selectively bypassing redundant ports on the loops by a first command means in the form of a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop command to balance port accesses and to reduce the loop overhead by reducing the number of ports in each loop. In the event of a fault, bypassing the port of a device by a second command means in the form of a non Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop command and enabling all the bypassed redundant ports with a single command to all ports using the first command means. The first command means does not enable the port bypassed by the second command means.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for communicating with machines connected to a network. Information sent to or from the machines is transmitted using electronic mail. The electronic mail may be transmitted over the Internet, but also may remain within a local or wide area network. When receiving electronic mail, the electronic mail message may be sent to a user who reads information regarding the purpose of the electronic mail message in the body of the message. When the user is satisfied that it is safe to perform the functions requested by the email, the user may execute a file which is attached to the incoming email message in order to perform the appropriate diagnostic or control operations. Alternatively, the incoming email message may contain a code or is sent to an address which causes automatic execution of the desired functions. In this embodiment, it may not be necessary for the user to manually perform any action in order to allow the appropriate processing to begin.

Abstract: Disabling mutually recursive routes is disclosed. An event that results in a routing table update is received. A next hop table is updated to reflect the event. It is determined whether the event is associated with an exterior protocol route. The next hop table is used to perform a recursion check if it is determined that the event is associated with an exterior protocol route.

Abstract: A connection control module of a switching node in a telecommunications network, and adapted to communicate to a service control module of the switching node is further adapted to communicate to at least one other connection control module of the switching node. This approach enables the establishment of connections at the physical level by linking half-call connections at this level.

Abstract: A novel implementation of a partitioned medium access control (MAC) is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment employs a shared bus that typically is already present in a wireless terminal for communication between an upper MAC and a lower MAC. The partitioned MAC implementation therefore does not require any additional communication means between the upper MAC and lower MAC, resulting in a lower-cost system. In addition, the upper MAC and lower MAC pass native data structures by reference over the shared bus, thereby eliminating the need for drivers to coordinate communication via interrupts, handshaking, etc. The partitioned MAC implementation results in a cost-effective distributed architecture in which the upper MAC resides in the terminal's host processor, and the lower MAC resides in the terminal's wireless station.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing a loop network, the loop network (200) including at least one loop (206, 208), a plurality of devices (210) connected to the at least one loop (206, 208) via ports (211, 212), wherein at least two of the devices are initiators (207, 209). The method includes each initiator (207, 209) sending a frame to all other initiators (207, 209) in the loop network (200) identifying any ports (211, 212) which should not be used. Each initiator (207, 209) merges the information from all other initiators (207, 209) with its own information identifying any ports (211, 212) which should not be used resulting in all the initiators (207, 209) generating a single list of ports (211, 212) to be used which is consistent across all the initiators (207, 209). Each initiator (207, 209) applies an algorithm (300) to determine a common set of ports (211, 212) to be used by all the initiators (207, 209) and to balance port accesses across the loop network (200).

Abstract: A first primary packet to create a second primary packet for a particular PID. Different CRC checksum may be generated for the first and the second primary packet. The first primary packet may be replicated in order to create a first secondary packet and the second primary packet may be replicated to create a second secondary packet. The CRC checksum for the primary packets may be stored within their corresponding secondary packets. In response to receipt of a new stream with replicated packets, the first or said second primary packet may be selected and the first or second secondary packet may be selected for a particular PID based on the generated CRC checksum. The selections may co-relate the selected first and/or second primary packet with a legacy system or the selected first and/or second secondary packet with a new system.

Abstract: According to the present invention, all terminals can establish synchronization in a radio communications system formed only of a plurality of mobile terminals. This radio terminal communicates by the time division connection method, and comprises a control portion for synchronizing its transmission/reception timing to that of a group including a plurality of radio terminals.

Abstract: A method is provided for preventing the delivery of unwanted electronic mail messages to a destination client. An original electronic mail message is first received from a source client at a destination server. Next, a reply electronic mail message is sent from the destination server to the source client requesting the source client to complete a registration process to register the source client's electronic mail address with the destination server. The original electronic mail message is only sent from the destination server to the destination client when the source client properly registers the source client's electronic mail address.