Abstract: To evaluate a communications network, a plurality of network evaluation signals, or probative test packets, are selectively sent and received through the network. Responsive to these evaluation signals, network evaluation parameters are determined and stored. Queuing theory analysis, responsive to these parameters, determines the response time and throughput characteristics, including discrete capacity, utilization and performance, of the network. Calculation of the value of the network's discrete utilization involves the measurement of the network's average delay waiting for service, measurement of the network's standard deviation of delay waiting for service, calculation of discrete utilization from the ratio of these observed values, and then refinement of that calculation by proportionate factoring in instances of dropped samples as cases of one hundred percent utilization to arrive at a final figure for percent of network discrete utilization.

Abstract: A very fast method for correcting the spelling of a word or phrase in a document proceeds in two steps: first applying a very fast approximate method for eliminating most candidate words from consideration (without computing the exact edit distance between the given word whose spelling is to be corrected and any candidate word), followed by a “slow method” which computes the exact edit distance between the word whose spelling is to be corrected and each of the few remaining candidate words. The combination results in a method that is almost as fast as the fast approximate method and as exact as the slow method.

Abstract: This invention describes a method and apparatus for serving the buffers of a buffer system to avoid overflow of buffers. More specifically, this invention describes which buffers of the system should be first selected for servicing so as to avoid overflow. In addition, with this invention, the buffer size of each buffer in the system is independent of the number of links of the system.