Abstract: Method for managing connections on a connection-oriented network such as an ATM network, for use with devices communicating according to a connectionless communication protocol such as IP over Ethernet. Roughly described, a bridging network element (BNE) resides at the ATM point-of-presence through which a data network accesses the ATM network. When the BNE receives an internet ARP (IARP) request from the data network for forwarding onto the ATM network, it forwards it instead to an IARP server. In addition to responding to the IARP request, the IARP server also regards the IARP request as a trigger, and in response thereto, causes the ATM network to establish a connection between the BNE point-of-presence and another point-of-presence on the ATM network through which the target address can be reached.

Abstract: A set of parameters (W) is calculated for an equalizer which equalizes a transmission line impulse response (LIR) in such a way that the equalized impulse response (EIR) approximates a target impulse response (TIR) with predetermined length (L). An error function (E) is minimized via eigenvalue-eigenvector calculation of a channel dependent matrix (O). This channel dependent matrix (O) is built up from a signal (X), a distorted signal (Y), and length (L) and delay (D) of the target impulse response (TIR). The error function (E) comprises a first contribution which represents the difference between the equalized impulse response (EIR) and the target impulse response (TIR) and a second contribution which represents the energy (E.sub.DC) that is transmitted in unused frequency bands. The eigenvector corresponding to the minimum eigenvalue of the channel dependent matrix (O) represents the set of equalizer parameters (W).

Abstract: To allocate a number of data elements which constitute a data symbol to a set of carriers used for transmission in multicarrier applications, a full capacity step and capacity fine tuning step are executed successively. In the full capacity step, the individual capacity or maximum amount of data elements that may be allocated to a carrier is determined for each carrier which forms part of the set of carriers. This maximum amount of data elements is then allocated to each carrier in such a way that a full capacity occupation of the carrier set is obtained. In case of undercapacity, i.e. in case more data elements have to be allocated to the set of carriers, the capacity of the carrier set is enlarged, for example by power boosting, and additional data elements are allocated to the carriers in accordance to a predetermined rule. In case of overcapacity on the other hand, data bits previously allocated to the set of carriers, are removed from some carriers selected in accordance with another predetermined rule.

Abstract: To allocate a number of data elements to a set of carriers, the carriers are divided into N subsets of carriers according to a predetermined carrier criterion whilst the data elements are classified into N groups of data elements according to a predetermined data criterion, N being an integer greater than one. The predetermined data and carrier criterion have a relation on the basis of which the N subsets of carriers are associated one by one to the N groups of data elements. The data elements classified in such a group are then allowed to be modulated only on carriers which form part of the subset associated with this group. In addition, for each subset of carriers and related group of data elements, the distribution is obtained by means of information from subset dependent `required SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) per data element`-tables and previously carried out SNR measurements for each carrier.