Abstract: Automatically diagnosing operation of a communication network, including collecting, during a plurality of time periods, a plurality of Layer-4 and/or Layer-1/-2 statistics for network activity on the communication network; determining a network performance indicator, based on the statistics collected during a first time period included in the time periods and the statistics collected during a second time period included in the time periods and neither overlapping nor consecutive with the first time period; determining whether the communication network has experienced a performance issue based on the network performance indicator; and causing a diagnostic action, a corrective action, or a maintenance action to be performed based on the determination whether the communication network has experienced a performance issue.

Abstract: Seamless path switching is made possible in a multi-hop network based upon stream marker packets and additional path distinguishing operations. A device receiving out-of-order packets on the same ingress interface is capable of determining a proper order for the incoming packets having different upstream paths. Packets may be reordered at a relay device or a destination device based upon where a path update is initiated. Reordering packets from the various upstream paths may be dependent upon a type of service associated with the packet.

Abstract: Application layer throughput (ALT) shaping is provided for a streaming media session is provided. A request for a content segment is received. The receipt time of the request is recorded and the request is forwarded to a content server. A response message is received from the server. The receipt time of the response and a segment size is determined. An ALT for the current segment is determined based on the receipt times of the request and response messages and the segment size. The ALT rate is compared to a target ALT rate required for a desired session PBR. When the ALT rate is higher than the target ALT rate, the content response is held for a time period determined to lower the current ALT rate to the target ALT rate, and then released to the client device. Otherwise, the content response is promptly provided to the client device.

Abstract: Approaches for determining link conditions within a client network are provided. Network protocol statistics are recorded for network connections over the client network, wherein each connection provides data communications between a client terminal node and a different respective client device, and the client terminal node provides access to a broadband communications network for each of the different respective client device(s). Connection metrics are determined for each of the network connections, wherein each connection metric is determined based on the network protocol statistics associated with the respective network connection. Diagnoses of network conditions regarding connections over the client network that are of interest, wherein each diagnosis is performed based on an analysis of a respective set of the connection metrics for the respective network connection. Results of each diagnosis are provided to a system operator.

Abstract: Seamless path switching is made possible in a multi-hop network based upon stream marker packets and additional path distinguishing operations. A device receiving out-of-order packets on the same ingress interface is capable of determining a proper order for the incoming packets having different upstream paths. Packets may be reordered at a relay device or a destination device based upon where a path update is initiated. Reordering packets from the various upstream paths may be dependent upon a type of service associated with the packet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for optimizing the link-state information that is to be broadcast in a routing domain of a communication network for QoS rule-based link-state routing. The routers include any device capable of implementing the routing primitives. The apparatus and method involve pruning the link-state information using local neighborhood information that has been discovered. The local link-state is pruned so that the QoS optimal paths are preserved for link-state routing. Pruning of the potential optimal paths is carried out to minimize the information broadcast to the intra domain routers in an autonomous system/routing domain. The apparatus and method also involve broadcasting the selected link-state information.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for optimizing the link-state information that is to be broadcast in a routing domain of a communication network for QoS rule-based link-state routing. The routers include any device capable of implementing the routing primitives. The apparatus and method involve pruning the link-state information using local neighborhood information that has been discovered. The local link-state is pruned so that the QoS optimal paths are preserved for link-state routing. Pruning of the potential optimal paths is carried out to minimize the information broadcast to the intra domain routers in an autonomous system/routing domain. The apparatus and method also involve broadcasting the selected link-state information.