Abstract: In one example embodiment, a network node includes a processor configured to receive one or more data packets from a transmitter and transmit at least one first-type confirmation message to the transmitter based on a threshold, the at least one first-type confirmation message including an acknowledgement that all but at least two bytes of data included in the one or more data packets are received from the transmitter. The processor is further configured to transmit at least one second-type confirmation message to the transmitter based on at least one of a size of a buffer at the network node available for receiving data packets and an acknowledgement from an end device acknowledging receipt of the one or more data packets, the at least one second message including an acknowledgement of one or more of the at least two bytes of data.

Abstract: An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a client device configured to communicate with a remote system over a network. The client device comprises a processor, a memory, an input device and a display. The client device is configured to detect an input event generated at the input device, to store in the memory a local time associated with the input event, and to transmit information characterizing the input event to the remote system over the network. The client device is configured to receive from the remote system a video signal comprising an event index of the input event. An event index is extracted from the video signal, and a round-trip latency is computed between the input event and a corresponding video output of the client device based at least in part on a local time associated with the extracted event index and the stored local time associated with the input event.

Abstract: We disclose embodiments of a WDM transmitter having an in-band OTDR capability for at least a subset of the WDM channels thereof. In an example embodiment, an OTDR-enabled WDM channel of the WDM transmitter is implemented using an optical transceiver that comprises an optical transmitter and a coherent optical receiver. The optical transmitter is configured to generate a modulated optical signal by modulating a respective carrier wavelength, transmit the modulated optical signal through an optical link as a component of the corresponding WDM signal, and provide the respective carrier wavelength to the coherent optical receiver for being used therein as an optical local oscillator. The optical receiver is configured to estimate an impulse response of the optical link by coherently detecting and processing a return optical signal produced within the optical link due to distributed reflection and/or backscattering of the modulated optical signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally discloses a problem event prediction capability. The problem event prediction capability may be configured to predict various types of problem events (e.g., customer problems, customer tickets, customer outages, network problems, network tickets, network outages, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof) based on various types of asynchronous machine data (e.g., alarms, alerts, triggers, machine logs, machine messages, diagnostic logs, diagnostic messages, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The problem event prediction capability may be configured to generate a set of problem prediction rules based on historical machine data and to apply the problem prediction rules to observed machine data in order to predict various types of problem events.

Abstract: We disclose various embodiments of methods and apparatus for processing handovers of mobile terminals between base stations of a wireless communication system. An example handover algorithm used for this purpose enables the handover threshold to be increased for some mobile terminals, on a terminal-by-terminal basis, thereby individually expanding the range of the serving cell for each of such terminals. In an example embodiment, the handover-threshold determination is carried out based on physical-resource-block usage of the target cell. The extent of the cell-range expansion depends on whether or not the reference signals of the serving and target cells interfere with each other. Embodiments of the disclosed handover algorithm can advantageously reduce the number of failed handovers by allowing some communication sessions to run to completion before a handover is triggered.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for configuring an anomaly detector by constructing a classifier using supervised learning and applying that classifier to classify M2M traffic as either “anomalous” or “non-anomalous” with respect to a particular host. Anomaly detection is provided using one or more constructed classifiers. Each classifier is akin to an object that supports two main operations: (1) train: given a set of labeled feature vectors, construct a classifier; and (2) classify: given a feature vector, output a particular classification (i.e., result) selected from two classes defined as anomalous or non-anomalous. A non-anomalous result is indicative of host flow data that is typically associated with a particular host (i.e., safe traffic). An anomalous result is indicative of host flow data that is not typically associated with a particular host (i.e., unsafe traffic).

Abstract: The present disclosure generally discloses a testing capability related to service testing in a communication network. The testing capability may be configured to support debugging of failures identified during service validation testing of a service in a communication network. The testing capability may be configured to support debugging of failures (e.g., transmission failures or the like) associated with a failed service validation test (e.g., a transmission verification test or the like). The testing capability may be configured to support debugging of failures identified during service validation testing of an Ethernet service. The testing capability may be configured to support debugging of failures (e.g., frame loss or the like) identified during service validation testing of an Ethernet service where the service validation testing of the Ethernet service is performed based on International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-Standardization (ITU-T) Y.

Abstract: We disclose a magnetic device having a pair of coplanar thin-film magnetic electrodes arranged on a substrate with a relatively small edge-to-edge separation. In an example embodiment, the magnetic electrodes have a substantially identical footprint that can be approximated by an ellipse, with the short axes of the ellipses being collinear and the edge-to-edge separation between the ellipses being smaller than the size of the short axis. In some embodiments, the magnetic electrodes may have relatively small tapers that extend toward each other from the ellipse edges in the constriction area between the electrodes. Some embodiments may also include an active element inserted into the gap between the tapers and electrical leads connected to the magnetic electrodes for passing electrical current through the active element. When subjected to an appropriate external magnetic field, the magnetic electrodes can advantageously be magnetized to controllably enter parallel and antiparallel magnetization states.

Abstract: We disclose a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) whose optical resonator can support multiple transverse resonator modes. The VCSEL has a plurality of electrodes that can apply individually controllable electrical currents to the active semiconductor region of the optical resonator and be configured to excite, e.g., a single selected transverse resonator mode or a desired linear combination of transverse resonator modes. In some embodiments, the VCSEL's optical resonator may have an effective lateral geometric shape that causes the excitable transverse resonator modes to correspond to the waveguide modes of a cylindrical optical fiber.

Abstract: In one example embodiment, a method of adaptive video streaming includes receiving, by a server, a request for a video segment from an end user device and determining, by the server, a plurality of variables, the plurality of variables including at least one of a download time of a previously requested video segment by the end user device, a fullness of a buffer at the end user device and a size of the buffer. The method further includes determining, by the server, a rate of the requested video segment based on one or more of the determined plurality of variables and sending, by the server, the requested video segment at the determined rate to the end user device.

Abstract: Distributed and highly software reconfigurable CMTS (CMRTS) device, based on MAC and PHY units with FPGA and DSP components, for a HFC CATV network. The various CATV RF modulators, such as QAM modulators, may be divided between QAM modulators located at the cable plant, and remote QAM modulators ideally located at the fiber nodes. A basic set of CATV QAM data waveforms may optionally be transmitted to the nodes using a first fiber, and a second set of IP/on-demand data may be transmitted to the nodes using an alternate fiber or alternate fiber frequency, and optionally using other protocols such as Ethernet protocols. The nodes will extract the data specific to each neighborhood and inject this data into unused QAM channels, thus achieving improved data transmission rates through finer granularity. A computerized “virtual shelf” control system for managing and reconfiguring the FPGA and DSP based CMTRS units is also disclosed.

Abstract: We disclose a magnetic device having a pair of coplanar thin-film magnetic electrodes arranged on a substrate with a relatively small edge-to-edge separation. In an example embodiment, the magnetic electrodes have a substantially identical footprint that can be approximated by an ellipse, with the short axes of the ellipses being collinear and the edge-to-edge separation between the ellipses being smaller than the size of the short axis. In some embodiments, the magnetic electrodes may have relatively small tapers that extend toward each other from the ellipse edges in the constriction area between the electrodes. Some embodiments may also include an active element inserted into the gap between the tapers and electrical leads connected to the magnetic electrodes for passing electrical current through the active element. When subjected to an appropriate external magnetic field, the magnetic electrodes can advantageously be magnetized to controllably enter parallel and antiparallel magnetization states.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally discloses a data plane services support mechanism. The data plane services support mechanism may be configured to provide a data plane service for an application. The data plane services support mechanism may be configured to instantiate a virtual resource for the data plane service to be provided for the application, configure the data plane service on the virtual resource, and configure flow connectivity for the data plane service to support delivery of application traffic of the application to the data plane service. The data plane services support mechanism may be configured to support automatic scalability. The data plane services support mechanism may be configured to support improved communication of application traffic associated with providing the data plane service for the application. The improved communication of application traffic may be provided based on configuration of a virtual switch to support a network interface card (NIC) offloading capability.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally discloses dynamic monitoring and management capabilities for use in wireless communication systems. The dynamic monitoring and management capabilities may be configured to support dynamic monitoring and management within various types of contexts and associated environments. The dynamic monitoring and management capabilities may include feedback collection capabilities, service quality evaluation capabilities, parameter tuning capabilities, or the like, as well as various combinations thereof.

Abstract: Charging systems and associated methods are disclosed that provide interim billing for a session in an IMS network. The charging system includes a charging data system that receives accounting messages from network elements serving the session in the IMS network, and generates partial CDRs for each network element based on the accounting messages. The charging data system also sets an aggregation/correlation timer. Responsive to an expiration of the aggregation/correlation timer, the charging data system aggregates the partial CDRs for each network element to generate an aggregated CDR for each network element. The charging system further includes a charging gateway system that, in further response to the expiration of the aggregation/correlation timer, correlates the aggregated CDRs to generate an interim consolidated CDR for the session, and transmits the interim consolidated CDR to a billing system. The billing system may then provide interim billing for the session based on the interim consolidated CDR.

Abstract: A method and system for verification of connector placement via loopback schemas is disclosed. The method for verification of connector placement via loopback schemas applies a schema to the loopback facilities associated with the signaling pairs at a particular port, with the schema being identified at the remote end of a cable connected to the port via a connectivity test, and the resulting schema identifying the port connected thereto. The method and system for verification of connector placement via loopback schemas provides advantages over systems known in the art positively identifying a particular port while eliminating the requirement for detailed connector labeling.

Abstract: A coherent optical receiver that is capable of obtaining separate estimates of the I/Q phase imbalances caused by the front-end circuits of the receiver and transmitter. In an example embodiment, the receiver's I/Q imbalance is estimated using equalization coefficients of a first digital equalizer located upstream from the carrier-recovery module in the train of digital-signal processing implemented at the receiver, whereas the transmitter's I/Q imbalance is estimated using equalization coefficients of a second digital equalizer located downstream from the carrier-recovery module. The receiver DSP can then use the first estimate to carry out signal processing that reduces adverse effects of the receiver's I/Q imbalance on data recovery at the receiver. The receiver can also provide the estimate of the transmitter's I/Q phase imbalance to the transmitter, which can then perform digital signal pre-distortion directed at compensating that I/Q imbalance at the transmitter.

Abstract: In one example embodiment, a network control node includes a memory having computer-readable instruction stored therein, and a processor. The processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to identify a plurality of schedulable user equipment (UE), each of the plurality of schedulable UEs having a corresponding priority value, determine whether to compute a new priority value for each of the plurality of schedulable UEs, assign a resource block to one of the plurality of schedulable user equipment based on the determining, and inform the one of the plurality of schedulable user equipment of the assigned resource block, to be used for data transmission.

Abstract: A distributed CATV system that transports out-of-band signals between the cable headend and the set-top boxes is described. A video engine in the headend of the distributed CATV system converts downstream video channel RF (radio frequency) signals and downstream out-of-band RF signals respectively into video downstream packets and out-of-band downstream packets for a set of distribution nodes to transmit to the set-top boxes via CATV cables. The video engine also receives upstream packets from the distribution nodes that contain data based on upstream out-of-band RF signals transmitted by the set-top boxes via CATV cables.

Abstract: A processor accesses a plurality of time series of alarms of a plurality of alarm types that are produced by resources of a network function virtualization (NFV) system. The processor identifies clusters of the plurality of alarm types based on similarities between the plurality of time series and determine causal connections between alarm types in the clusters based on temporal proximity and ordering of the alarm types in the clusters. The processor then stores one or more causality templates representative of the causal connections in a memory.