Abstract: A method and apparatus for switching a data packet between a source and destination in a network. The data packet includes a header portion and a data portion. The header portion includes routing information for the data packet. The method includes defining a data path in the router comprising a path through the router along which the data portion of the data packet travels and defining a control path comprising a path through the router along which routing information from the header portion travels. The method includes separating the data path and control path in the router such that the routing information can be separated from the data portion allowing for the separate processing of each in the router. The data portion can be stored in a global memory while routing decisions are made on the routing information in the control path.

Abstract: A transmission source bridge collects packets sent from nodes connected to a serial bus in accordance the IEEE1394 Standards, into one packet in an order they are to be transmitted and then sends them onto an ATM network, so that a transmission destination bridge receives this packet and divides it into a plurality of smaller packets and transfers them, in the order they were sent, to nodes connected to the serial bus in accordance with the IEEE1394 Standards.

Abstract: Techniques are described for load balancing subscriber sessions across tunnel termination devices. A network device is described, for example, that includes a tunneling module that load balances subscriber sessions across a plurality of tunnel termination devices based on weightings associated with the tunnel termination devices. The weightings may be assigned to the tunnel termination devices by a user, or may be calculated by the network device based on resource constraints associated with the tunnel termination devices. The network device may calculate the weightings, for example, based on a maximum number of subscriber sessions supported by each of the tunnel termination devices. As one example, the techniques may be applied to load balance Point-to-Point (PPP) subscriber sessions across L2TP Network Servers (LNSs).

Abstract: To satisfy a quality required for each traffic and perform switching for a packet segmented into cells without packet reassembly, there is provided a node apparatus including a header processing section (2) for determining an output destination of an incoming packet and a quality class from the header information of the packet, a route table (3), and a quality description table (4), and storing the packet in an output queue (6) determined by the determined output destination and quality class, an output control section (7) for reading out a packet from the output queue in accordance with the quality set for each output queue (6) and sending out the read packet through a VC determined by the determined output destination and quality class, and a quality description table (4) which has at least a virtual dedicated network number field, a destination address/mask length field, a source address/mask length field, a fourth-layer protocol/destination port number field, and a destination port number field and in whi

Abstract: A method, performed in a network element, for communicating packet multimedia data between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of receiving an outbound multimedia data packet; determining if the outbound multimedia data packet originated from a first endpoint that is logically behind a security device; determining and storing information identifying a logical pinhole in the security device, wherein the logical pinhole is associated with expected inbound multimedia data packets directed to the first endpoint; performing an action that keeps the logical pinhole open during all of a communication session between the first endpoint and the second endpoint; and forwarding inbound multimedia data packets directed from the second endpoint to the first endpoint via the logical pinhole.

Abstract: A network device includes an initial data source to store configuration data for the network device, and a management module to generate a configuration patch that lists any differences between a working copy of the initial data source and the initial data source. The management module modifies the working copy based on configuration commands received from a client, and updates the initial data source in accordance with the differences defined by the configuration patch. During the update process, the management module verifies that any conditions specified by the patch are satisfied. The management module may generate the configuration patch in response to a first command from a client, and apply the patch in response to a second command from the client. The configuration patch may be communicated to other network devices for configuring the devices.

Abstract: A data compression system and method for that is capable of detecting and eliminating repeated phrases of variable length within a window of virtually unlimited size.

Abstract: A switching system may include a gateway node connected with ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), and one or more extension nodes, and a serial bus such as IEEE 1394 bus. The gateway node may transform the data rate of an outside line into a data rate of the extension node, and vice versa, and secure a seamless communication channel. The gateway node may secures an isochronous channel, according to a request from the extension nodes or the outside line, and may executes switching such as transfer or reservation. A resource manager may hold a table for managing the gateway node and extension node.

Abstract: Techniques are described for collecting and reporting statistics for packet flows within a network. A network device includes traffic flow accounting functionality to generate traffic flow statistics for the network. To aid the analysis of the flow statistics and reporting of the flow statistics to clients, the network device maintains packet flow identifiers in the form of one or more heap tables, i.e., in heap-ordered fashion. Each packet flow identifier, e.g., index or pointer, within the heap table corresponds to one of the packet flows, and may be used to retrieve the traffic flow statistics associated with the respective packet flow. The network device updates the flow statistics and the heap table in real-time. Upon receiving client queries, the network device creates clones of the heap table and applies a truncated heap sort algorithm to quickly respond to the queries.

Abstract: A switching matrix includes a first line control section configured to control a first input port using a first determination function of a first SONET framer, to forward a first data signal to a switching fabric when the first data signal is being received normally and to cut-off forwarding of the first data signal to the switching fabric when the first data signal is being received abnormally. The switching matrix also includes a second line control section configured to control a second input port using a second determination function of a second SONET framer, to forward a second data signal to the switching fabric when the first data signal is being received abnormally and to cut-off forwarding of the second data signal to the switching fabric when the first data signal is being received normally, where the second line control section is different from the first line control section.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) connection band control system in an ATM network may include a memory to store band acquiring data associated with one or more preferential switched virtual connections (SVCs) having high preference in the ATM network. The band acquiring data may include band data for preliminarily acquiring a band for the one or more preferential SVCs. The ATM connection band control system may also include a control portion to perform connection admission control such that a band for one of the preferential SVCs with band acquiring data in the memory is guaranteed regardless of whether a connection for the one of the preferential SVCs is established, and the band for the one of the preferential SVCs is available to a non-preferential SVC when the connection for the one of the preferential SVCs is not established.

Abstract: Techniques are described for supporting end-to-end resource reservation protocols, such as the Resource Reservation Setup Protocol (RSVP), using Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS). A routing device, such as an edge router coupling a local network to another network, aggregates packet flow reservation requests, and maps the resource requests to Labeled Switch Paths (LSPs) capable of supporting the requested resources. Requests having common forwarding equivalence classes may be aggregated to flow through a single LSP having resources, such as bandwidth, capable of supporting the requests. Routers and other devices within the network need not monitor and support state information associated with the individual end-to-end packet flows. A method, for example, includes mapping requests for end-to-end packet flows through a network to LSPs within the network, and forwarding packets associated with the end-to-end packet flows along the LSPs based on the mapping.

Abstract: The invention provides a device for reducing ingress noise in a digital signal, comprising a noise predictor for predicting an amount of ingress noise in the digital signal based on past samples of the ingress noise, and a subtractor for subtracting the predicted amount of ingress noise from the digital signal. Channel distortion is compensated for by a noise-independent equalizer, such as a ZF equalizer, placed upstream of the noise predictor. The device may be incorporated, for example, in a cable modem termination system (CMTS) of an hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network.

Abstract: A unicast/multicast system has an internal cell generating section that generates an internal cell to include its output index information based on user data, and an output port conversion table that stores the relation of output index information and output port number for the internal cell in the form of one-to-one for the unicast and one-to-multiple for the multicast.

Abstract: A network includes a media server and a service activation device. The media server may receive a request for content from a subscriber device and transmit a message. The message may identify the subscriber device and include information relating to the content. The service activation device may receive the message from the media server, identify, in response to receiving the message, bandwidth and quality of service requirements for the content, determine whether resources needed to provide the identified bandwidth and quality of service requirements exist, reserve the resources when the resources needed to provide the identified bandwidth and quality of service requirements exist, and transmit a second message to the media server in response to reserving the resources. The second message may cause the media server to provide the content to the subscriber device.

Abstract: In an ATM exchange, a cell transmission control section transmits an ATM cell to a transmission path of an ATM network. A traffic monitor monitors traffic of the cell transmissions. A statistical process section performs a temporal statistical process on the result of the traffic monitoring using a clock and a memory. A CAC produces an instruction for traffic control over a transmission terminal based on the result of the statistical process. A UPC controls traffic of a transmission path from the transmission terminal in accordance with the instruction.

Abstract: A routing device may be connected to multiple spoke site networks, and may receive local routes from these spoke site networks. The routing device may include routing information and forwarding information. The routing device may update the routing information to include the local routes, and selectively generate the forwarding information to exclude the local routes. The routing device may associate labels with the local routes and advertise the labels and local routes to other routing devices. The labels may be associated with interfaces of the routing device or access links that connect the routing device to a spoke site network, and the associations of labels with interfaces or access links may be stored in the forwarding information. The routing device may forward received packets that include the labels according to the labels, and may forward other received packets according to the routes within the forwarding information.

Abstract: A gateway may be used as a common entry point for a network. Subscribers may request network services through the gateway. The gateway may identify management entities that are appropriate for a particular subscriber's request by contacting a network information collector (NIC). The NIC may include one or more, possibly distributed, resolver components and information collection agents. The resolvers are responsible for the resolution process, which may be based on a resolution process that specifies resolution functions that are required to identify the management entities. The information collection agents may be customizable software agents that collect state information from other elements in the network.

Abstract: Loop detection information, such as information associated with the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), is synchronized within virtual private networks. A routing protocol, such as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), is extended in a manner that allows STP information or other loop detection information to be opaquely communicated between routing devices across an intermediate network. These techniques may, for example, be useful in environments where Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is run through one or more intermediate networks.

Abstract: Detecting if a label-switched path (LSP) is functioning properly. To test that packets that belong to a particular Forwarding Equivalence Class (FEC) actually end their MPLS LSP on an label switching router (LSR) that is an egress for that FEC, a request message carrying information about the FEC whose LSP is being verified may be used. The request message may be forwarded like any other packet belonging to that FEC. A basic connectivity test as well as a fault isolation test are supported. In a basic connectivity test mode, the packet should reach the end of the LSP, at which point it is sent to the control plane of the egress LSR. The LSR then verifies that it is indeed an egress for the FEC. In a fault isolation test mode, the packet is sent to the control plane of each transit LSR, which performs various checks that it is indeed a transit LSR for the LSP. The transit LSR may also return further information that helps check the control plane against the data plane, i.e.