Abstract: This invention relates to an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network. The machine receives from a user, a search request including a search argument corresponding to the desired information and searches, based upon the received search argument a first database having data network related information to generate search results. It also correlating the received search argument to a particular advertisement in a second database having advertisement related information. The search results together with the particular advertisement are provided by the machine to the user.

Abstract: A switch architecture and method provides scaling through multi-level load balancing of flows across data and application processing planes. An input/output module receives a communication session flow (forward) from a client device and selects one of a plurality of data processors to process the flow. The selected data processor determines the level of processing needed for the forward flow and selects an application processor from a plurality of such application processors. The application processor generates a session structure identifying actions to be performed on the forward flow and transfers the session structure to the selected data processor to perform the actions on the forward flow. The application processor also predictively generates and offloads a session structure for the associated reverse flow. If the reverse session structure is offloaded to a different data processor, either the forward or reverse flow redirects packets, or is redirected, to the data processor hosting the other flow.

Abstract: Wireless devices, transmitters, systems and methods are provided that have a narrow band signalling channel and a wide band channel, for example an OFDM channel. In order to save power, the wireless device is nominally powered down with the exception of a receiver specific to the narrow band signalling channel. Once instructed to do so over the narrow band signalling channel, the wireless device wakes up the rest of its wide band receive circuitry.

Abstract: An optical communications system for conveying traffic through an optical link between transmitting and receiving nodes. The system comprises, for each node, respective legacy and bypass paths coupled in parallel between the optical link and the node. The legacy path of each node includes an optical dispersion compensation block for compensating a respective portion of dispersion of the link. Thus the present invention provides a system architecture by which an optical communications system can be constructed using conventional modulation and optical dispersion compensation technologies. Once installed, system growth can be accommodated using next generation transmitters (with electronic compensation) without stranding the legacy equipment. Legacy channels can also be upgraded to electronic compensation, as desired.

Abstract: Described is a method for controlling the wavelength of a laser in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) system. The method includes generating broadband light having a dithered optical power and a wavelength spectrum that includes a plurality of WDM wavelengths. The broadband light is spectrally filtered to generate a spectrally-sliced optical signal having a wavelength spectrum that includes one of the WDM wavelengths. The spectrally-sliced optical signal is injected into a laser and a dithered optical power of the laser is determined. A parameter of the laser is controlled in response to the determination of the dithered optical power to thereby align a wavelength of the laser to the wavelength spectrum of the spectrally-sliced optical signal.

Abstract: In a network in which a plurality of geographically distributed network access points are connected to a plurality of ports of a network switch, the invention provides a method of determining the location of a network access device within a LAN environment and/or the identity of network access devices or users active at a specified location. The method includes performing one or more SNMP queries on a plurality of ports of said network switch to produce a query output, processing the query output to determine what devices, and thus what users, are active at the different access points of the LAN.

Abstract: Described are mechanisms for verifying configuration information in 2547 BGP VPNs. An originating PE generates a first knowledge digest encoding first configuration information associated with a current set of information advertised for a VRF. The originating PE also generates a second knowledge digest encoding second configuration information associated with cumulative information advertised for the VRF. The originating PE is capable of receiving a message from a user PE, the message including a third knowledge digest encoding third configuration information related to the user VRF. The originating PE is capable of comparing the first knowledge digest to the third knowledge digest and producing a first indication if the third configuration information encoded in the third knowledge digest is not a subset of the first configuration information encoded in the first knowledge digest.

Abstract: Data communication apparatus including a port and a control entity. The control entity is operative to establish a connection with a remote entity over a first path and negotiate with the remote entity using in-band signaling over the first path establishment of a second path allowing the exchange of data between the data communication apparatus and the remote entity. The invention presents advantages from the standpoint of ease of implementation and bandwidth and resource savings. The use of an in-band messaging protocol to negotiate a establishment of the second path can be implemented generally in a straight forward manner. At the same time, the ability to transfer at least part of the connection to the second path avoids the drawbacks that would arise if that part of the connection were constrained to the first path. This feature allows the operator to take advantage of benefits provided by the second path but not available to the first path.

Abstract: Application program network service requests are translated into specific actions that are then performed through the management plane and/or control plane. The translations and resulting actions are responsive to previously defined policies for the communication network, and may further reflect processing of previous service requests by the same or another application program. The amount of resources available for use by a given application program may be predefined based on a globally defined network policy. Each service request obtained from an application program may be translated into multiple actions performed using various specific protocols and/or interfaces provided by either the management plane, the control plane, or both the management and control planes. Reports of network activity, status and/or faults for a requesting application program may be tailored to the requesting program's view of the network, and passed directly and exclusively to the requesting program.

Abstract: A method of scheduling transmission from radios having multiple radios is provided, where the number of radios is smaller than then number of neighbours to which transmission needs to occur. Scheduling blocks are identified consisting of sets of neighbours that can be transmitted to simultaneously without interference. Then, the scheduling blocks are used for scheduling purposes.

Abstract: A generalized virtual router is disclosed. A routing and switching apparatus includes a switching fabric and a matrix of switching and routing elements. At least some of the elements are interconnected by the switching fabric. A router control provides control for the switching fabric. The apparatus has both cross-connect and routing functionality.

Abstract: The capacity of a cellular wireless system is increased by operation of base stations or base station sectors arranged to re-use radio resource elements that are used by neighbouring base stations or base station sectors, in conjunction with operation of relay stations, which are similarly arranged to re-use radio resource elements used by neighbouring relay stations, and where the radio resource elements re-used by the relay stations are different to those used by the base stations. The relay stations provide coverage, particularly in the areas at the boundaries between the areas of coverage of base stations that suffer from interference between signals transmitted from the respective base stations. In addition, the relay stations generally increase the average available carrier to interference ratio compared with a system in which base stations alone are deployed.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for boosting power for a communications link between a base station and a user device, or user equipment, over a communications link channel in a cellular communications network. In one embodiment, the base station determines whether a communications link for a user device located within a sector of a cell served by the base station needs a power boost. If a power boost is needed, the base station provides a power boost for the communications link for the user device and, for each of one or more neighboring sectors that neighbor the sector in which the user device is located, coordinates the power boost in both frequency and time with a power backoff for a downlink to another user device located in a cell center area of the neighboring sector.

Abstract: A first access point name associated with an access gateway node involved in a data session of a mobile station over a first type of wireless network is received. In response to handoff of the mobile station from the first type of wireless network to a second, different type of wireless network, the first access point name is transmitted to enable continued use of the access gateway node for the data session of the mobile station over the second type of wireless network.

Abstract: A polyphase circulating switch includes switch modules interconnected through a multiplicity of rotators preferably arranged in complementary groups of opposite rotation directions. A polyphase circulating switch having a low switching delay is derived from a multi-rotator circulating switch by providing programmable rotators having adjustable relative rotator-cycle phases. A low delay high-capacity switch may also be constructed from prior-art medium-capacity rotator space switches with mutually phase-shifted rotation cycles. A network comprising several constellations of switch modules distributed over a wide geographic area, where the switch modules of each constellation are interconnected through a rotator assembly, is also disclosed. A rotator assembly may comprise an array of rotators and a master controller for data-transfer scheduling and time-coordination.

Abstract: Data packets are transmitted from a network device having plural network interfaces. One of the plural network interfaces is designated for receiving data packets from a source address. First and second data packets are received from a device at the source address. It is determined if the second data packet was received over a network interface on the network device other than the designated network interface. If the second data packet was received over a network interface other than the designated network interface, it is determined if the first and second data packets were received within a predetermined period of time. If the first and second data packets were received within the predetermined period of time, the second data packet is discarded. If the first and second data packets were not received within the predetermined period of time, the second data packet is transmitted from the network device and a forwarding table on the network device is updated.

Abstract: A packetised data network includes IP telephones (ITs) and a network intelligence (NI). All of the keys of each IT are “soft” keys (i.e., they have no fixed function). The NI associates a configuration data structure with the IT which correlates the keys with functions, and, based on this, may control the display of the IT to indicate the current function of certain of the soft keys. Some of the functions are requests for data services at the telephone (e.g., video or programmed audio over the internet). When a user requests such a service with a key press, the NI sets up the service between the data source and the telephone. This may require associating a new configuration data structure with the keys of the IT. The IT user may activate multiple data services through the NI.

Abstract: Alternate multicast/broadcast paths may be calculated in a routed network to enable broadcast/multicast traffic to be transmitted around a local failure in the routed network until the routing system reconverges on a new network topography. According to an embodiment of the invention, the nodes on a multicast tree or a broadcast tree may compute alternate paths for each of the downstream nodes in the multicast/broadcast tree or for select nodes in the multicast/broadcast tree. The select nodes may be those nodes that have advertised membership in the multicast or a set number of hops downstream on the branch affected by the failure. The alternate paths may be unicast paths from the node to the other nodes on the multicast/broadcast tree. U-turn nodes may be used where there is no regular loop-free alternate network path to a node on the downstream multicast/broadcast tree.

Abstract: A base station (2a,2b,2c) which can communicate with radio terminals on common and dedicated channels according to specific speeds, is provided with a band-pass which is available according to the use of the common and dedicated channels in order to receive data from a radio terminal on a high-speed uplink channel. An available band-pass is determined in the base station in order to receive the data from at least one radio terminal (1) on at least one high-speed dedicated uplink channel. A first indication relating to the available band-pass is subsequently transmitted on a common downlink channel. At least one second indication relating to a percentage of the available band-pass which should not be exceeded by the radio terminal during a forthcoming transmission on said high-speed dedicated uplink channel is then transmitted independently for each radio terminal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for collecting management information on a communication network enables universal health indicators to be defined so that management information may be presented to a network operator on a management station. The universal health indicators may be defined in a top-down manner such that the definitions of the health indicators may be used across multiple network elements without changing the health indicator definitions. The health indicators may be organized in a tree-like hierarchical structure to enable additional information to be obtained about the health of the reporting network element in a predictable and organized fashion. Network element raw measurements and computed measurements are used to provide data to the health indicators, and are selected on a network technology type or MIB type basis to enable the same health indicators to be supported by multiple network technology types.