Abstract: Memory requests and responses thereto include a tag that has a shift value indicating the misalignment between the first byte of required packet data and the first byte of a line of data in memory. A packet buffer controller receiving data with an associated tag uses the shift value to shift the received line of data accordingly. The first line of data for the packet data payload is shifted accordingly and written into the packet buffer. Subsequent lines of data require masking the previous line of data except for the last N bytes where N equals the shift value. The shifted line of data is written over the previous line so that the lower order bytes of the shifted received line of data are written. Then the shifted line of data is written into the next line of the packet buffer. The packet buffer may be divided into sections containing alternating lines of data to increase storage speed.

Abstract: An arrangement which includes a telephone and an interface unit, which interfaces the telephone to both a standard switched telephone communications network and an Internet communications network, is disclosed. The interface unit includes an input coupled to the telephone to receive audio information and two output ports configured to be respectively coupled to the standard switched telephone communications network and the Internet communications network. A processing unit couples the audio information received from the telephone to the first output port when the telephonic communication is to be performed using the standard switched telephone communications network. Alternatively, the processing unit processes the audio information received from the telephone in accordance with standard Internet transfer protocols and couples the processed audio information to the second output port when the telephonic communication is to be performed using the Internet communications network and the standard protocols.

Abstract: A method for bandwidth reservation for transmitting source data of varying data rate in a data network in which a transmission quality determinable in advance can be reserved, having the features of: for the source data stream, source parameters in the form of a repetitive sequence of maximum volumes of data and associated times are determined; from these, a minimum bandwidth is determined by dividing the total volume of data by the total time per sequence; for a reserved bandwidth which is not smaller than the minimum bandwidth, a simulation is used to determine a buffer size and, optionally, a maximum bandwidth; and the bandwidth is reserved using the stream parameters determined in this way—minimum bandwidth, maximum bandwidth, buffer size and reserved bandwidth.

Abstract: A VLAN tagging unit associated with a WAN is used to add VLAN tags based upon logical interfaces. In one example, data received across the logical interface is tagged with an associated VLAN ID by the unit. In another embodiment, flow-based VLAN tagging is done in which in addition to the logical interface other indications are used in the VLAN tagging.

Abstract: An information-transmission system which uses non-geosynchronous artificial satellites, including a server-system and its client apparatuses, for performing communications or broadcast, the system comprises: a means for controlling changeover of a non-geosynchronous artificial satellite being used, to another satellite to be next used; wherein the server-system determines whether or not a satellite-changeover occurs during sending of an information packet to be sent toward a satellite being used, one of the non-geosynchronous artificial satellites; and if it is determined that a satellite-changeover occurs during sending of the information packet to be sent, the server-system or each client apparatus postpones sending of the information packet to be sent, and starts sending of the information packet to be sent, after the completion of the satellite-changeover; or repeatedly sends the information packet to be sent, until the completion of said satellite-changeover.

Abstract: A routing system provides internet service providers with internet routing support for internet communications. The routing system receives a query from an internet service provider and responds with the appropriate internet address to transport communications over the internet. The internet address may direct the communications to an internet gateway or to the routing system itself. The routing system can forward the communications to a destination over the public telephone system. The routing system may process a telephone number to identify the proper internet address for the communication. The routing system may also provide internet gateways for use by the service providers.

Abstract: A communication network switching device is provided between a client and a server as a intermediary mechanism to estimate a traffic and to issue a switching request for communication networks. Two switching devices include units for releasing a session in cooperation with each other and units for resuming the session in cooperation with each other. The client switching device includes a unit for connecting to a communication network to which the communication is to be switched after the session release is complete and for acquiring a new communication address assigned through the connection and a unit for notifying the server switching device of the acquired communication address. The server switching device includes a unit for identifying a server pointed to by a port number specified in a service request to transfer the service request and a unit for acquiring the new communication address acquired by the client switching device.

Abstract: A switch segments variable length frames into cells for transmission over a cell-based switch fabric and handles rate differences between the input data rate and the switch fabric data rate. The fabric handles multiple cell packets by maintaining a switch path until a certain number of cells are transmitted as indicated in a length field in the first data cell. The first cell contains a full data payload, and a length field value sufficient to handle a maximum length frame. Subsequent cells can contain less than a full data payload, with the number of valid bytes in the cell being indicated in the length field. The last cell used to segment the frame contains an end of frame indicator. The indicator signals the destination port side of the switch to terminate the packet path in the switch fabric prematurely—before the number of cells indicated in the first data cell.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing distributed communication routing includes a route computation engine operably coupled to a plurality of forwarding engines within a logically distributed router. Registration information is provided to the route computation processor by the forwarding engines, and the forwarding engines are recognized and identified by the route computation processor in response. The registration information includes information regarding interfaces or connections amongst the forwarding engines and external routers and other external destinations. The route computation processor provides control information to at least one of the plurality of forwarding engines for distributed routing maintenance and/or specific data forwarding operations.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of communicating between an access point (20) of a short range rf network and a user terminal (10) of the short range rf network. The method comprises using a first short range rf transceiver (104) at the access point for access communication with a user terminal (10) for communicating information relating to establishment of a connection with the user terminal (10), and using a second short range rf transceiver (106) at the access point for user data communication for communicating user data with the user terminal.

Abstract: A data packet switching node, for use in an asynchronous digital network, that has an input stage that cuts data packets into segments of constant length, a switching matrix having input ports and output ports supporting identical bit rates B switching the segments and an output stage reconstructing the data packets from the segments supplied by the output ports of said switching matrix. The input stage has at least one input interface with a bit rate equal to a multiple of B, ki*B, and splits the data packet into ki input ports of the switching matrix. The output stage has at least one output interface with a bit rate equal to a multiple of B, ko*B, and reconstructs a data packet with a bit rate equal to ko*B by concatenating segments supplied by ko output ports of the switching matrix where ki*ko>1.

Abstract: A CDMA receiver is provided which is operable to receive a CDMA encoded signal and decode the information therein utilizing a selected code. The systems utilizes a plurality of multiply-accumulation blocks (40) which are operable to receive the signal and compare the received signal with a Walsh-Hadamard code. The comparison and the accumulation is made only in the middle of a chip clock with the edges thereof blanked. This information in the middle of the chip clock is accumulated in an accumulator, the MAC (40), for a symbol period. This is then compared with a look up table and then a decision made as to the logic value thereof.

Abstract: A system for encoding signals for a network device includes an encoder configured to encode a transmit control signal. The transmit control signal includes a transmit enable signal in a first half of a cycle of a clock signal, and a transmit error signal in a second half of the cycle of the clock signal. The system includes a control signal transmitter configured to transmit the encoded transmit control signal. The system includes a data signal transmitter configured to transmit a transmit data signal. When neither the transmit enable signal nor the transmit error signal is in a first state in a respective half of the cycle of the clock signal, the transmit data signal includes signaling data.

Abstract: An adapter is disclosed which allows attachment of a standard telephone to a computer as a standard peripheral. The adapter converts analog signals of the telephone to digital signals of the computer and vice versa. The adapter can also be a stand-alone device allowing the telephone to be attached to a computer network. The adapter, in this case, contains the computing power to support the necessary data network protocols, and PSTN signalling protocols. In this way voice communication is enabled over a computer network without requiring the computers to be equipped with sound cards.

Abstract: Arbitration for a bus mastership is performed in accordance with the priority degrees of data which are to be transferred on a bus, by a comparatively simple construction. In a case where interfaces 2, 3 simultaneously output to the bus 1 the priority degrees which correspond to non-ATM lines 6, 7 being the reception sources or transmission destinations of the data stored in ATM cells, and where the priority degrees outputted by the interface themselves are the highest, the interfaces transmit to the bus 1, bus mastership request signals which contain the addresses of the interfaces themselves. A bus control module 4 receives the bus mastership request signals on the bus 1, it determines that one of the interfaces to which the bus mastership is granted, and it outputs to the bus 1 a bus mastership grant signal which contains the address of the determined interface.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a method of source routing to implement device-to-device communications across a hybrid distributed device control network. The method is based in packet communications in which packets are structured so that they can be readily converted between communications protocols, and in which packets enclose routing information and parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to enable IP networking for mobile hosts without requiring changes to be made to the TCP/IP stack in the operating system installed on the mobile hosts. The apparatus is an “intelligent device” that can be installed on or connected to a mobile host, and may comprise a software-only logical module, physical hardware, or a combination of both. To a mobile host, the intelligent device emulates a network interface such as an Ethernet card or a telephone modem. The intelligent device appears to an access network just like any regular IP host connected to the access network through a physical network interface device. The intelligent device handles all mobile networking functions for the mobile host, and may control multiple different physical network interface devices to enable a connection to the “best” access network available to the mobile user at his location.

Abstract: A logic system for resolving port contentions associated with memory-access requests in data packet routing is provided. The logic system comprises a determination logic for assessing and reporting port status of busy or not busy, a command mechanism for issuing commands contingent on determination results and a staged buffer memory for holding pending requests waiting for permission to access the memory. A single request at the head of the buffer memory is considered for port access whereupon if a port is determined to be busy, the command logic issues appropriate commands to units responsible for downloading packets from the memory and for sending new memory-access requests.

Abstract: ATM is used as a transport and switching mechanism in a hybrid STM/ATM network while the signaling remains normal narrowband signaling. The narrowband signaling is transported on permanent paths over ATM connections, and the narrowband speech channels are transported on ATM and switched on a “Per call basis” (on-demand) through an ATM switch. A translator formats a call-setup-related signaling message into ATM cells so that the signaling message can be routed through an ATM switch to a circuit switched (STM) node. The circuit switched node (PSTN/ISDN) sets up a physical connection for the call and generates a further signaling message therefor that relates to the physical connection. The ATM switch routes an ATM cell-formatted version of the further signaling message to another ATM switch over an ATM physical interface. Thus, the ATM switch switches both narrowband traffic and signaling for the call over the ATM physical interface.

Abstract: A method for controlling a number of addresses in an address table of a switch in a network system includes the steps of adding a control mechanism in a learning mode of the switch; enabling one of a plurality of ports of the switch to detect a number of learned addresses in the address table; and locking the address table to stop learning and discard subsequently received packets having unmatched addresses if the number of learned addresses being detected has exceeded a predetermined maximum number of learnable addresses of the address table, thereby preventing the address table from being completely occupied by a number of abnormal packets.