Abstract: A network interface architecture includes a processor having an associated program memory, and a programmable logic device coupled to the processor. A connection port of the logic device is adapted to be coupled to a medium of a selected network having a defined network protocol, and the logic device has an associated configuration memory. A data communication path is coupled to the processor and the logic device, and is arranged to connect with a host device for transferring data between the host device and a network to which the logic device is coupled. The processor responds to information identifying a selected network by loading corresponding network protocol data from the configuration memory and the program memory into the logic device and the processor. The host device may include, without limitation, a personal, lap top, desk top or hand-held computer, a network appliance, file server, printer, vending machine, cell phone or the like.

Abstract: A converged network accessible by client terminals is provided. The converged network includes a wide area network, a local area network, and a gateway linked to the wide area and local area networks. The gateway integrates billing and authentication functions of the wide area and local area networks.

Abstract: A converged network accessible by wireless client devices includes a wide area wireless network, a local area wireless network, and a gateway linked to the wide area and local area wireless networks for integrating access to the networks by the wireless client devices.

Abstract: A method of evaluating an effect of a run-time scheduling policy on a performance of an end-system, having associated resources, running one or more applications, each application having one or more tasks and the tasks being mapped to the associated resources of the end-system, includes generating a state process having a state space representative of an evolution of computation associated with the end-system, the evolution being representative of task transitions with respect to the applications, available resources and the run-time scheduling policy. Then, given the state space generated with respect to, inter alia, the specified run-time scheduling policy, the method includes computing performance metrics from the state process, the performance metrics being representative of the effect of the run-time scheduling policy on the performance of the one or more applications running on the end-system.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for computing the processing delay of a terminal running a system of one or more adaptive applications, each adaptive application consisting of a set of executable tasks sharing system resources, the set of execution tasks having execution times depending on a particular adaptation level, the method including the steps of: modelling the adaptation of each adaptive application as an adaptation process having steady-state probability distribution representing the fraction of time spent by the application in a particular adaptation level; modelling execution time variations of tasks in each application, for a particular adaptation level, by a random variable of arbitrary and known probability distribution; modeling a system-wide computation by a state process for capturing transitions of executing tasks as the tasks currently use or contend for the shared system resources, the state process being characterized as a stochastic process; calculating a stationary distribution .pi..sup.