Abstract: Apparatus and a method for routing packets having destination addresses in their header. The routing modules of the router are of two types: simple routing modules which can only route packets whose destination address is stored in a limited memory of the module for storing corresponding output port addresses, and default modules which are used to find the identity of an output port for routing all other packets received by the simple routing modules of the router. Advantageously, the processing load of the simple routing modules is smoothed because these modules do not have to perform the complex searching functions required to find destination addresses not readily accessible in their memory. Advantageously, the single or small number of default routing modules can have sophisticated memory and processor facilities for searching over a very large number of destination addresses and for concentrating the process of sending queries to other routers for additional information.

Abstract: The self-adaptive processor overload control system provides real time overload control and is fast to respond to processing overload conditions. The self-adaptive processor overload control system can detect surges and also has a dynamic range that can address overloads of significant size. It matches software operation to the CPU instruction cache operation to thereby increase the processor efficiency by reducing the average real time needed to process call activity. The self-adaptive processor overload control system maintains a counter for each queue, and sets a threshold value for each queue. The self-adaptive processor overload control system completely empties each queue to obtain a higher cache hit ratio, since code to serve each request is queued in cache memory and when successive requests on the same nature save on code retrieval time.

Abstract: A fuzzy-logic based overload control for packet switches wherein a distribution curve is developed regarding the overload possibility versus receive packet stream processing rate. The transmit packet stream is measured and a processing rate of the receive packet stream is measured. An overload possibility value is manipulated according to the measured bursts of the transmit packet stream and a location on the distribution curve of the measured processing rate. Packets are dropped from the transmit stream if the overload possibility value is above a threshold.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for interfacing between the Internet and the Telephone Network. A time slot interchange is enhanced by the addition of a supplementary memory for storing data for accumulating Internet packets. When a packet has been accumulated, the appropriate header is inserted into the packet under the control of a routing processor, and the packet can then be sent as a group of adjacent PCM samples over a connection to the Internet. In other embodiments, information is sent to the Internet over a direct data pipe for transmitting ATM cells or Ethernet packets. A Vocoder signal processor can be inserted between the TSI memory, and the supplementary memory to convert PCM voice samples into vocoded voice samples for transmission over the Internet. A modem signal processor can be interposed between the TSI memory and the supplementary memory to convert between analog data (representing for example, shift key analog signals) and binary data for transmission within packets over the Internet.

Abstract: A large router for routing datagrams. The large router comprises a plurality of router slices, each of which receives switches and transmits datagrams. Each router slice has a routing memory for routing the packets. If a packet is received whose destination address is not known to the receiving packet slice, the packet slice broadcasts a request for routing information for that datagram to the other packet slices of the large router and routes the packet in accordance with the received responses. Groups of slices are interconnected by a time slot interchange (TSI) unit, and groups of TSIs are interconnected by a time multiplexed switch. The router can consist of more than one switch; the switches being interconnected by high speed data links. Advantageously, the router, though composed of small slices, acts as if it were a single large high capacity entity.

Abstract: A system and method for caching frequently called numbers so that call delivery time is shortened and the signaling network and service nodes are not overloaded by telephone number queries. In a distributed control switching system, each processor that performs digit analysis and has an area of memory. This area of memory is used as a cache to store directory number translation information. When a call arrives for a specified directory number (DN), if, after standard translation, the call cannot be normally routed, then the cache is consulted to determine whether the destination for that DN is in the cache. If it is, then the call is routed to the destination associated with the DN. If, however, the DN is not in the local cache, then a query is sent to one or more other units in the switch which may contain such caches in order to determine if these caches contain the destination.