Abstract: In a wireless and/or power line communication (PLC) network environment, techniques for multicast of data and management of multicast groups assist in regulating bandwidth consumption and provision of desired multicast data. Nodes indicate interest in multicast groups by transmission of reports upstream. Report transmission may be suppressed to balance bandwidth with need for multicast data. Multicast data packets may be retransmitted downstream to fulfill requests indicated by the reports at a rate and/or frequency based on multicast packet duplication or redundancy. Information, such as broken links or “leave” packets, may indicate that one or more downstream nodes should be removed from a forwarding state. However such removal may impact other nodes. A query may be transmitted downstream, to determine if retransmission/forwarding of multicast retransmissions should continue. Query transmission may be based on a balance between query bandwidth consumption and the needs of downstream nodes.

Abstract: A new device is deployed to an area in which a network is provided. The new device may join the network using a single handshake via a neighboring device that is a member of the network and register with a network management system managing the network. If the network is overloaded or has limited bandwidth remaining, the network may refuse to admit the new device, or if the new device is isolated, may force some devices that are members of the network to leave or migrate from the network to allow the isolated device to join the network.

Abstract: A new device is deployed to an area in which a network is provided. The new device may join the network using a single handshake via a neighboring device that is a member of the network and register with a network management system managing the network. If the network is overloaded or has limited bandwidth remaining, the network may refuse to admit the new device, or if the new device is isolated, may force some devices that are members of the network to leave or migrate from the network to allow the isolated device to join the network.

Abstract: Techniques for communicating via a control channel, determining a particular data channel based on the communicating, and transferring data via the particular data channel are described. One or more messages are communicated via the control channel between first and second nodes. The one or more messages may indicate a particular data channel from multiple data channels that may be utilized to transfer data between the first and second nodes. The one or more messages may also indicate a modulation technique and/or data rate that may be implemented on the particular data channel. The one or more messages may be utilized to determine the particular data channel that will be utilized to transfer the data. The first and second nodes may switch to the particular data channel based on the determination and transfer the data via the particular data channel.

Abstract: Methodologies are provided for establishing peer-to-peer communications between nodes in a tree structured network having plural nodes including a root node. A source node seeking to send a message to a destination node will first request a most advantageous available path from the source to the destination node, and then the root node (or possibly another node within the network that has additional storage resources) will provide a routing path to one or both of the source and destination nodes. Messages may then be sent between the source and destination nodes that may or may not include addressing information in the packet headers without having to request routing information again for additional messages between the same nodes.

Abstract: A method for controlling admission and assigning resource, without any a priori knowledge, in a network (1) virtualized so as to comprise one super virtual network (2) dedicated to the class with the strictest QoS constraints, and at least one other virtual network (3), comprising the steps of: at arrival of a flow (6), determining a first path (9) over said super virtual network (2), determining a QoS class of said flow (6) by analyzing the first N packets (11) of said flow (6), transmitting said first N packets (11) of said flow (6) over said first path (9), determining a second path (10) over a virtual network (3) dedicated to said determined QoS class of said flow (6), transmitting the packets (12) of said flow (6), from the N+1th packet, over said second path (10).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for demultiplexing MAC service data units encapsulated into MAC protocol data units, said MAC service data units comprising IP protocol data unit wherein said method comprises the following steps: receiving MAC protocol data units, demultiplexing the received MAC service data units by: detecting the beginning of a MAC service data unit by detecting a MAC layer service primitive, recursively demultiplexing said at least one IP protocol data unit contained in said MAC service data unit, detecting the end of said MAC service data unit by detecting MAC layer service primitives.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for demultiplexing MAC service data units encapsulated into MAC protocol data units, said MAC service data units comprising IP protocol data unit wherein said method comprises the following steps: receiving MAC protocol data units, demultiplexing the received MAC service data units by: detecting the beginning of a MAC service data unit by detecting a MAC layer service primitive, recursively demultiplexing said at least one IP protocol data unit contained in said MAC service data unit, detecting the end of said MAC service data unit by detecting MAC layer service primitives.

Abstract: A communications station (4-i) for a WDM ring network is adapted to insert into an optical fiber (2) packets of optical signals carried by at least one wavelength and having a propagation direction in common with at least one other communications station.