Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a stream of transport packets encapsulating media packets, and generating a reference to the point-of-interest media packet relative to the location of the point-of-interest within the transport packet stream. The reference is generated for each media packet that is identified as a point-of-interest.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a stream of transport packets encapsulating media packets, and generating a reference to the point-of-interest media packet relative to the location of the point-of-interest within the transport packet stream. The reference is generated for each media packet that is identified as a point-of-interest.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a stream of transport packets encapsulating media packets, and generating a reference to the point-of-interest media packet relative to the location of the point-of-interest within the transport packet stream. The reference is generated for each media packet that is identified as a point-of-interest.

Abstract: A media source sends media packets over a first media path. Repair packets are encoded from the media source packets and sent over a second different media path. Sending the source packets and repair packet over different media paths is referred to as Forward Error Correction (FEC) spatial diversity and reduces the amount of repair packet overhead required for repairing the media source packets in case of a network outage or packet loss. To provide load balancing, a first set of media streams may be sent over the first media path and a second set of media streams may be sent over the second media path. If a fault is detected on one of the media paths, then the repair packets may no longer be transmitted and the one or more media streams from the disabled media path are transmitted over the working media path.

Abstract: An upstream error controller monitors a media stream at a location upstream from an associated set of receivers receiving the media stream. The upstream error controller sends out suppression notices for any media packets lost upstream causing the receivers to suppress sending lost packet notices. In another embodiment, a repair point joins a primary multicast group with multiple receivers for receiving a native media stream. The repair point also joins a second multicast group receiving multicast backup data for retransmitting or repairing the native media stream that does not include an associated set of receivers. In yet another embodiment, the upstream error controller is used in combination with a hybrid packet repair scheme for adaptively switching among unicast retransmission, multicast retransmission, and Forward Error Correction (FEC).

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network device having a plurality of network interfaces maintains a database tracking multicast memberships associated with the network interfaces. The network device then uses the database for load balancing received multicast traffic over the network interfaces.

Abstract: A router, switch, or other network node generates reports that contain packet level statistics and other information for a monitored media stream. The media stream reports reduce the amount of bandwidth typically required for sending monitored media stream information back to a central analysis device. However the computation of other media stream analytics, such as long term statistical averaging or quality metric computation, is performed by the central analysis device to remove some of the processing burden from the individual network nodes.

Abstract: A method for managing a back-end information storage infrastructure and a flexible development environment for data storage using a computer system. The method includes managing system resources including a relational database. Meta data models are created to model processes and to define meta data elements and their relationships by using trees and graphs. The method manages access to the data by authenticating users through several levels of authentication describing user rights, while providing management of multi-user access and concurrency. The method includes running the processes that generate instance data, storing the instance data following the meta data model, and transforming the instance data into physical views.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a hybrid packet repair scheme adaptively switches among unicast retransmission, multicast retransmission, and Forward Error Correction (FEC) depending on the receiver population and the nature of the error prompting the repair operation. The NACK patterns are used to heuristically determine the degree of correlation among packet losses. In an additional embodiment, wasting bandwidth and processing on retransmissions of FEC that will fail to correct the errors is avoided by evaluating the nature of the error and the bandwidth needed to optimally repair it. Unicast retransmission, multicast retransmission, or FEC repair is then dynamically performed according to the loss patterns derived from the NACK arrivals and other network conditions.

Abstract: A media source sends media packets over a first media path. Repair packets are encoded from the media source packets and sent over a second different media path. Sending the source packets and repair packet over different media paths is referred to as Forward Error Correction (FEC) spatial diversity and reduces the amount of repair packet overhead required for repairing the media source packets in case of a network outage or packet loss. To provide load balancing, a first set of media streams may be sent over the first media path and a second set of media streams may be sent over the second media path. If a fault is detected on one of the media paths, then the repair packets may no longer be transmitted and the one or more media streams from the disabled media path are transmitted over the working media path.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network device having a plurality of network interfaces maintains a database tracking multicast memberships associated with the network interfaces. The network device then uses the database for load balancing received multicast traffic over the network interfaces.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a stream of transport packets encapsulating media packets, and generating a reference to the point-of-interest media packet relative to the location of the point-of-interest within the transport packet stream.

Abstract: Generating a binding between a source address and one or more roles of a user accessing the network and distributing the binding to a filter node. The source address is currently assigned to the device. The binding may be generated by one or more nodes on an ingress path used during authentication of the user. The binding may be distributed to the filter node on demand or without any request from the filter node. Responsive to a determination that the user is associated with a new source address, a new binding is generated to associate a new source address with the one or more roles for the user. The new binding is distributed to the filter node. Another aspect is a method of enforcing a role based security policy at a filter node, using bindings of source addresses to roles.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an intermediate network device includes a communication facility configured to receive a reservation request message that includes a flow spec object. The flow spec object specifies one or more flow parameters that describe a given traffic flow that desires to pass through the intermediate network device. A flow is configured to compare the one or more flow parameters specified in the flow spec object to one or more constants stored in a memory, to determine a type of traffic of the given traffic flow. The flow analyzer determines the type of traffic independent of any differentiated services codepoint (DSCP) values in packets of the given traffic flow. A traffic scheduler is configured to assign the given traffic flow to a particular per hop behavior (PHB) based on the determined type of traffic for the given traffic flow.

Abstract: A port hopping scheme pseudo-randomly spreads a peer-to-peer connection across a port space. The pseudo-random port hopping scheme varies port address values in a manner that is unknown to intermediary devices but known by the two endpoints or peers. Flow-identification and control schemes depend on the stability of the flow identification through the 5-tuple that includes source and destination IP addresses, source and destination port addresses, and a protocol type. The peer-to-peer flows that use the port hopping scheme are no longer bound to these identifiers. Thus, an intermediary device cannot build up the necessary state to manipulate the flow. This allows a subscriber to defeat a large class of service provider, or other intermediary, flow policies by rendering the associated flow-identification machinery impotent.

Abstract: A system and/or method to determine the location within a building of an apparatus, such as a personal computer, coupled to a computer network. A communication facility of the apparatus is configured to source and sink messages in the computer network via at least one network port coupled to the computer network. A radio frequency (RF) receiver of the apparatus is configured to receive beacon signals transmitted by a plurality of base stations, the base stations located in the building, each beacon signal encoded with location information descriptive of the location of one of the base stations. Also, a location determination engine of the apparatus is configured to compute a location of the apparatus based on the location information encoded in the beacon signals, the computed location being a point within the building.

Abstract: A Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) proxy is used in combination with a signaling proxy to provide improved admission control, Quality of Service (QoS) reservation, and media path routing. This avoids entangling call signaling with media plane functions as required with Session Border Controllers (SBCs). A QoS access network control scheme, such as Packet Cable Multi-Media (PCMM) and/or Dynamic Quality of Service (DQoS), is conventionally used to set up QoS and other flow states on an access network. However, the gate parameters established during this access operation are also provided to an RSVP proxy in an edge router. The gate parameters trigger the RSVP proxy to attempt to establish a QoS reservation over the packet network toward a media flow destination. If admission control for the QoS reservation is successful, the edge router permits the signaling proxy to complete the media call.

Abstract: A technique efficiently selects a path computation element (PCE) to compute a path between nodes of a computer network. The PCE selection technique is illustratively based on dynamic advertisements of the PCE's available path computation resources, namely a predictive response time (PRT). To that end, the novel technique enables one or more PCEs to dynamically send (advertise) their available path computation resources to one or more path computation clients (PCCs). In addition, the technique enables the PCC to efficiently select a PCE (or set of PCEs) to service a path computation request based upon those available resources.

Abstract: A technique enables resources to be shared among data flows that may have different senders (sources) and/or different receivers (destinations) in a data network. Identifiers are associated with data flows and used to indicate whether resources may be shared between data flows. The identifiers are carried in signaling messages used to reserve resources for data flows. An existing data flow that is associated with an identifier that matches an identifier associated with a new data flow is allowed to share resources its resources with the new data flow.

Abstract: A switch detects port failures and identifies a MAC address associated with the port failure. The switch then sends a failure notification message to other ports on the switch that identifies the MAC address associated with the port failure. The network processing devices on the other ports use the failure notification message to quickly determine if routes need to be reconfigured around an adjacency on the switch.