Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: An embodiment of one of the inventions disclosed herein is a computer system that includes a plurality of interconnected computational hosts, each of which are connected to one of a plurality of buffers. Each of the buffers includes a plurality of buffer spaces. Each of the computational hosts may be configured such that each transfer of a data packet from one of the plurality of computational hosts acting as a source of the data packet to another one of the plurality of computational hosts acting as a destination of the data packet is controlled by an availability of buffer spaces in the buffer coupled to the destination computational host.

Abstract: In a multi-processor system with a high degree of inter processor communication, an operating system extension is described as a kernel function to poll a receive buffer. This is an opportunistic poll that continues to run in the user context after an application process has invoked the kernel with a blocking receive function. It is also running whenever no higher priority task is running. New data packets may be received for the present user application process while avoiding context switches, and for a different user process while avoiding interrupts. A hardware implemented delay timer and a buffer fill monitor generate interrupts when the system is not polling, thus guaranteeing a maximum latency and preventing buffer overflow, but these interrupts are largely avoided by polling when the system is handling a large amount of inter processor data traffic.

Abstract: A reliable method for inter-computer packet transport in multi-process and multi-computer environments includes acknowledgments of received packets. To enhance the reliability and fast recovery of lost packets, a bit-mapped message is used for selective acknowledgments by which individual messages may be selected for retransmission. Further functionalities cover the cases where packets may have been received out-of-order, or an acknowledgment was lost.

Abstract: In a multi-processor system with a high degree of inter processor communication, an operating system extension is described as a kernel function to poll a receive buffer. This is an opportunistic poll that continues to run in the user context after an application process has invoked the kernel with a blocking receive function. It is also running whenever no higher priority task is running. New data packets may be received for the present user application process while avoiding context switches, and for a different user process while avoiding interrupts. A hardware implemented delay timer and a buffer fill monitor generate interrupts when the system is not polling, thus guaranteeing a maximum latency and preventing buffer overflow, but these interrupts are largely avoided by polling when the system is handling a large amount of inter processor data traffic.

Abstract: A protocol element referred to as a secure handle is described which provides an efficient and reliable method for application-to-application signaling in multi-process and multi-computer environments. The secure handle includes an absolute memory reference which allows the kernel to more quickly and efficiently associate a network data packet with an application's communication context in the kernel.

Abstract: A protocol suite for inter-process communication in multi-process and multi-computer environments is described which supports one or more loosely flow-controlled connections to be established over a tightly flow-controlled connection. The tightly flow-controlled connections between processes provide a reliable underlying network between the members of a multiprocessing environment over which multi-computer applications can then efficiently communicate by setting up loosely flow-controlled connections.

Abstract: An embodiment of one of the inventions disclosed herein is a computer system that includes a plurality of interconnected computational hosts, each of which are connected to one of a plurality of buffers. Each of the buffers includes a plurality of buffer spaces. Each of the computational hosts may be configured such that each transfer of a data packet from one of the plurality of computational hosts acting as a source of the data packet to another one of the plurality of computational hosts acting as a destination of the data packet is controlled by an availability of buffer spaces in the buffer coupled to the destination computational host.

Abstract: A reliable method for inter-computer packet transport in multi-process and multi-computer environments includes acknowledgments of received packets. To enhance the reliability and fast recovery of lost packets, a bit-mapped message is used for selective acknowledgments by which individual messages may be selected for retransmission. Further functionalities cover the cases where packets may have been received out-of-order, or an acknowledgment was lost.

Abstract: A rotator switch including more tandem buffers than inputs is disclosed. An input data conditioner formats data to be transferred from the multiple inputs to the tandem buffers. Excess tandem buffers allow data to be transferred from inputs to tandem buffers at a rate less than the rate at which data arrives at the inputs. Excess capacity of the switch fabric may be used to carry overhead, or slow the rate at which data is transferred to the switch fabric.