Abstract: A Computer implemented method of ranking information objects within a collection of information objects linked by a collection of links, the collection of information objects comprising information objects of a first nature and of a second nature, the links being associated to a link type selected among a plurality of link types, the method comprising: allocating a qualification weight to each link, selecting a plurality of paths comprising a sequence of information objects linked by a sequence of the links, for each information object, computing a score as a function of the respective contributions of the links that point to the information object, the contribution of a link being a function of the number of times the link has been selected in the path selection step and the qualification weight of the link, ranking the information objects as a function of the respective scores.

Abstract: A method for attaching a user terminal to a base station of a network is disclosed, said network comprising base stations. The method including defining a global cost function which is a weighted sum of the user terminal transmission delays, over all the user terminals in the network, using a user terminal's context weighting factor representing a user terminal's characteristic; defining a local cost function for each user terminal from said global cost function, said local cost function taking into account said user terminal's context weighting factor for each user terminal, and being a function of the base station to which this user terminal is associated; running a Gibbs sampler with said local cost function for producing user-base station association probabilities; choosing the user-base station association probability which favors low local cost; and attaching said user terminal to a base station according to the user-base station association probability chosen.

Abstract: A method for control of congestion of traffic, being categorized according to a number of layers (L), in a network node, comprises a step of monitoring the amount (n(t)) of incoming flows to this node such that, based upon this amount (n(t)) of incoming flows and on a current number of accepted layers (l(t)), a next number of accepted layers (l(t+1)) for entry into said node is determined by consultation of an action table (T). In an enhanced embodiment the action table is adjusted based on the observed traffic during an observation period.

Abstract: A Computer implemented method of ranking information objects within a collection of information objects linked by a collection of links, the collection of information objects comprising information objects of a first nature and of a second nature, the links being associated to a link type selected among a plurality of link types, the method comprising: allocating a qualification weight to each link, selecting a plurality of paths comprising a sequence of information objects linked by a sequence of the links, for each information object, computing a score as a function of the respective contributions of the links that point to the information object, the contribution of a link being a function of the number of times the link has been selected in the path selection step and the qualification weight of the link, ranking the information objects as a function of the respective scores.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for attaching a user terminal to a base station of a network, said network comprising a plurality of base stations, said method comprising: —defining a global cost function which is a weighted sum of the user terminal transmission delays, over all the user terminals in the network, using a user terminal's context weighting factor representing a user terminal's characteristic; —defining a local cost function for each user terminal from said global cost function, said local cost function taking into account said user terminal's context weighting factor for each user terminal, and being a function of the base station to which this user terminal is associated; —running a Gibbs sampler with said local cost function for producing user-base station association probabilities; —choosing the user-base station association probability which favors low local cost; and—attaching said user terminal to a base station according to the user-base station association probability chosen.

Abstract: An embodiment of the current invention is directed to facilitating a location-based service for use by a given mobile-device. A location of each of a number of base stations that makes up a portion of a wireless-telecommunications-network is identified. For a given base station, the probability that it provides a level of signal coverage to a geographical area that would enable the mobile-device in the first geographical area to communicate with the network is determined. A density of possible locations that the mobile-device may be within the geographical area is determined. A position for the mobile-device is approximated based on the density. A location-based service is facilitated for use by the mobile-device based on the position of the mobile-device.

Abstract: An embodiment of the current invention is directed to facilitating a location-based service for use by a given mobile-device. A location of each of a number of base stations that makes up a portion of a wireless-telecommunications-network is identified. For a given base station, the probability that it provides a level of signal coverage to a geographical area that would enable the mobile-device in the first geographical area to communicate with the network is determined. A density of possible locations that the mobile-device may be within the geographical area is determined. A position for the mobile-device is approximated based on the density. A location-based service is facilitated for use by the mobile-device based on the position of the mobile-device.

Abstract: In a communication system, a plurality of communication entities can establish a plurality of communication links that can potentially interfere with each other. A control of the communication system involves repetitively carrying out a probabilistic parameter setting step for respective communication links. In such a probabilistic parameter setting step, a parameter setting to be applied to a communication link is randomly determined according to a probability distribution. This probability distribution is such that a probability that a particular parameter setting is applied decreases with, on the one hand, a relative level of interference that the communication link is expected to experience from other communication links if the particular parameter setting is applied and, on the other hand, a relative level of interference that other communication links are expected to experience if the particular parameter setting is applied.

Abstract: A distributed power control technique for wireless networking efficiently balances communication delay against transmitter power on each wireless link. Packets are transmitted over a wireless link from a transmitter to a receiver using a dynamically controlled transmit power level that is periodically updated at the transmitter. The transmit power is computed from i) an observed noise plus interference value of the wireless link and ii) a parameter that determines a balance between per-packet average delay and per-packet average power. In a preferred implementation, the dynamically controlled transmit power level is computed by minimizing the sum of an average delay cost and an average power cost, weighted by the parameter.

Abstract: A method for control of congestion of traffic, being categorized according to a number of layers (L), in a network node, comprises a step of monitoring the amount (n(t)) of incoming flows to this node such that, based upon this amount (n(t)) of incoming flows and on a current number of accepted layers (l(t)), a next number of accepted layers (l(t+1)) for entry into said node is determined by consultation of an action table (T). In an enhanced embodiment the action table is adjusted based on the observed traffic during an observation period.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of configuring the topology of a communication network comprising a plurality of nodes (i,j, . . . , N), the communication network being organized as a forest structure comprising trees and subtrees, wherein at least one node i maintains a periodic timer and an expiration of the timer of the node i triggers the steps of: searching, by the node i, a parent node; selecting, by the node i, a parent node using at least throughput and subtree size as selection criteria; and migrating the node i to the selected size as selection criteria; and migrating the node i to the selected parent node along with its subtree size. Preferably, the step of selecting a parent node by the node i comprises a sub-step of executing a function having as parameters respective subtree sizes of a node j before and after the migration of the node i to another node k.

Abstract: A distributed power control technique for wireless networking efficiently balances communication delay against transmitter power on each wireless link. Packets are transmitted over a wireless link from a transmitter to a receiver using a dynamically controlled transmit power level that is periodically updated at the transmitter. The transmit power is computed from i) an observed noise plus interference value of the wireless link and ii) a parameter that determines a balance between per-packet average delay and per-packet average power. In a preferred implementation, the dynamically to controlled transmit power level is computed by minimizing the sum of an average delay cost and an average power cost, weighted by the parameter.

Abstract: A method for group communication over a network of processors comprises determining an overlay spanning tree comprising an origin node and at least one receiving node, and controlling a source communication rate to be less than or equal to a bottleneck rate of the overlay spanning tree.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of configuring the topology of a communication network comprising a plurality of nodes (i, j, . . . , N), said communication network being organized as a forest structure comprising trees and subtrees, wherein at least one node i maintains a periodic timer and an expiration of said timer of said node i triggers the steps of: searching, by said node i, a parent node; selecting, by said node i, a parent node using at least throughput and subtree size as selection criteria ; and migrating said node i to the selected parent node along with its subtree size. Preferably, said step of selecting a parent node by said node i comprises a sub-step of executing a function having as parameters respective subtree sizes of a node j before and after the migration of said node i to another node k.

Abstract: The invention discloses a control scheme for wireless communications networks, including stations communicating with mobiles in downlink mode. The network includes an elementary load calculator designed to compute the load induced by a given mobile on a server station. The elementary load calculator includes: a first function (PA1) designed to compute a first elementary quantity taking into account the attenuation between the mobile and each nearby station (Lv,mu) and the limit on the total power emitted by each nearby station, a second function (PA2) designed to compute a second elementary quantity taking into account the requirements of the mobile vis-a-vis its station (?mu?) and the attenuation between the mobile and its station (Lu,mu), the elementary load calculator being capable of computing the product of the first elementary quantity by the second elementary quantity, which gives an elementary product representing the load induced by the mobile (EDPAPmu).

Abstract: The present invention addresses scalability and end-to-end reliability in overlay multicast networks. A simple end-system multicast architecture that is both scalable in throughput and reliable in an end-to-end way is used. In this architecture, the transfers between nodes use TCP with backpressure mechanisms to provide data packet transfers between intermediate nodes having finite-size forwarding buffers. There is also a finite-size backup buffer in each node to store copies of packets which are copied out from the receiver window to the forwarding buffers. These backup buffers are used when TCP connections are re-established to supply copies of data packets for the children nodes after their parent node fails, maintaining a complete sequence of data packets to all nodes within the multicast overlay network. The architecture provides end-to-end reliability, tolerates multiple simultaneous node failures and provides positive throughput for any group size and any buffer size.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a procedure for aiding the management of a wireless telephony network consisting of stations. The procedure comprises, for a given mobile pertaining to a station: a—the calculation of a quantity incorporating the attenuation with regard to its station and the attenuation with regard to the neighboring stations (103), b—the product of this quantity times another quantity representing the requirements of the mobile with regard to its station (103), c—the summation of these products for a given set of mobiles pertaining to said station (105), d—the comparison of the sum with a threshold (107).

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for testing and predicting the behaviour of a computer network. Said method consists in; a) storing a representation of the network, including routers, and a use configuration of the network including traffic classes each associated with sources; b) on the basis of the initial conditions (400), iteratively applying an additive increase and multiplicative decrease model of the traffic evolution (410, 420), to simulate an evolution of rates in the network, storing each time a set of class or source rate variables; and c) if the iteration at step b) produces a periodical orbit (430), returning to a set of class or source rate variables already encountered, examining the series of routers encountered, as responsible for losses to evaluate the rate obtained by each class or source (450).

Abstract: The present invention addresses scalability and end-to-end reliability in overlay multicast networks. A simple end-system multicast architecture that is both scalable in throughput and reliable in an end-to-end way is used. In this architecture, the transfers between nodes use TCP with backpressure mechanisms to provide data packet transfers between intermediate nodes having finite-size forwarding buffers. There is also a finite-size backup buffer in each node to store copies of packets which are copied out from the receiver window to the forwarding buffers. These backup buffers are used when TCP connections are re-established to supply copies of data packets for the children nodes after their parent node fails, maintaining a complete sequence of data packets to all nodes within the multicast overlay network. The architecture provides end-to-end reliability, tolerates multiple simultaneous node failures and provides positive throughput for any group size and any buffer size.

Abstract: A method for group communication over a network of processors comprises determining an overlay spanning tree comprising an origin node and at least one receiving node, and controlling a source communication rate to be less than or equal to a bottleneck rate of the overlay spanning tree.