Abstract: A polling procedure providing the capabilities to assign and dynamically modify a user's communication parameters (i.e., response allocation and polling rate) based on the user's bandwidth requirements. In addition, the polling procedure instructs the users to delay their responses as a function of round-trip propagation delay and remaining response allocation for previously polled users to ensure that poll responses from separate users do not overlap.

Abstract: A packet communications network in which multicast transmissions are made reliable by transmitting acknowledgements to all neighbors of every receiving node, including the source node. This allows the relinquishment of message holding buffers as soon as all near neighbors acknowledge receipt of the message after only tile longest round trip time to the nearest neighbors, rather than the round trip to the furthest destination. Moreover, highly reliable ancillary point-to-point transmission facilities can be used to retransmit multicast messages indicated as being lost by failure of acknowledgment. Finally, network partitions occurring during the multicast procedure do not necessarily lose the multicast message to the remote partitions since any node receiving the message can insure delivery to all other nodes in that partition.

Abstract: A fast bandwidth reservation method and system used in packet-switched networks that reserve bandwidth for a data transfer over links in a path between a source node, at least one intermediate node, and a destination node with minimal latency where the source node desires to send data to the destination node along the specific path using at least a minimum bandwidth and up to a maximum bandwidth. The goal of the method and system is to reserve bandwidth for a data transfer in the minimal amount of time. No link on the path between the source node and destination node has more bandwidth allocated for the source node than the minimum allocated for the previous forward links on the path. Links on the path between the source node and destination node have their bandwidth allocation for the data transfer adjusted based on the final minimum bandwidth allocated for the data transfer.

Abstract: A packet communications system provides for point-to-point packet routing and multicast packet routing to limited subsets of nodes in the network, using a routing field in the packet header which is processed according to two different protocols. A third protocol is provided in which a packet can be multicast to the limited subset even when launched from a node which is not a member of the subset. The routing field includes a first portion which contains the route labels necessary to deliver the packet to the multicast subset. A second portion of the routing field contains the multicast subset identifier which can then be used to deliver the packet to all of the members of the multicast subset. Provision is made to backtrack deliver the packet to the last node identified before the multicast subset if that last node is itself a member of the subset.

Abstract: An arrangement of authenticating communications network users and means for carrying out the arrangement. A first challenge N1 is transmitted from a first user A to a second user B. In response to the first challenge, B transmits a first response and second challenge N2 to A. A verifies the first response. A then generates and transmits a second response to the second challenge to B, where the second response is verified. The first response must be of a minimum formf(S1, N1, . . . ),and the second response must be of the minimum formg(S2, N2, . . . ).S1 and S2 are shared secrets between A and B. f() and g() are selected such that the equationf'(s1,N1', . . . )=g(S2, N2)cannot be solved for N1' without knowledge of S1 and S2. f'() and N1' represent expressions on a second reference connection. Preferably, the function f() may include the direction D1 of the flow of the message containing f(), as in f(s1, N1, D1, . . . ). In such a case, f() is selected such that the equationf'(S,N1',D1', . . . )=f(S, N2, D1, .

Abstract: This invention is a fast contention resolution unit for resolving contention among a plurality of adapters for access to a communications network. Included in the fast contention resolution unit is an apparatus for transmitting a token about a ring from one cell to another cell bypassing intermediate cells whose associated adapters do not have a request to gain access to the communications network.

Abstract: A telecommunication system performs multihop TASI over every hop with a single instance of speech activity detection for each voice call. The system utilizes a Time-Space-Time circuit switch interposed between an input and an output trunk. The input time stage is configured to collect call samples from the input trunk and to map the physical slots associated with the samples to the switch slots of the conventional space switch portion of the circuit switch portion of the circuit switch. In-b signalling of the active state of a switch slot is provided by the input time stage to the output time stage via the space switch. The output time stage is configured to assign physical slots on the outgoing trunk to active switch slots and to discard inactive switch slots.

Abstract: A method of transmitting high speed (1 Gbits/sec), packetized, integrated voice/data through a communications network. This invention, more specifically, deals with the word by word transmission of packets on a parallel transmission bus.

Abstract: A LOCATE search dynamically locates resources (e.g., logical units (LUs) and transaction program and files associated with LUs) in a computer network so that a session can be established between the origin and the destination of the search.In a network which includes end nodes associated with server nodes, a resource contained in any node is located by a requesting node. The requesting node initiates a search of the resources residing within itself. If the resource does not reside in the requesting node, the server node searches the resources known to the server node that reside anywhere in the nework. If the resource is not known by the server node, it searchers all resources that reside in its associated end nodes. If the resource does not reside in the associated end nodes, either a request is sent to a central directory if one exists or a search of all resources in the network is made.