Abstract: A control panel may prevent access to one or more aspects of the control panel based at least in part on one or more security parameters. The security parameters may include a default locked status and a takeover locked status. The default locked status may prevent a user or other personnel from accessing the software, code, or other intellectual property on the control panel while still allowing the user to interface with the security and/or automation system. The takeover locked status may prevent any access or use of the control panel. To protect the automation system and the automation system provider, it may be desired to use a unique identifier to unlock at least one or more aspects of the control panel. The unique identifier may be loaded onto an external storage device which the control panel may automatically recognize.

Abstract: A device may require one or more updates to its software. However, the device may be inaccessible due to a variety of circumstances. Troubleshooting the device may be difficult. Therefore, the device may be configured to automatically run a script after it has been validated to perform one or more functions on the control panel. In one embodiment, a method to automate a script on a device is described. The method may include searching an attached external storage device for a script, identifying a script based at least in part on the searching, validating the authenticity of the identified script, and executing, automatically, the validated script.

Abstract: A control panel may prevent access to one or more aspects of the control panel based at least in part on one or more security parameters. The security parameters may include a default locked status and a takeover locked status. The default locked status may prevent a user or other personnel from accessing the software, code, or other intellectual property on the control panel while still allowing the user to interface with the security and/or automation system. The takeover locked status may prevent any access or use of the control panel. To protect the automation system and the automation system provider, it may be desired to use a unique identifier to unlock at least one or more aspects of the control panel. The unique identifier may be loaded onto an external storage device which the control panel may automatically recognize.

Abstract: A device may require one or more updates to its software. However, the device may be inaccessible due to a variety of circumstances. Troubleshooting the device may be difficult. Therefore, the device may be configured to automatically run a script after it has been validated to perform one or more functions on the control panel. In one embodiment, a method to automate a script on a device is described. The method may include searching an attached external storage device for a script, identifying a script based at least in part on the searching, validating the authenticity of the identified script, and executing, automatically, the validated script.

Abstract: A device may require one or more updates to its software. However, the device may be inaccessible due to a variety of circumstances. Troubleshooting the device may be difficult. Therefore, the device may be configured to automatically run a script after it has been validated to perform one or more functions on the control panel. In one embodiment, a method to automate a script on a device is described. The method may include searching an attached external storage device for a script, identifying a script based at least in part on the searching, validating the authenticity of the identified script, and executing, automatically, the validated script.

Abstract: A control panel may prevent access to one or more aspects of the control panel based at least in part on one or more security parameters. The security parameters may include a default locked status and a takeover locked status. The default locked status may prevent a user or other personnel from accessing the software, code, or other intellectual property on the control panel while still allowing the user to interface with the security and/or automation system. The takeover locked status may prevent any access or use of the control panel. To protect the automation system and the automation system provider, it may be desired to use a unique identifier to unlock at least one or more aspects of the control panel. The unique identifier may be loaded onto an external storage device which the control panel may automatically recognize.

Abstract: Path information is obtained in a VPLS-based network by generating special Layer 2 frames (referred to herein as “trace-request frames”), performing source MAC filtering to identify the trace-request frames, and generating a special frame (referred to herein as a “trace-reply frame”) when the source MAC filtering identifies a trace-request frame. Upon identifying a trace-request frame, path information is collected and embedded into the trace-reply frame. The trace-reply frame is then sent to the originating node where the path information is used to learn the path that the trace-request frame traversed. By sending multiple trace-request frames with different source MAC addresses, path information received from source MAC filtering at different nodes in the VPLS-based network can be collected and used to learn an entire path of interest.

Abstract: A technique for classifying traffic at a network node involves programming a content addressable memory (CAM) array with multiple class-specific entries, where each of the class-specific entries has an associated traffic class, obtaining a protocol-independent key field from an incoming packet, and searching the programmed CAM array with the protocol-independent key field to identify an associated traffic class of the incoming packet. In another embodiment, each of the class-specific entries has an associated traffic distribution policy, which may be applied to an incoming packet.

Abstract: Protection switching between primary and secondary paths in a packet-based network involves table entries that are pre-programmed with a primary path, a secondary path, and a value that identifies the primary path, referred to as a primary path identifier (PPI). When table entries are accessed to make forwarding decisions, the PPI is compared to a field that identifies that a particular path is down, referred to as a down path identifier (DPI). If the two fields match, (i.e., PPI=DPI), then the secondary path is selected instead of the primary path as the path on which the traffic should be forwarded.

Abstract: Path information is obtained in a VPLS-based network by generating special Layer 2 frames (referred to herein as “trace-request frames”), performing source MAC filtering to identify the trace-request frames, and generating a special frame (referred to herein as a “trace-reply frame”) when the source MAC filtering identifies a trace-request frame. Upon identifying a trace-request frame, path information is collected and embedded into the trace-reply frame. The trace-reply frame is then sent to the originating node where the path information is used to learn the path that the trace-request frame traversed. By sending multiple trace-request frames with different source MAC addresses, path information received from source MAC filtering at different nodes in the VPLS-based network can be collected and used to learn an entire path of interest.

Abstract: Protection switching between primary and secondary paths in a packet-based network involves table entries that are pre-programmed with a primary path, a secondary path, and a value that identifies the primary path, referred to as a primary path identifier (PPI). When table entries are accessed to make forwarding decisions, the PPI is compared to a field that identifies that a particular path is down, referred to as a down path identifier (DPI). If the two fields match, (i.e., PPI=DPI), then the secondary path is selected instead of the primary path as the path on which the traffic should be forwarded.

Abstract: A technique for classifying traffic at a network node involves programming a content addressable memory (CAM) array with multiple class-specific entries, where each of the class-specific entries has an associated traffic class, obtaining a protocol-independent key field from an incoming packet, and searching the programmed CAM array with the protocol-independent key field to identify an associated traffic class of the incoming packet. In another embodiment, each of the class-specific entries has an associated traffic distribution policy, which may be applied to an incoming packet.

Abstract: The present invention provides an interlock scheme for use between a line card and an address recognition apparatus. The interlock scheme reduces the total number of read/write operations over a backplane bus coupling the line card to the address recognition apparatus required to complete a request/response transfer. Thus, the line card and address recognition apparatus are able to perform a large amount of request/response transfers with a high level of system efficiency. Generally, the interlocking scheme according to the present invention merges each ownership information storage location into the location of the request/response memory utilized to store the corresponding request/response pair to reduce data transfer traffic over the backplane bus. According to another feature of the interlock scheme of the present invention, each of the line card and the address recognition engine includes a table for storing information relating to a plurality of database specifiers.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an address recognition apparatus including an address recognition engine coupled to a look-up database. The look-up database is arranged to store network information relating to network addresses. The look-up database includes a primary database and a secondary database. The address recognition engine accepts as an input a network address for which network information is required. The address recognition engine uses the network address as an index to the primary database. The primary database comprises a multiway tree node structure (TRIE) arranged for traversal of the nodes as a function of preselected segments of the network address and in a fixed sequence of the segments to locate a pointer to an entry in the secondary database. The entry in the secondary database pointed to by the primary database pointer contains the network information corresponding to the network address. The address recognition engine includes a table for storing a plurality of database specifiers.