Abstract: Methods and systems for platform-specific maintenance software configuration are provided. The system providing: a maintenance engine embedded in a flight control system of a platform of a plurality of platforms; and an image building engine at a ground system, configured to process fault data and generate therefrom a binary image file (BIF); and wherein the maintenance engine is configured to: receive and execute the BIF to obtain the fault data pertaining to operation of the platform; establish an authenticated wireless communication link to the image building engine; and transmit the fault data to the image building engine via the authenticated wireless communication link; and the image building engine is configured to: generate the BIF responsive to processing the fault data with maintenance software and a user input; and upload the BIF to a cloud server. The maintenance engine receives the BIF from the cloud via the authenticated wireless communication link.

Abstract: Methods and systems for platform-specific maintenance software configuration are provided. The system providing: a maintenance engine embedded in a flight control system of a platform of a plurality of platforms; and an image building engine at a ground system, configured to process fault data and generate therefrom a binary image file (BIF); and wherein the maintenance engine is configured to: receive and execute the BIF to obtain the fault data pertaining to operation of the platform; establish an authenticated wireless communication link to the image building engine; and transmit the fault data to the image building engine via the authenticated wireless communication link; and the image building engine is configured to: generate the BIF responsive to processing the fault data with maintenance software and a user input; and upload the BIF to a cloud server. The maintenance engine receives the BIF from the cloud via the authenticated wireless communication link.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like employing a method and apparatus for automatically determining the topology of the network is described. The method and apparatus provides for each switch in the network transmitting on each of its ports link advertisement messages (without processing intervention by intermediate switches). The link advertisement messages are received by neighbor switches and forwarded to a topology manager. The topology manager constructs network topology profile information based on received link advertisement messages. Further, the topology manager is able to verify bidirection links based on the received link advertisement messages.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like employing a method and apparatus for automatically determining the topology of the network is described. The method and apparatus provides for each switch in the network transmitting on each of its ports link advertisement messages (without processing intervention by intermediate switches). The link advertisement messages are received by neighbor switches and forwarded to a topology manager. The topology manager constructs network topology profile information based on received link advertisement messages. Further, the topology manager is able to verify bidirection links based on the received link advertisement messages.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like providing for dynamic client discovery. Clients transmit client registration messages over the virtual service paths of their associated switches to the central management supervisor. Responsive to receiving the client registration message, the central management supervisor updates its registration tables and transmits a client registration acknowledgement, again over the virtual service path. By using the virtual service path of their associated switch to effect communication with the central management supervisor, there is no need to incur overhead of having the transmission managed by the associated switch's (and intermediate switch's) controller. Rather, the switch merely acts to update the cell's header using the switch's switch fabric. Keep alive messages are exchanged, again over the virtual service path, between the central management supervisor and the client.

Abstract: A synchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like employing a method and apparatus for automatically determining the topology of the network is described. The method and apparatus provides for each switch in the network transmitting on each of its ports link advertisement messages (without processing intervention by intermediate switches). The link advertisement messages are received by neighbor switches and forwarded to a topology manager. The topology manager constructs network topology profile information based on received link advertisement messages. Further, the topology manager is able to verify bidirection links based on the received link advertisement messages.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like employing a method and apparatus for automatically determining the topology of the network is described. The method and apparatus provides for each switch in the network transmitting on each of its ports link advertisement messages (without processing intervention by intermediate switches). The link advertisement messages are received by neighbor switches and forwarded to a topology manager. The topology manager constructs network topology profile information based on received link advertisement messages. Further, the topology manager is able to verify bidirection links based on the received link advertisement messages.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like employing a method and apparatus for automatically determining the topology of the network is described. The method and apparatus provides for each switch in the network transmitting on each of its ports link advertisement messages (without processing intervention by intermediate switches). The link advertisement messages are received by neighbor switches and forwarded to a topology manager. The topology manager constructs network topology profile information based on received link advertisement messages. Further, the topology manager is able to verify bidirection links based on the received link advertisement messages.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like having a plurality of switches which may each be coupled with a central service provider over a virtual service path. Service requests, grants of service, and other control information for the network may then be communicated between each of said switches and the central service provider over virtual communication channels within said virtual service path. The disclosed method and apparatus provides for efficient communication of service requests and service grants without requirement to establish new communications paths between the individual switches and the central service provider for each request. Further, the ATM network may be managed by the central service provider as a logical star network.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like providing for formation of resource hunt groups. The hunt groups are formed by devices of the same class (e.g., servers such as multicast servers) by devices registering with a central management supervisor (also referred to herein as a hunt group manager) through communication of hunt group registration requests over the virtual service path of the switches to which devices are attached. The central management supervisor communicates with an acknowledgement message back to the requesting device, again over the virtual service path. After formation of a hunt group, devices requiring the services of a device registered in the hunt group can communicate a request for establishment of a communication path to the central management supervisor. The central management supervisor then establishes a communication path with an available one of the devices in the hunt group.

Abstract: An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network or the like providing for booting of switches from one or more boot servers. The booting process comprises the steps of a switch querying as to possible communication paths with a boot manager and then establishing a boot communication channel with the boot manager. Boot messages are then communicated over the boot communication channel. Importantly, boot messages may be transmitted between the booting switch and the boot manager through a neighboring switch and intermediate switches by using the neighboring switch's virtual service path to effect such communication. This allows communication of these messages through translation by the neighbor's and the intermediate switch's switch fabric and without need for utilization of the neighbor's or the intermediate switch's switch controller.

Abstract: A topology-independent method and apparatus for avoiding continuous looping of transmission of cells and for allowing broadcast of cells in a network implementing Asynchronous Transfer Mode ("ATM") or similar networking architectures. The disclosed method and apparatus provides for "misusing" fields in a cell header in order to provide for information identifying a cell as a broadcast cell and to provide for "expiration information" in the cell header. More specifically, a first station stores data in a first area of a cell intended for transmission on the network, where the first area is defined by standards to store certain information (in particular, it is defined in the preferred embodiment to store virtual path identifier information, VPI). The information stored identifies the cell as a broadcast cell. In other words, the field is "misused" to store this information.