Patents by Inventor Robert James Duncan
Robert James Duncan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7433941Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system of distributing management of network resources on a network to network devices is provided. During execution, the system receives a request on a network device to execute a task that performs a set of operations related to managing the network, receives an application over the network wherein the application includes operations for performing the task, processes operations on the network device that requests network parameters from a remote network device, transmits the request for the network parameter over the network to the remote network, and receives the requested network parameter over the network from the remote network device.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2000Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Isaac Lavian, Robert James Duncan
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Patent number: 7385939Abstract: A network management apparatus and method for determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, is disclosed in which address table data is obtained from the ports of the core network devices on the network, and the identity of the ports of the core network devices are determined. Spanning-Tree protocol information is obtained from the core network devices and used to process the address table data to remove data relating to ports having links which are inactive. The topology of the network is then determined using the processed data by first selecting one of the core network devices as a root network device, and then using the processed address table data to build a network tree from the selected root device.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2001Date of Patent: June 10, 2008Assignee: 3Com CorporationInventors: Robert James Duncan, Simon Peter Valentine, Daniel Simon Ginger, Hamish Donald Stuart Martin
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Patent number: 7260621Abstract: A system and method is provided for using an object-oriented interface for network management. An example system and method receives a management information base (MIB) including information related to one or more aspects of a network device, extracts a subset of information from the MIB describing at least one aspect of the network device, and generates a set of object-oriented classes and object-oriented methods corresponding to the subset of information in the MIB. In addition, this system and method interfaces with network management information on a network device, by providing a management information base (MIB) including information related to one or more aspects of a network device, and using a set of object-oriented classes and object-oriented methods that corresponds to the MIB and information related to one or more aspects of the network device.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2000Date of Patent: August 21, 2007Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Lavian, Robert James Duncan
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Patent number: 7016955Abstract: A network management apparatus and method reduces the number of events presented in an event list to a user. In particular, the apparatus and method reduces the number of events, which are generated during the monitoring of a network and may be due to rebooting of a device on the network, presented to the user by determining, upon receiving an event relating to a device, whether a more significant event already appears in the event list relating to the device, and if so, preventing the received event from being presented in the event list to the user.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2001Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: 3Com CorporationInventors: Hamish Donald Stuart Martin, Christopher Robert Linzell, Ronan François Daniel Grandin, Robert James Duncan
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Patent number: 6978302Abstract: A network management apparatus and method for identifying an event which is indicative of the underlying cause of more than one of a plurality of events detected by a network management station on a network is described in which the management station has knowledge of the topology of the network. Using the topology of the network, the apparatus and method considers the location of the network device causing each event in the plurality of events, and determines as the causal event, the event which has occurred at a location closest to the network management station. The method is preferably implemented in the form of a computer program.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2000Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: 3Com CorporationInventors: Alastair Hugh Chisholm, David James Stevenson, Robert James Duncan, Ronan François Daniel Grandin, Neil William Gray
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Patent number: 6976054Abstract: A method and system provides access to information about a resource associated with a network device. The method and system selects a layer for communicating with the requested resource associated with the network device in a network protocol stack having multiple layers, establishes an inner layer socket for communicating at the selected layer using an inner layer application programming interface (IL API) and a socket identifier associated with the requested resource, wherein the inner layer socket communicates using the selected layer and bypasses other layers in the network protocol stack, transmits the request for information about the resource through the inner layer socket and the socket identifier, receives the information about the resource in response to the transmission made through the inner layer socket, and passes the information about the resource through the inner layer socket to the application making the request.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2000Date of Patent: December 13, 2005Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Isaac Lavian, Robert James Duncan, Robert F. Jaeger
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Patent number: 6845397Abstract: A method of performing network communications includes receiving a datagram for transmitting information over a network, selecting a layer in a network protocol stack to establish communication over the network using an inner layer application programming interface (IL API), establishing an inner layer socket at the selected network layer using the IL API without accessing other layers in the layered network protocol stack, and transmitting the datagram packet over the selected layer using the inner layer socket.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2000Date of Patent: January 18, 2005Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Isaac Lavian, Robert James Duncan, Robert F. Jaeger
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Patent number: 6842781Abstract: A method and system is provided for performing a network management task on a network device. The network device loads a network management application capable of performing the network management task onto the network device in response to a request. Loading may include accessing an application server having the network management application capable of a performing the network management task and downloading the network management application over a network from the application server to the network device. The network device then executes the network management application corresponding to the requested network management task. Methods and systems provide a result from executing the network management application to a network management system used to manage the network.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2000Date of Patent: January 11, 2005Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Isaac Lavian, Robert James Duncan
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Patent number: 6772205Abstract: A method processes an object-oriented application on a target network device, by identifying a proxy network device capable of processing the object-oriented application, transmitting the object-oriented application to the proxy network device, generating one or more non-object-oriented instructions using the proxy network device corresponding to the object-oriented application, and transmitting the non-object-oriented instructions generated using the proxy network device to the target network device for processing.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2000Date of Patent: August 3, 2004Assignee: Nortel Networks LimitedInventors: Tal Isaac Lavian, Robert James Duncan
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Patent number: 6766367Abstract: A method for fetching sparsely indexed MIB tables for a managed network device using an approximation operation, such as a GetNext SNMP operation, comprises sending a plurality of operations in a first data packet at least one of the plurality of approximation operations specifying a speculative approximation. By using speculative approximations of index values of data to be fetched, it is possible to retrieve MIB table data more quickly and efficiently.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2000Date of Patent: July 20, 2004Assignee: 3Com CorporationInventors: David James Stevenson, Andrew Hunter Gray, Robert James Duncan, Alastair Hugh Chisholm, Vanessa Serra, Colin Tinto
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Patent number: 6704284Abstract: A system and method for providing a stress value representing the performance of a network comprising network devices is described. A raw data value for a monitored characteristic of a network device or link is obtained by the management system and compared with a predetermined threshold value for the monitored characteristic. If the raw data value is greater than or equal to said threshold value, the management system provides a stress value equal to a default value, said default value being a maximum or minimum value of a predefined bounded range; and if the raw value is less than said threshold value, the management system calculates a stress value within said predefined bounded range using an appropriate algorithm for said monitored characteristic.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2000Date of Patent: March 9, 2004Assignee: 3Com CorporationInventors: David James Stevenson, Andrew Hunter Gray, Robert James Duncan, Alastair Hugh Chisholm, Vanessa Serra, Colin Tinto
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Publication number: 20020154606Abstract: A network management apparatus and method for determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, is disclosed in which address table data is obtained from the ports of the core network devices on the network, and the identity of the ports of the core network devices are determined. Spanning-Tree protocol information is obtained from the core network devices and used to process the address table data to remove data relating to ports having links which are inactive. The topology of the network is then determined using the processed data by first selecting one of the core network devices as a root network device, and then using the processed address table data to build a network tree from the selected root device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2001Publication date: October 24, 2002Inventors: Robert James Duncan, Simon Peter Valentine, Daniel Simon Ginger, Hamish Donald Stuart Martin
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Publication number: 20020143917Abstract: A network management apparatus and method processes network management data in a network management system during the monitoring of a network. The apparatus and method considers whether the network management data indicates that the network condition of an event previously generated by the network management system is no longer present on the network, and therefore resolved. In a preferred embodiment, if the network management data indicates that a previous event has been resolved, the event is marked as resolved for presentation in an event list to the user. The user can then easily identify events which have been resolved.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2001Publication date: October 3, 2002Inventors: David James Stevenson, Hamish Donald Stuart Martin, Andrew Hunter Gray, Robert James Duncan
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Publication number: 20020120737Abstract: A network management apparatus and method reduces the number of events presented in an event list to a user. In particular, the apparatus and method reduces the number of events, which are generated during the monitoring of a network and may be due to rebooting of a device on the network, presented to the user by determining, upon receiving an event relating to a device, whether a more significant event already appears in the event list relating to the device, and if so, preventing the received event from being presented in the event list to the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2001Publication date: August 29, 2002Inventors: Hamish Donald Stuart Martin, Christopher Robert Linzell, Ronan Francois Daniel Grandin, Robert James Duncan