Abstract: An apparatus, computer program, and method are provided for generating an intermediate entitlement specification that specifies one or more access rights in connection with a service or content. A plurality of entitlement policies is stored that are configured for being used to determine one or more entitlements to be sent to a device. In operation, an offer specification is received, and at least one of the plurality of entitlement policies is identified based on the offer specification. An intermediate entitlement specification is generated that specifies one or more access rights in connection with a service or content, based on at least one entitlement policy. In use, a run-time entitlement specification may be generated, in response to a request for the service or content during a run-time. Further, in one embodiment, the run-time entitlement specification may be generated utilizing at least one intermediate entitlement specification.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of dynamically prioritizing packets over a packet based network. Packets are dynamically prioritized on the basis of their ‘time to live’ in the network as they travel from one network entity to another. Packets are assigned a priority in accordance with how ‘old’ or ‘young’ they are. Packets with a relatively long time left to live are assigned lower priority then those with relatively little time left to live. A time to live (TTL) field is added to the packet as it travels from one network entity to another. The contents of the time to live (TTL) field represents how ‘young’ or ‘old’ the packet is and conveys the time left before the packet is no longer of any use. Each network entity that receives the packet with a TTL field, subtracts from it the time the packet spends passing through that entity. The field decreases as it hops from network entity to entity until it reaches its destination or is discarded.

Abstract: A method of notification and handling of device status changes in MPOA enabled ATM based networks. In a first method notification of changes in device status configuration are provided by selectively releasing one or more Data Direct VCs that were previously established be LECs connecting MPOA Servers and MPOA Clients. An MPOA Server, upon detecting a change to its device configuration status, releases the Data Direct VCs connecting its associated LEC to known MPSs and MPCs that are neighbors to it. All MPOA devices for which a Data Direct VC was released delete all LE_ARP cache entries associated with the ATM destination of the released Data Direct VC. In a second method, each MPOA device periodically sends keep alive messages as targetless LE_ARP messages having a time to live TLV appended. An MPOA device receiving the keep alive message, refreshes (i.e., restarts) a validation timer for each association made by the corresponding MPOA identification TLV.

Abstract: A method of controlling the route used for a flow in an environment comprising a default routing path and a shortcut path in an MPOA enabled ATM based network. A data field is added to the Ingress Cache table in the Ingress MPOA Client (I-MPC) to indicate whether the flow is to be routed through an MPOA shortcut towards the Egress MPOA Client (E-MPC) or is to be routed through the default path towards the Ingress MPOA Server (I-MPS). A first embodiment comprises a method of controlling the routing of a data flow from a source to a destination for security purposes. A second embodiment comprises a method of load sharing a plurality of data flows. A third embodiment comprises a method of learning about past MPOA resolution successes and failures and utilizing past establishment history to bypass the MPOA resolution process.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of learning MAC addresses in a Local Area Network (LAN) Emulation (LANE) network implemented over an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network. The LEC or LES is adapted to detect when the ATM address associated with a MAC address is no longer valid. Once an invalid ATM address is detected the existing entry can be updated or deleted. A LEC_ID table holding LEC_ID to ATM address bindings is created. Each frame received by the LEC is sniffed in order to find mismatches between the ATM address and the LEC_ID. Optionally, an LE_ARP request message can be forwarded to the LES for learning the new binding. If the MAC address is not found in the LE_ARP table, an entry can be created and added to the table. In another embodiment, the LES is adapted to detect when the MAC to ATM address binding stored in the internal LE_ARP cache is no longer valid. The LE_ARP table is populated by examining LE_ARP request and response sent and received by the LEC.

Abstract: A method of establishing calls between an ingress MPC (the calling party) and an egress MPC (the called party) in MPOA enabled ATM based networks. The call establishment method utilizes the call request SETUP, CONNECT and CONNECT_ACK messages in creating the shortcut VCC between ingress and egress MPCs. The calling party is adapted to send a READY_IND message in a reliable manner to the called party indicating that it is ready to receive frames over the shortcut VCC. The called party starts sending data over the shortcut VCC only when it knows that the calling party is ready. The called party knows the calling party is ready upon receipt of a READY_IND message or at least one data frame on the shortcut VCC. The calling party knows that the called party is ready to receive frames when it receives the CONNECT message. Since the READY_IND message sent by the calling party may get lost, the calling party is adapted to re-send the READY_IND message repeatedly until it is certain the called party has received it.

Abstract: A method of triggering reroutes in an ATM network based on a call optimization value being reduced beyond a predefined threshold. The method utilizes a signaling element in the SETUP message called a PNNI optimization reservation signaling element that includes an optimization type, value and percentage. A switch accumulates the optimization value and passes this value to the next node along the path. In addition, the hardware in the node is configured to measure and monitor the optimization value. The optimization value is monitored for changes that exceed the predefined optimization percentage. When this is detected, the software calculates a reroute. If the new route is better than the current route and is within the optimization percentage constraints, a reroute is performed using the newly calculated route. The reroute procedure provided by the ATM Forum can be used to implement the reroute.

Abstract: An apparatus for and a method of establishing a connection between a source and destination node using multiple parallel paths. To establish a connection, bandwidth capacity on one or more parallel paths are aggregated and combined to form a route having a bandwidth larger than any single path. A technique similar to inverse multiplexing is used at the source end to split the cell stream into multiple parallel paths. At the destination end, the parallel multiple cell streams are inverse demultiplexed and the multiple cell streams combined into a single cell stream. The parallel routes are established by building parallel VCCs for the same call via the network. The ATM signaling process at the source and destination nodes is modified to accommodate multiple VCCs. In addition, the hardware at each source and destination node is configured to perform the inverse and inverse demultiplexing.

Abstract: A novel BUS entity utilizing the forwarding engine in a conventional LAN switch incorporating an ATM interface. The forwarding engine is adapted to assemble Ethernet frames from ATM cells and to segment Ethernet frames back to ATM cells. The switching fabric in a conventional LAN switch is adapted to perform the segmentation and re-assembly (SAR) function of the BUS whereby ATM cells are assembled into Ethernet frames, switched and segmented back to ATM cells. In operation, one or more Multicast Send VCCs transmit traffic destined for the BUS to the modified LAN switch of the present invention. The switching fabric is configured to switch the received traffic to an appropriate outbound Etheret port. The outbound Ethernet port is looped backed to itself and input to the switching fabric. Switching fabric is configured to output the traffic to the appropriate Multicast Forward VCC for distribution to the LECs.

Abstract: A method of providing redundancy and load sharing among multiple LECSs in an ATM network. The method creates and maintains a plurality of lists on each of the switches. Each list is an ordered set of LECSs that combine to create an active LECS list. The network is divided into a plurality of groups wherein each group is assigned one of the active LECS lists. The order of each active LECS list is unique in that no two groups have the same order of LECS. The first LECS on each list has the highest priority and is always the first choice when a request to join a VLAN is received from one of the connected LECs. If the primary lECS fails or cannot be reached for any reason, the switches utilize the second LECS on the list. Splitting up the network into multiple groups and assigning different lists serves to provide load sharing among the LECS. In the event the currently active LECS fails, the next on the list takes overt thus providing redundancy.

Abstract: A method for creating and resolving split VLANs in ATM networks. The method utilizes a Network Management System (NMS) and a standard management protocol such as SNMP. The method monitors the network by continuously polling all the devices in the network. Status related information collected by the NMS is used to construct a physical and logical topology of the network. In response to the detection of one or more physical splits in the network, the NMS creates one or more corresponding logical splits in the network by splitting one or more VLANs. In the case of two split portions, the split VLAN can be created if a redundant LES and second LECS are located on the side of the split which does not include the primary LES. The second LECS is configured to use the address of the redundant LES in replying to requests to join an ELAN from the disconnected LECs.

Abstract: A method of providing redundancy in a LAN Emulation network in the event an LES fails. The method is light in that it does not require complicated database synchronizations between LECSs and their associated complex message protocol exchanges. The method comprises defining a plurality of LESs per ELAN, but permitting only one of the LESs to be active at any one moment in time. All the LECSs are configured with the same Topology Database which include the all the potential LESs for each ELAN. The LECSs try to connect to each LES and the results are logged. The operative LESs having the highest priority is chosen as the active LES whereby all LECs get assigned to the active LES. When the active LES fails the LECs attempt a new connection to LECs. The LECs assigns the LECs to another operative LES in the database list. All the LECs previously connected to the failed LES, are attached to the new LES assigned by the LECs and communications are reestablished with the new LES.

Abstract: A method of determining an efficient route to a well known address that is particularly applicable to networks that do not have the capability of source routing for calculating routes to specific addresses such as ATM networks based on the IISP protocol. The well known address may represent any entity in the network that provides distributed services (e.g., network server applications) that are to be shared among many nodes and applications on the network, such as LECSs. The method of functions to automatically and dynamically register ‘well known’ addresses on the ports of each node that implements the invention. This permits applications on the network to route to the destination in the shortest possible path thus utilizing network resources in an efficient manner. If there is more than one location with the well known address, e.g., a redundant LECSs in the network, or more than one route to the location then the optimum location will be the one routed to.