Abstract: A method and system for the deterministic management of information that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. The method may include identifying and verifying the availability of system resources required to process a request for content or services before accepting the request. The available required resources may be reserved in conjunction with accepting a request to ensure that the request is efficiently processed. The system may be divided into a plurality of monitored and distributively interconnected subsystems, each interacting with the others in a deterministic manner so as to allow a system monitor to oversee and manage resource availability and increase efficiency of processing the request.

Abstract: Methods and systems for I/O resource management that may be employed to manage information management system I/O resources based on modeled and/or monitored I/O resource information, and that may be implemented to optimize information management system I/O resources for the delivery of a variety of data object types, including continuous streaming media data files. The methods and systems may be implemented in an adaptive manner that is capable of optimizing information management system I/O performance by dynamically adjusting information management system I/O operational parameters to meet changing requirements or demands of a dynamic application or information management system I/O environment using a resource management architecture. The resource management architecture may include, for example, a resource manager, a resource model, a storage device workload monitor and/or a storage device capacity monitor.

Abstract: Methods and systems for intelligent information retrieval and delivery in information delivery environments that may be employed in a variety of information management system environments, including those employing high-end streaming servers. The disclosed methods and systems may be implemented to achieve a variety of information delivery goals, including delivery of continuous content in a manner that is free or substantially free of interruptions and hiccups, to enhance the efficient use of information retrieval resources such as buffer/cache memory, and/or to allocate information retrieval resources among simultaneous users, such as during periods of system congestion or overuse.

Abstract: A distributed interconnect may be employed in information management environments to distribute functionality, for example, among processing engines of an information management system and/or processing modules thereof. Distributive interconnects such as switch fabrics and virtual distributed interconnect backplanes, may be employed to establish independent paths from node to node and thus may be used to facilitate parallel and independent operation of each processing engine of a multi-processing engine information management system, e.g. to provide peer-to-peer communication between the engines on an as-needed basis. These and other features of distributed interconnects may be advantageously employed to optimize information management systems operations in a variety of system configurations.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for network connected computing systems that employ functional multi-processing to optimize bandwidth utilization and accelerate system performance. In one embodiment, the network connected computing system may include a switch based computing system. The system may further include an asymmetric multi-processor system configured in a staged pipeline manner. The network connected computing system may be utilized in one embodiment as a network endpoint system that provides content delivery.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for network connected computing systems that employ functional multi-processing to optimize bandwidth utilization and accelerate system performance. In one embodiment, the network connected computing system may include a switch based computing system. The system may further include an asymmetric multi-processor system configured in a staged pipeline manner. The network connected computing system may be utilized in one embodiment as a network endpoint system that provides content delivery.

Abstract: A network processing system uses intelligent security hardware as a security accelerator at its front end. The security hardware performs initial processing of incoming data, such as security detection tasks. The security hardware is directly connected to one or more processing units, via a bus or switch fabric, which execute appropriate applications and/or storage programming.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for network connected computing systems that employ functional multi-processing to optimize bandwidth utilization and accelerate system performance. In one embodiment, the network connected computing system may include a switch based computing system. The switch employed in the system may be a switch fabric. The system may further include an asymmetric multi-processor system configured in a staged pipeline manner. The network connected computing system may be utilized in one embodiment as a network endpoint system that provides content delivery.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for network connected computing systems that employ functional multi-processing to optimize bandwidth utilization and accelerate system performance. In one embodiment, the network connected computing system may include a switch based computing system. The system may further include an asymmetric multi-processor system configured in a staged pipeline manner. The network connected computing system may be utilized in one embodiment as a network endpoint system that provides content delivery.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing differentiated service that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. Differentiated services that may be so delivered include both differentiated information service that may be implemented, for example, at the system and/or processing level, as well as differentiated business service that may be implemented, for example, to differentiate information exchange between different network entities such as different network provider entities, different network user entities, etc. The methods and systems may include or facilitate provisioning of system service parameters such as service level agreement (“SLA”) policies and may be employed in network computing system environments to enable differentiated service provisioning, for example, in accordance with business objectives.

Abstract: Methods and systems for I/O resource management that may be employed to manage information management system I/O resources based on modeled and/or monitored I/O resource information, and that may be implemented to optimize information management system I/O resources for the delivery of a variety of data object types, including continuous streaming media data files. The methods and systems may be implemented in an adaptive manner that is capable of optimizing information management system I/O performance by dynamically adjusting information management system I/O operational parameters to meet changing requirements or demands of a dynamic application or information management system I/O environment using a resource management architecture. The resource management architecture may include, for example, a resource manager, a resource model, a storage device workload monitor and/or a storage device capacity monitor.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing differentiated service that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. Differentiated services that may be so delivered include both differentiated information service that may be implemented, for example, at the system and/or processing level, as well as differentiated business service that may be implemented, for example, to differentiate information exchange between different network entities such as different network provider entities, different network user entities, etc. The methods and systems may include or facilitate provisioning of system service parameters such as service level agreement (“SLA”) policies and may be employed in network computing system environments to enable differentiated service provisioning, for example, in accordance with business objectives.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing differentiated service that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. Differentiated services that may be so delivered include both differentiated information service that may be implemented, for example, at the system and/or processing level, as well as differentiated business service that may be implemented, for example, to differentiate information exchange between different network entities such as different network provider entities, different network user entities, etc. The methods and systems may include or facilitate provisioning of system service parameters such as service level agreement (“SLA”) policies and may be employed in network computing system environments to enable differentiated service provisioning, for example, in accordance with business objectives.

Abstract: Memory management systems and methods that may be employed, for example, to provide efficient management of memory for network systems. The disclosed systems and methods may utilize a multi-layer queue management structure to manage buffer/cache memory in an integrated fashion. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented as part of an information management system, such as a network processing system that is operable to process information communicated via a network environment, and that may include a network processor operable to process network-communicated information and a memory management system operable to reference the information based upon a connection status associated with the content.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing differentiated service that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. Differentiated services that may be so delivered include both differentiated information service that may be implemented, for example, at the system and/or processing level, as well as differentiated business service that may be implemented, for example, to differentiate information exchange between different network entities such as different network provider entities, different network user entities, etc. The methods and systems may include or facilitate provisioning of system service parameters such as service level agreement (“SLA”) policies and may be employed in network computing system environments to enable differentiated service provisioning, for example, in accordance with business objectives.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing differentiated service that may be employed, for example, to deliver content or services in a network environment. Differentiated services that may be so delivered include both differentiated information service that may be implemented, for example, at the system and/or processing level, as well as differentiated business service that may be implemented, for example, to differentiate information exchange between different network entities such as different network provider entities, different network user entities, etc. The methods and systems may include or facilitate provisioning of system service parameters such as service level agreement (“SLA”) policies and may be employed in network computing system environments to enable differentiated service provisioning, for example, in accordance with business objectives.

Abstract: A computer system for communicating with a network including a host processor, memory, an interface bus and a network interface device for reducing data transfer latency between the computer system and the network. The network interface device includes a buffer for temporarily storing data, a media interface device for transferring data between the buffer and the network, a bus interface for transferring data between the computer system's memory and the buffer, and a local processor for writing a unique value at a predetermined location within the buffer, for periodically comparing the data value at the predetermined location with the unique value and for initiating data transfer from the buffer to the computer's memory when the data value does not match the unique value. The network interface device is preferably a network interface card (NIC) for plugging into a slot of the interface or expansion bus of the computer system.

Abstract: A driver bundle including a compressed, executable and self-extracting host driver prepended to an adapter card driver to form a single executable driver bundle. The driver bundle has a size less than the maximum allowable size for a command file, which is 64 Kbytes as defined by MS-DOS.RTM.. The combined size of the expanded host driver and the adapter card driver is greater than the maximum allowable size. When the driver bundle is executed, it commands a processor of a computer system to expand and execute the host driver. The computer system includes a network adapter card with an adapter processor for executing the adapter card driver. When executed, the host driver commands the processor to retrieve and download the adapter card driver to the network adapter card for execution by the adapter processor.

Abstract: A computer system for communicating with a network including a host processor, memory, an interface bus and a network interface device for reducing data transfer latency between the computer system and the network. The network interface device includes a buffer for temporarily storing data, a media interface device for transferring data between the buffer and the network, a bus interface for transferring data between the computer system's memory and the buffer, and a local processor for writing a unique value at a predetermined location within the buffer, for periodically comparing the data value at the predetermined location with the unique value and for initiating data transfer from the buffer to the computer's memory when the data value does not match the unique value. The network interface device is preferably a network interface card (NIC) for plugging into a slot of the interface or expansion bus of the computer system.

Abstract: A computer system is provided including a processor and a parallel port configured to transfer data to or from a peripheral device. The parallel port includes a data buffer for receiving data transferred on a system bus when the processor executes a write cycle to the parallel port. A control unit associated with the parallel port decodes the address signals of the system bus to selectively latch data within the data buffer, and generates handshake signals to the peripheral device to indicate that write data is presently contained within the data buffer. The peripheral device consequently receives the data and provides an acknowledge signal to the control unit. The control unit thereafter generates a ready signal to indicate to the processor that the data has been written into the peripheral device.