Abstract: In some examples, a method includes parsing, by a network device, a set of flow rules and network function configurations to identify an equivalent class of packets passing through network function chains; identifying, by the network device, a plurality of paths that packets belonging to the equivalent class pass through; computing, by the network device, a first set of Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance metrics for the equivalent class; constructing, by the network device, a set of stateful forwarding criteria comprising the first set of SLA performance metrics; and verifying, by the network device, whether the network function chains comply with a SLA based on the stateful forwarding criteria.

Abstract: A grid router includes a plurality of external interface units to receive packets of services from one point and to provide packets of services to another point and a second plurality of mailbox units to store and forward the packets associated with mailboxes, one per service. Each mailbox unit is connected to each external interface unit. The units are implemented on PCs (personal computers) having memory controllers and move the packets through the router close to or at the I/O (input/output) rate of the memory controllers.

Abstract: Method for operating an electronic network having a hardware layer and requiring network functions, involves virtualizing networking functions to virtual machines; using an addressing overlay above the hardware layer providing identities to the virtual machines and other network entities, the virtual machines being likely to move around different hardware components over the network, and the identities moving with the virtual machines; directing data flows around the network via the virtual machines using software defined flow mapping, the flows being directed among the virtual machines using the moving identities. The identities are mapped to the hardware locations of the virtual machines and the mapping is updated upon moving of the machine.

Abstract: A grid router includes a plurality of external interface units to receive packets of services from one point and to provide packets of services to another point and a second plurality of mailbox units to store and forward the packets associated with mailboxes, one per service. Each mailbox unit is connected to each external interface unit. The units are implemented on PCs (personal computers) having memory controllers and move the packets through the router close to or at the I/O (input/output) rate of the memory controllers.

Abstract: TCP Proxy apparatus for a wireless network section to a TCP-enabled network includes a latency aware unit for monitoring round trip time over the wireless access network section to determine latency within the access section; and a filter for filtering out momentary changes in the latency. Momentary fluctuations in the wireless connection causes instantaneous packet loss, which merely requires minimal packet retransmission, temporarily affecting latency. The filter ensures that such fluctuations do not activate the TCP congestion avoidance mechanisms and unnecessarily slow down the overall transmission rate.

Abstract: A grid router for routing packets and a network containing the same. The router comprises ingress units (IE), mailbox units (MU), and egress units (EU) connected in a structure of succeeding layers, said layered structure being segregated such that units in a given layer are connected only to a subset of units in a succeeding layer, wherein said grid router comprises a hashing unit for using a hashing function to direct incoming packets through said layers, and wherein said hashing function is configured to reinforce said segregation by directing packets arriving at a given unit in one layer only to units of a corresponding subset in said succeeding layer.

Abstract: A grid router for routing packets and a network containing the same. The router comprises ingress units (IE), mailbox units (MU), and egress units (EU) connected in a structure of succeeding layers, said layered structure being segregated such that units in a given layer are connected only to a subset of units in a succeeding layer, wherein said grid router comprises a hashing unit for using a hashing function to direct incoming packets through said layers, and wherein said hashing function is configured to reinforce said segregation by directing packets arriving at a given unit in one layer only to units of a corresponding subset in said succeeding layer.

Abstract: In a computer network including a plurality of network elements, a network management architecture including a plurality of agents, each of the agents corresponding to a different one of the network elements, and a plurality of device components, each of the device components modeling at least one aspect of one of the network elements, the aspect being either of a physical and a functional characteristic of the network element, where each of the agents includes a plurality of the device components, and where at least of the two device components within at least one of the agents are logically interconnected, each logical interconnection corresponding to either of a physical and a functional interconnection found within or between any of the network elements.

Abstract: A data access system decouples the data processing from the data storage to provide improved accessibility, integrity, scalability and other features. The system comprises: database units arranged in virtual partitions each independently accessible, a plurality of data processing units, and a switching network for switching the data processing units between the virtual partitions, thereby to assign data processing capacity dynamically to respective virtual partitions.

Abstract: A grid router includes a plurality of external interface units to receive packets of services from one point and to provide packets of services to another point and a second plurality of mailbox units to store and forward the packets associated with mailboxes, one per service. Each mailbox unit is connected to each external interface unit. The units are implemented on PCs (personal computers) having memory controllers and move the packets through the router close to or at the IPO (input/output) rate of the memory controllers.

Abstract: In a computer network including a plurality of network elements, a network management architecture including a plurality of agents, each of the agents corresponding to a different one of the network elements, and a plurality of device components, each of the device components modeling at least one aspect of one of the network elements, the aspect being either of a physical and a functional characteristic of the network element, where each of the agents includes a plurality of the device components, and where at least of the two device components within at least one of the agents are logically interconnected, each logical interconnection corresponding to either of a physical and a functional interconnection found within or between any of the network elements.

Abstract: A method of determining a communications path in a computer network, the method including sending a simulated network message within a model of the computer network from a source device component within the model to a destination device component within the model along a device component path, where the message does not traverse the computer network, and recording the device components traversed by the message, thereby determining the communications path.

Abstract: In a computer network including a plurality of network elements, a network management architecture including a plurality of agents, each of the agents corresponding to a different one of the network elements, and a plurality of device components, each of the device components modeling at least one aspect of one of the network elements, the aspect being either of a physical and a functional characteristic of the network element, where each of the agents includes a plurality of the device components, and where at least of the two device components within at least one of the agents are logically interconnected, each logical interconnection corresponding to either of a physical and a functional interconnection found within or between any of the network elements.

Abstract: A router includes a least a portion of mailboxes assigned to services carried on a network and an external interface unit. The external interface unit writes incoming data to mailboxes of the network and enables customers to read from each mailbox assigned to their services. A mailbox unit includes a multiplicity of mailboxes, each storing data for a service provided over a network, and a unit to manage buffering and quality of service requirements of the mailboxes and their existence.

Abstract: A data access system decouples the data processing from the data storage to provide improved accessibility, integrity, scalability and other features. The system comprises: database units arranged in virtual partitions each independently accessible, a plurality of data processing units, and a switching network for switching the data processing units between the virtual partitions, thereby to assign data processing capacity dynamically to respective virtual partitions.

Abstract: A method for topology discovery in an ATM network, the method including identifying an active VC between two ATM network device ports, and maintaining a link between the ATM network device ports in a topology graph where the active VC has the same VPI/VCI at both of the ports.

Abstract: A method of determining the root cause of an event in a computer network having a distributed network management architecture including detecting an event at at least one device component (DC) in the network, for each source DC at which an event is detected, finding a data path within the network from the source DC's underlying network element to that of its acquaintance DC where present, identifying as the root cause any of the source DC and the subject DCs in the data path that have detected an event and either do not have an acquaintance or do not have a valid operational state with respect to its acquaintance whereas all other DCs along the data path at lower network layers than the source or subject DC have valid operational states with respect to their acquaintances.

Abstract: A method for optimizing the detection of a change in MIB information, the method including the steps of creating a MIB information request, sending the request to a SNMP agent, receiving a first response to the request from the SNMP agent, wherein the first response includes MIB information encoded as a byte array, and comparing the first response byte array to a comparison byte array to determine a difference therebetween.

Abstract: A method for automatically connecting a DHCP endpoint to a VLAN in an ATM network having a switch operative to provide LAN emulation for a plurality of non-ATM endpoints, the method including the steps of maintaining a LEC for the VLAN in the absence of any request by any of the endpoints to communicate via the VLAN, the LEC having been previously established for the VLAN, connecting the DHCP endpoint to a port on the switch, determining a predefined association between the VLAN and either the address of the port or the network address of the DHCP endpoint, and mapping either the network address of the DHCP endpoint or the address of the port to the LEC for communication via the VLAN.

Abstract: A network management system provides distributed task and data processing services to management processes by employing distributed autonomous agents. The network management system includes management units that are associated with network elements of the network. The management units store a dynamically updated model of the corresponding network elements. The model is used to implement data gathering tasks as well as network control operations. The model includes autonomous agents, each modeling a network element. The agents communicate with one another and cooperate to facilitate the implementation of a distributed algorithm. The management system provides the management processes with data management as well as one step network control operation services. Accordingly, the management processes do not process a large amount of data or execute step-by-step network control operations.