Abstract: A host computer communicatively linked with a virtual circuit network and communicatively linked with a device over a local area network receives a virtual circuit message from the virtual circuit network, such as an asynchronous transfer mode network. A data structure associating a virtual circuit of the virtual circuit network with the device is referenced, and based on the association, the virtual circuit message is passed to the device over the local area network. The data structure may be a table containing an entry associating the virtual circuit with the device or with the network address of the device.

Abstract: A method and device are disclosed that enable a user to experience continuity by alleviating blocking of an application by a slow or failure-prone connection. The method includes dissociating the user interface from an application-client managing communications with a server over the dynamic connection. Furthermore, the application-client caches user input for later actions using an asynchronous mechanism to enable the user to work with little interruption. Furthermore, adjustable frame sizes based on the error rate and bandwidth-delay increase throughput. Data retransmission is reduced by maintaining state information for the client and the server so that a disrupted transaction is resumed at or close to the point of disruption and in response to media sense-events.

Abstract: A wireless device that adaptively makes the determination of whether or not to pre-authenticate. If the wireless device is running an application that is sensitive to latency (also referred to herein as a low latency application), then pre-authentication is performed and latency is reduced during the switch between wireless access points. Such low latency applications may include voice over IP, video, interactive whiteboard, or video teleconferencing. On the other hand, if the wireless device is not running a low latency application, the wireless device is less susceptible to latency when making the wireless access point switch. In that case, pre-authentication is not performed and processing and battery resources are preserved.

Abstract: Network devices access a communications network and engage in secure associations with one or more network access points upon authenticating the access points and upon verifying the discovery information that is broadcast by the access point. Once a secure association is created, management frames that are subsequently transmitted between the network devices and the access points and that are used to control the secure association are verified to further enhance the security of the communications network.

Abstract: A location service and method provides a location aware computing device that is extensible by allowing different types of location awareness providers operate with the service. The method includes receiving a request for a location context, acquiring data associated with a current location from one or more location detection devices, reconciling the acquired data for any inconsistencies concerning the current location by applying either or both of a hierarchical and a metric process, and generating a location object accessible to applications. The service includes a location management component configured to route location data, a fuser engine configured to receive one or more location reports generated from the location data, reconcile conflicts between the location reports and generate a location object, and one or more location application programming interfaces (APIs) coupled to the location management component to transmit the location object from the fuser engine to an application.

Abstract: The invention detects and responds to events occurring on a computer network medium. When a network media event is detected, network parameters are adjusted, if possible, to adapt to the new circumstances brought about by the event, and traffic may be rerouted if that is appropriate. High-level protocol drivers and network-aware applications are notified of the event so that they may adapt to the changed network circumstances. Sometimes, as a result of the network media event, the computer communicates with other devices on the network to discover the state of network entities, network elements, and services.

Abstract: A method and system for managing power consumption in a portable computing device having a network interface module is presented. A power management module receives inputs from other modules and determines when the network interface module is to be put in a doze state for a predetermined number of beacon intervals to conserve power consumption in the network interface module. The network interface module in a device that is associated with a network is put in the doze state after an event has occurred including when a scan has been performed, after a delayed sleep timer has expired, and after a beacon transmission has been completed and no traffic is buffered for the device. The delayed sleep-time is set based on the estimated round trip time of a packet.

Abstract: A computer system attempts to authenticate with a server to gain authorization to access a first network. It is determined by the server that the computer system is not authorized to access the first network. The computer system is given authorization to access a second network for at least the purpose of downloading files (e.g., signup and configuration files) needed to access the first network. A user-interface for receiving user-entered signup information is automatically presented at the computer system. A first schema-based document including user-entered information is transferred to the server. If the server determines that the user-entered information is appropriate, a second-schema document, which includes an indication of authorization to access the first network (e.g., a user-identifier and password), is received. A third schema-based document is executed at the computer system to compatible configure the computer system for accessing the first network.

Abstract: A system and method that enables network quality of service to be based on qualitative factors. RSVP signaling is extended to allow RSVP messages to be identified as qualitative, and to pass qualitative information with the messages. RSVP-aware network devices such as routers in the message path analyze the qualitative information and apply policy based thereon to perform admission control and allocation of resources based on qualitative factors. An application identifier is provided, along with a sub-application identifier that provides fine-grained qualitative information, such as to identify what type of network service an application is requesting. Qualitative signaling may employ RSVP integrated with differentiated services by returning a DCLASS object in an RSVP message, to assign an application's traffic to one or more aggregate classes based on a policy evaluation, which may use qualitative factors against policy for each request.

Abstract: A mobile computer establishes a wireless communication session with a wireless access point of a computer network. The location of each wireless access point is known and obtainable either from a database on the network or from the access points themselves. The strengths of wireless signals passing between the mobile computer and multiple wireless access points of the network, including the access point with which the mobile computer has established the session are measured at multiple time intervals. The measurements may be taken at the mobile computer itself or at the wireless access points. The measured strength values are then weighted according to such factors as whether the mobile computer has already established a communication session with the access point from which the sample was taken, and how old the sample is. For each location, the weighted strength values obtained for access points in that location are summed.

Abstract: A mobile computer establishes a wireless communication session with a wireless access point of a computer network. The location of each wireless access point is known and obtainable either from a database on the network or from the access points themselves. The strengths of wireless signals passing between the mobile computer and multiple wireless access points of the network, including the access point with which the mobile computer has established the session are measured at multiple time intervals. The measurements may be taken at the mobile computer itself or at the wireless access points. The measured strength values are then weighted according to such factors as whether the mobile computer has already established a communication session with the access point from which the sample was taken, and how old the sample is. For each location, the weighted strength values obtained for access points in that location are summed.

Abstract: A power management scheme for use in a wireless device reduces the power consumption of the network interface module of the wireless device by selectively putting the network interface module into a low-power state for an idle time. The length of the idle time is calculated such that the amount of delayed traffic data accumulated is expected to be less than or equal to a pre-selected threshold when the network interface module is put in the low-power state for the calculated idle time. The amount of delayed traffic data as a function of the idle time is modeled using average inter-arrival and service rates that are derived from traffic statistics data.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for a client, having established one set of security keys, to establish a new set without having to communicate with an authentication server. When the client joins a group, master session security keys are derived and made known to the client and to the group's access server. From the master session security keys, the access server and client each derive transient session security keys, used for authentication and encryption. To change the transient session security keys, the access server creates “liveness” information and sends it to the client. New master session security keys are derived from the liveness information and the current set of transient session security keys. From these new master session security keys are derived new transient session security keys. This process limits the amount of data sent using one set of transient session security keys and thus limits the effectiveness of any statistical attacker.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods for an authentication client, having been authenticated by an authentication server, to leverage the effects of that authentication to implement a new communications password. The authentication client gets a new password from its user. From the new password and from information provided by the authentication server, the authentication client derives a “password verifier.” The password verifier is then shared with the authentication server. The new password itself is never sent to the authentication server, and it is essentially impossible to derive the new password from the password verifier. The authentication client and the authentication server, in parallel, derive a new set of authentication and encryption security keys from the new password and from the password verifier, respectively. This process may be repeated to limit the amount of data sent using any one particular set of security keys and thus to limit the effectiveness of any statistical attacker.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling a zero configuration nomadic wireless and wired computing environment presenting a just works experience is presented. The system examines predefined user preference or profile settings to determine to which of a competing number of wireless networks available it should connect, and what type of authentication should be used for such connection. Nomadic wireless computing between infrastructure wireless networks and ad hoc wireless networks may be accomplished without further user intervention required in an auto mode. Also, both infrastructure only and ad hoc only modes are available through the system of the invention. Further, the user may set a preference for infrastructure or ad hoc modes in the auto mode. With an infrastructure mode preference set, the system will automatically detect and transfer connectivity to a newly available infrastructure wireless network if the user was previously operating off-line or in ad hoc mode.

Abstract: A method and device are disclosed that enable a user to experience continuity by alleviating blocking of an application by a slow or failure-prone connection. The method includes dissociating the user interface from an application-client managing communications with a server over the dynamic connection. Furthermore, the application-client caches user input for later actions using an asynchronous mechanism to enable the user to work with little interruption. Furthermore, adjustable frame sizes based on the error rate and bandwidth-delay increase throughput. Data retransmission is reduced by maintaining state information for the client and the server so that a disrupted transaction is resumed at or close to the point of disruption and in response to media sense-events.

Abstract: A service is disclosed that discovers information about the logical networks to which a computer is connected and provides that information to applications. The information is keyed to names constructed by the service. There is a mapping between the names and the logical networks. Applications may rely on the names when selecting a configuration to use with a given logical network. The network name may be correlated with other information, such as physical network interface(s) on the computer through which the logical network is accessible, application programming interfaces of the transport protocols supported by the logical network, and the connectivity type of the logical network. Applications are notified when network information provided to them changes or when new information becomes available.

Abstract: A service is described that discovers the physical locations of a computer's connections to logical networks and provides that information to applications. The service decides which method or methods for discovering physical location information are applicable to each network interface on the computer, applies those methods, and collects the results. The results are then converted into a common format. In addition to physical location, the information may include estimates of the quality and reliability of the information, such as error ranges and confidence intervals, and the methods used to gather the information. The information is made available to whatever system services and applications need it. Clients of the physical location information may be notified when the information provided to them changes or when new information becomes available. Clients may specify a threshold so that location changes of a magnitude below the threshold are not reported to them.

Abstract: The invention makes possible remote control of devices in a piconet by remote users communicating over the Internet and the like by providing a proxy-bridge device. The proxy-bridge device is a bridge for sending packets to and from between an external device and a device in the piconet. Moreover, the proxy-bridge device also serves as a proxy for the external device to devices in the piconet and as a proxy for devices in the piconet accessing an external device. The proxy-bridge wireless device's protocol stack allows communications with the piconet devices within the piconet. In addition, the protocol stack allows an application to communicate with a remote device e.g., via the Internet Protocol. Thus, the proxy-bridge device, using two protocols, enables remote users discover the presence of a service offered by a device in a piconet as a logical embedded device within the proxy-bridge device and vice-versa.

Abstract: The invention provides Quality of Service assurances in a manner expected in other media to communications over paths that include one or more wireless links. The invention combines a subnet bandwidth manager (“SBM”) at an access point (“AP”) to track allocations of wireless bandwidth. The invention further incorporates multiple priority levels for packet transmission in a two-prong stochastic scheme. The first prong reserves bandwidth at each of the intermediate nodes in a transmission path subject to a veto by any intermediate node. The second prong modulates the transmission probability of a packet based on the previous failed attempts at transmission and the priority level of the packet. The overall result of this hybrid scheme is to not shut out users with the lowest priority, e.g., “best effort” priority, while assuring adequate bandwidth to higher priority applications.