Abstract: A system and process for directly and flexibly switching connections of data packet flows between nodes of a broadband data processing system network. The system acts as a single IP switch.

Abstract: A random number generating apparatus for an interface unit of a Carrier Sense with Multiple Access and Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) Ethernet data network. The interface unit includes a transmit backoff unit for implementing a backoff algorithm in response to a network collision signal and a random number. The apparatus comprises a dual mode random number generator and a multiplexer for switching the random number generator between modes in accordance with the serial address bits of a data packet being processed by the interface unit. The random number generator includes a 25 stage linear feedback shift register. The multiplexer has two signal inputs connected to outputs of the 18th and 22nd stages of the shift register respectively, a switch input connected to receive the serial address bits and an output connected in circuit to an input of the shift register.

Abstract: A random number generating apparatus for an interface unit of a Carrier Sense with Multiple Access and Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) Ethernet data network. The interface unit includes a transmit backoff unit for implementing a backoff algorithm in response to a network collision signal and a random number. The apparatus comprises a dual mode random number generator and a multiplexer for switching the random number generator between modes in accordance with the serial address bits of a data packet being processed by the interface unit. The random number generator includes a 25 stage linear feedback shift register. The multiplexer has two signal inputs connected to outputs of the 18th and 22nd stages of the shift register respectively, a switch input connected to receive the serial address bits and an output connected in circuit to an input of the shift register.

Abstract: A terminal server architecture includes a central processing unit (CPU), a data movement module, local area network (LAN) interface and a plurality of connected terminals. The CPU manages pointers to data using command status registers to instruct the data movement module to actually perform data movement between the terminals and the LAN.

Abstract: A graphics subsystem (10) employs an image memory (12) that includes an on-screen part (44) and an off-screen part (46). The locations of the on-screen memory (44) are continually scanned to provide data to be displayed on a display device (16). The off-screen part (46) stores data that represent image segments that have been occluded by windowing. To transfer data between the on-screen part (44) and the off-screen part (46), an address generator (24) generates a sequence of two-dimensional addresses representing the two-dimensional positions of the pixels whose data are to be transferred. These addresses are converted to one-dimensional addresses by a simple circuit consisting of multiplexers (26 and 28), adders (30 and 32) and a multiplier (34).