Abstract: An apparatus for controlling network switches which includes a central network controller node having a call task for booking and executing calls by setting up the switches that interconnect a first terminal and a second terminal and a switch master task for receiving commands to control all of the switches in the network, maintaining status information for all of said switches and distributing requests for particular connections. A switch controller task is coupled to the switch master task for converting input instructions to a generic switch into commands for hardware switches. In response to a client request, the central network controller communicates with the switch controller task to convert commands for the generic switch to commands for the hardware switch and to create a connection between the first terminal and the second terminal.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling network switches which includes a central network controller node having a call task for booking and executing calls by setting up the switches that interconnect a first terminal and a second terminal and a switch master task for receiving commands to control all of the switches in the network, maintaining status information for all of the switches and distributing requests for particular connections, a switch controller task for converting control commands for a generic switch into commands that control a hardware switch and a codec connected to a port thereof, wherein in response to a client request, the central network controller communicates with the switch controller task to create a generic switch and to convert commands for the generic switch to commands for the switch and the codec so as to permit communication between a digital terminal and an analogue terminal.

Abstract: A video information transmission network having a plurality of nodes including at least one master node and a number of slave nodes responsive to master node; as well as an information directory containing directory information. The information directory includes a central directory associated with the master node, and a number of slave directories associated with the slave nodes. There is a directory maintenance updater associated with the information directory adapted to maintain information in the slave directories consistent with information in the central directory.

Abstract: A networking services architecture is provided in which several communication media and protocols are supported. In commonly used communications middleware, the routing specification and messaging interface provided to a client application may depend on the communications protocol used. The client's interface is independent of the communication protocols supported for internode message delivery, and the routing specification is also independent of the number and type of communication protocols supported. For instance in a communication system, node A and node B could be connected using IP (Internet Protocol), while node B and node C could be connected using synchronous pooling. The routing specification is independent of these details since nodes are identified in a protocol independent manner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for use in a video transmission network having a number of sites, identified in a database associated with the network, from which video information can be transmitted or to which video information can be sent for controlling access of selected sites in the network to other sites in the network by associating selected sites with each other by grouping the sites into a site group in accordance with preselected criteria; identifying the associated sites by identification information stored in the database for the sites; associating a subscriber with a selected site group in accordance with preselected criteria; and granting access to each subscriber to all sites within the selected site group with which it is associated.