Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for managing a connection of a mobile element to a network, the mobile element having at least one user plane connection for transmitting user traffic from and/or to the mobile element, and at least one control plane connection for signaling connection of the mobile element to a radio access network. When a relocation of the connection(s) of the mobile element is to be performed, only the user plane connection(s) is relocated, and the control plane connection(s) is maintained unchanged. The connections are Iu interface connections, i.e. the control plane is to an Iu control plane of a radio access controlling means, and the user plane is an Iu user plane of the radio access controlling means.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a packet service to a user equipment (UE) when the UE moves to a second cell managed by a second radio network controller (RNC), the UE requesting a permission to receive the packet service in a first cell managed by the first RNC, in a mobile communication system providing the packet service. In the system and method, the first RNC transmits control information necessary for providing the packet service to the UE, to the second RNC. The second RNC analyzes the control information and notifies the first RNC that the second RNC is providing the packet service, when the second RNC can provide the packet service. The second RNC transmits packet service data to the UE.

Abstract: A message communications system including a plurality of point-of-sale terminals including human sensible message receiving functionality and human sensible message delivering functionality and a communications network communicating with the plurality of point-of-sale terminals and transmitting thereto human sensible messages.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating connectivity is described. The method includes a server broadcasting a beacon including the server's address. The method further includes each client that receives the beacon rebroadcasting the beacon. The result is that each client receiving the beacon knows a way to reach the server.

Abstract: The present invention provides a calibrating method of an array antenna transceiver for performing multicarrier transmission capable of minimizing the increase of a transceiver size and a signal processing load and keeping a certain calibration accuracy.

Abstract: A radio device operating under a time division duplex frequency hopping scheme has a standby link state and a connection link state. The radio device includes two register sets, one for standby link state frequency channel parameters and one for connection link state frequency channel parameters. A multiplexer as controlled by a link state controller outputs selected link state frequency channel parameters to a working register set. According to a periodic timer the selected link state frequency channel parameters are forwarded from the working register set to a frequency channel controller that controls an RF device. The frequency channel parameters for a next time slot are loaded in the registers during a current time slot so that the required frequency channel parameters are readily available for operation of the radio device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing location information to an Access Terminal (AT) when the Access Network (AN) is unable to contact a last serving PDSN, else maintaining the previous location information. In one embodiment, AN elements within an area supported by a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) are given a same Access Network ID (ANID). In this way, movement of the AT within the area supported by the PDSN do not initiate an update of location information. The AT receives location information specific to the PDSN and not the AN.

Abstract: This invention provides solutions to resolve the potential security unsynchronizing problem when upper layers issue a suspend command to the RLC entity while a TFC selection exchange process has been initialised. Three solutions of this invention, can be used either in UM or in AM environment, in which the RLC entity defines a safe range factor and add it to the upper-layers-passed parameter N of the prior art to calculate a new suspend sequence number for the suspended RLC entity. During the suspension, the RLC entity will continuously pass the scheduled RLC PDUs to lower layers as long as the SN of scheduled RLC PDU is less than the new suspend sequence number. One solution of this invention is more suitable to be implemented in UM than in AM. In this solution, upper layers decide and pass to the RLC entity a suitable parameter N having a more tolerant safety range than the prior art does.

Abstract: An improved satellite receiver includes a phased array antenna subsystem with a local oscillator that produces a local oscillating signal and delay means that introduces different phased delays to the local oscillating signal to produce a plurality of oscillating waveform signals with different phase delays. These oscillating waveform signals are supplied to downconverting mixers in the processing channels of the phased array antenna subsystem. A controller electronically adjusts an elevation angle pointing direction of the satellite receiver by varying frequency of the local oscillating signal produced by the local oscillator.

Abstract: In the method, information from a user is transmitted over one or more communication channels of a wireless communication system by code multiplexing transmissions in the code domain. The method may include code multiplexing a first information from the user over a first channel with a second information from the user over a second channel, and determining a transmission format for the first and second channels. The transmission format may be determined based on one or more of available transmit power, transmission time interval, a coding dimension used for multiplexing, and transmit power used per code. The first information and second information are transmitted over the respective channels based on the determined transmission format.

Abstract: A method for utilising resources of a CDMA telecommunications systems comprising a plurality of base stations and one or more mobile terminal is disclosed, which method comprises causing the base stations to indicate, to the one or more terminals, whether they have unused capacity and causing one or more of the mobile terminals to change or maintain constant its data rate dependent upon the unused capacity indication received from the base stations. A contention resolution phase may be used so that only sufficient terminals increase their data rate to accommodate the unused capacity.

Abstract: A wireless data communication system includes a high speed dedicated physical control channel (EU-DPCCH) used with transmissions from a mobile device to support an uplink high speed data channel. In one example the EU-DPCCH has a sub frame structure that is the same as an associated dedicated data channel and a fixed spreading factor. The EU-DPCCH allows communicating control information from the mobile device such as a pilot reference, hybrid automatic repeat request information, and backlog information regarding a buffer of the mobile device.

Abstract: Disclosed is a CDMA communication system and method that make it possible to accommodate a greater number of user terminals that can be connected per facilities investment. Ternary phase-shift keying (TPSK) modulation is applied as primary modulation in a CDMA communication system. It is possible to deliver far performance in which the Eb/No ratio is improved by about 0.75 dB, in comparison with BPSK and QPSK modulation, in order to obtain the required signal quality. Accordingly, the number of user terminals that can be connected simultaneously in a CDMA system can be increased by about 19%.

Abstract: An improved method for facilitating handoff between an asynchronous and a synchronous base station. A method for determining a pilot channel PN offset of a pilot channel transmitted by a wireless base station. In a first embodiment, the method includes correlating a PN sequence with a received pilot signal to acquire a PN frame timing, receiving at least one search code burst aligned with the PN frame timing, the at least one search code burst signifying the pilot channel PN offset, and comparing the at least one search code burst to a set of codewords, each codeword representing a predetermined PN offset. From the search code bursts, the mobile station is able to quickly determine the PN offset of the transmitting base station, and thereby identify it. Methods for transmitting a complementary set of forward link channels are also disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques to calibrate the downlink and uplink channels to account for differences in the frequency responses of the transmit and receive chains at an access point and a user terminal. In one embodiment, pilots are transmitted on the downlink and uplink channels and used to derive estimates of the downlink and uplink channel responses, respectively. Two sets of correction factors are then determined based on the estimates of the downlink and uplink channel responses. A calibrated downlink channel is formed by using a first set of correction factors for the downlink channel, and a calibrated uplink channel is formed by using a second set of correction factors for the uplink channel. The first and second sets of correction factors may be determined using a matrix-ratio computation or a minimum mean square error (MMSE) computation. The calibration may be performed in real-time based on over-the-air transmission.

Abstract: A method (400) and a mobile station (160) for controlling communication via a radio link based on a multi-slot based power class designation are described herein. The mobile station (160) may provide a multi-slot based power class designation to the communication network (110) to establish a radio link for communication service. The designation may be associated with a power level of the mobile station (160) and a number of slots corresponding to the power level. Based on the designation, the mobile station (160) may communicate with the communication network (110) via the radio link.

Abstract: An information appliance control system includes a console and a plurality of information appliances. The console includes a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting control signals for the plurality of information appliances. Each information appliance includes a receiver for receiving the control signals transmitted by the console to control operation of the information appliance.

Abstract: For authentication, authorization and accounting of a user, an AAA server in whose domain the user initialized a session for authentication and authorization of the user with the user's home domain is set as an anchor AAA server. During a handover of the user between different access nodes during the session, session update message to and from the anchor AAA server is used to update the session path. The downstream pointer from the home domain's AAA server to the anchor AAA server is kept unchanged.

Abstract: Apparatus, and an associated method, that reduces the occurrence of generation of redundant requests for retransmission of packet-formatted data, formatted at a physical layer and at a higher-logical layer, such as at an RLP layer. An estimate of an appropriate delay period is formed. The estimate is responsive to communication conditions in the communication system. When a data packet appears to have been inadequately delivered to the RLP logical layer, a DELAY_DETECTION_WINDOW timer is caused to time out the delay period estimated by the estimator. The request for retransmission, generated at the RLP layer, is permitted, upon expiration of the timer if the data packet has not yet been successfully delivered to the RLP layer and the transmitter has not given up the data packet delivery.

Abstract: A method for a network device is described, illustrated and claimed. The novel device couples a hub/switch, a router and a interchangeable network interface to access an external network. The hub/switch serves as a central point of connection to a first and second plurality of PCs and other devices forming a LAN. The router serves as a barrier to protect the LAN from the external network. The wireless interface is an interface that accepts short range wireless networking protocols. The interchangeable network interface accepts telecommunication modules enabling shared wireless network access that interface with the external network and the Internet.

Abstract: A communication system including a first terminal device connected to first and second networks, having only a reception function with respect to the first network and transmission and reception functions with respect to the second network, the first network being a radio network according to IEEE 802.11 and the second network being a radio network slower than the first network, and a second terminal device connected to the first and second networks, having at least a transmission function with respect to the first network and transmission and reception functions with respect to the second network is disclosed.

Abstract: A multicarrier radio communication technology that enables radio resources to be used effectively, interference-to be suppressed, and a cell search to be performed at high speed, in a multicarrier CDMA system. In this technology, a secondary synchronization code (S-SCH signal) for identifying the group of scrambling codes divided into groups beforehand is frequency multiplexed in a plurality of subcarriers. A secondary synchronization code is coded in the time direction. Subcarriers in which a secondary synchronization code is multiplexed are mutually separated and equally spaced. The number of subcarriers in which a secondary synchronization code is multiplexed can be set to a small value with respect to the total number of subcarriers. A secondary synchronization code is an orthogonal code. On the receiving side, a cell search is carried out using such a frequency multiplexed type S-SCH.

Abstract: A system and method of performing device detection and service discovery in a mobile ad hoc communications network, each network node storing a local application directory. One of the network nodes is selected to be a directory server node that stores a combined application directory. The directory server node sends an inquiry message to a listening node when the listening node enters the coverage area of the directory server node. The listening node sends a notification message to the directory server node that includes the local application directory stored in the listening node. The directory server node compares the received local application directory to the combined application directory and updates the combined application directory accordingly. The directory server node sends an update message to each network node by sending an update portion of the combined application directory. Each network node updates the local application directories accordingly.

Abstract: A method of maintaining communications between a mobile, wireless terminal and a base station of a wireless local area network is performed by determining at the base station, that communications between the base station and the terminal over a first channel on the wireless local area network has been impeded; and placing a telephone call to the terminal over a separate, distinct, second channel on a public switched telephone network. The caller ID of the incoming call is then used to verify the authenticity of the base station. Further communications continue over the second channel on the telephone network.

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) device (11) including a mobile terminal (MT) (11b 11b′) coupled to a terminal equipment (TE) device (11a) including an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) proxy adjunct (P+) for use by the TE (11a) in making multimedia service requests for IP communications with a desired end-to-end QoS, the end-to-end including the local connection and a network supporting QoS, e.g. an UMTS network (12) having as an extension of its packet-switched core network (12b) an IMS (12c) providing multimedia services with selected QoS. The IMS proxy adjunct (P+) is implemented to make extensions to messages according to any protocol providing a session description protocol (SDP) component, such as SIP or RTSP, so as to ensure the selected QoS. In addition, a mechanism is provided by which the MT (11b′) informs the IMS (12c) when it has IMS proxy capabilities.

Abstract: The specification discloses a fluorescent multi-layer recording medium containing porphyrin and the method for manufacturing it. The porphyrin is used to make the recording layer of the fluorescent multi-layer recording medium. A laser beam with a wavelength smaller than 500 nm is used as the light source. When a short-wavelength laser excites the recording layer containing porphyrin, it instantaneously emits red fluorescent light with a wavelength greater than 600 nm. A device can read data signals by detecting the intensity of such fluorescence.

Abstract: Micro-tunnels are used to provide multiple data service sessions to the same mobile node in a wireless communications system. Further, the flexibility of the micro-tunnels optimizes the resources of the system. On request for a data service, an encapsulation configuration record is generated. An encapsulation header is created in response to the encapsulation configuration. The encapsulation header includes a packet service identifier and a micro-tunnel identifier.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a network is disclosed. The network includes a first Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) station a first communication medium coupled to the VOIP station a router, coupled to the first communication, that includes a network address translation (NAT) firewall, a second communication medium coupled to the router and a public proxy/gatekeeper (PPG) coupled to the second communication. The PPG masquerades un-translated NAT IP addresses received from the first VOIP station.

Abstract: Described are an apparatus and method of forwarding Internet Protocol (IP) packets. At least one fixed-length key having a predetermined number of bits is produced in response to an IP address in an IP packet. At least a portion of the fixed-length key is hashed to obtain a hash value. The fixed-length key is compared with a key value stored in each data-item in a hash bucket associated with the hash value to find the data item that has the key value that matches the fixed-sized key and to obtain from that data item routing information that is used to forward the IP packet.

Abstract: A signaling architecture for a cross connect switch utilizes out-of-band communications channels to transmit status information from line modules to the switch module. The out-of-band communication channels are separate from the in-band payload data connections routinely used to connect line modules to the switch module. A framer is used to extract payload data for transmission on the in-band payload data connections. The framer also extracts status information that may be encoded before sending to the switch module via the out-of-band communications channels. The switch module logically pairs STS-1s into working/protect pairs and utilizes the STS-1 granular status information to decide which of the pair is a better copy which is output as the working copy after the cross-connect switch fabric is configured according to user demands. A redundant switch module may also be used for equipment protection.

Abstract: The capability to encrypt or compress the traffic over network links, thus improving the security of the link on the performance of the links, and the capability to encrypt/decrypt data stored on the storage devices without requiring specialized hosts or storage devices. In a first embodiment, traffic to be routed over a selected link needing encryption and/or compression is routed to hardware which performs the encryption and/or compression and returned for transmission over the link. A complementary unit at the second end of the link routes the received frames to complementary hardware to perform the decryption and/or decompression. The recovered frames are then routed to the target device in a normal fashion. In a variation of this first embodiment the hardware is developed using an FPGA. This allows simple selection of the desired feature or features present in the switch. The switch can be easily configured to perform encryption, compression or both, allowing great flexibility to a system administrator.

Abstract: A network or other type of processor operates to switch packets from an incoming cell stream to an outgoing cell stream. Each received and transmitted cell in a cell stream includes portions of packets, or complete packets or both. Packets are reassembled from incoming cells, and outgoing cells may be created from portions of packets, complete packets or both. The packets in the outgoing cells may be from incoming packets, switched reassembled packets or both. Each incoming and outgoing cell is associated with one virtual channel, and each virtual channel for an outgoing cell may be different from the virtual channel corresponding to the incoming cell or cells from which a packet was reassembled. Switched packets also may have their conversation identifications changed. Partial packets or partial cells that are awaiting completion are retained such that switching capabilities associated with the virtual channel and channel identification modifications may be used.

Abstract: The invention provides IP connectivity to mobile nodes by pre-establishing at least one virtual link between access routing devices and mapping a data flow relating to a mobile node being handed over from a first access routing device to a second access routing device to the at least one pre-established virtual link between the first and second access routing devices in accordance with predetermined conditions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a router or switch in a broadband network operating through packet flow forwarding. The router provides a CPU switched software flow (12) and a hardware switched accelerated flow (10) in accordance with Hierarchical Flow Forwarding (HFF) by utilizing a mutual flow table (20) partitioned into at least a hardware part (22), an intermediate part (24) and a software part (26) for flow forwarding. The table is examined on a regular basis determined by a time period, and sorted by the ratio of number of packets per time period. It is filled up with the highest ratios in the hardware part (22, 22a), the intermediate ratios in the intermediate part (24, 22a, 26a) and the lowest ratios in the software part (26). Those packet flows that qualified for the intermediate flow (22a, 26a) in a previous examining remain in their memory space if they still qualify for the intermediate part (24).

Abstract: A bandwidth adjusting access point 10 allocates a bandwidth to transfer data input via the internet 1000 and transfers the transfer data to information processing apparatuses 10201 to 10204. When new transfer data is input to the bandwidth adjusting access point 10, the bandwidth adjusting access point 10 determines whether the new transfer data can be transferred by comparing its own available bandwidth with a required bandwidth, which is set in the new transfer data by servers 151 to 154 and indicates a bandwidth required for transfer. When the new data cannot be transferred, the bandwidth adjusting access point 10 reduces a bandwidth of transfer data which is being transferred, based on a priority and a media type, which are embedded in the new transfer data, so a store serve a bandwidth for the new transfer data. Thus, even when a bandwidth of a LAN system becomes congested, a transfer rate for transfer data, which requires a broad bandwidth, is guaranteed.

Abstract: In an asynchronous switching node, n1 input modules and n2 output modules are interconnected by an asynchronous cell switching network. The network routes a cell transmitted by an input module to an output module, in the case of a cell of a unicast flow; the network routes a cell transmitted by an input module to N output modules in the case of a cell of a multicast flow, by generating itself the N copied cells from the transmitted cell. A flow control mechanism is designed to share the bandwidth available for each pair of an input module and an output module, based on the bandwidth requests of unicast flows for each module pair. In each input module, the bandwidth request of each individual multicast flow is converted into N bandwidth requests associated with N equivalent virtual unicast flows associated with this multicast flow.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a method for permitting fully detailed advertising of reachability information for some addresses in a network while efficiently summarizing reachability information for other addresses. In one embodiment, the invention is implemented as part of a process used by logical nodes for advertising reachability information for members of a group of nodes represented by the logical node. The invention may be used with any network that involves the aggregation of nodes and nodal elements (such as reachability information) into logical nodes, including, without limitation, networks using the PNNI and IP protocols.

Abstract: A network relaying apparatus and method for routing and transferring packets at high speed. A transfer engine stores the packets received through a network interface in a packet buffer, and stores the header information in a header RAM. A search engine searches the transfer control information including the transfer destination information and the action information in accordance with the header information, and writes it in the header RAM. The transfer engine produces an output packet based on the information stored in the packet buffer and the header RAM and outputs it to the transfer destination. A switch switches the output packet to the routing process of the destination. The transfer engine executes the receiving process and the transmission process, and the search engine executes the input search process and the output search process. Each of these processes is executed by pipelining control using a required table independently.

Abstract: A data buffer is disclosed which organizes data packets received from a data link. Each data packet has an associated index number indicating both the order in which the data packet was sent and the order in which that data packet is to be read out from the buffer. The data buffer is made up of plural memory areas, each area being capable of storing a single data packet at a time. Each received data packet is stored in one of the memory areas in accordance with the index number associated with the data packet. The data buffer may be used in conjunction with a data transmitter and a data processor that processes the data packets in real time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for scheduling transmission link bandwidth between packet-switched data flows so that a desired CoS (Class of Service) is provided with an ability to utilize the instantaneously available bandwidth of a data transmission network while simultaneously offering a guaranteed minimum data rate (Guaranteed Data Rate and Best Effort) without compromising the operation of such classes that have no guaranteed lower bound of data rate, but instead, have the service implemented by the utilization of the instantaneously available bandwidth (Best Effort). The invention is based utilizing in the scheduler control, not only the information indicating the class of service, but also the information indicating the subgroup inside a class of service (e.g., drop precedence). The information indicating the subgroup is conventionally utilized only for congestion control purposes.

Abstract: A networking system including virtually addressed devices is described. A network device has one or more virtual addresses assigned to its loopback interface. Once so assigned and the loopback interface enabled, data and commands directed to any of the assigned virtual addresses is sent through the device's protocol stack. The device is then structured to act on the data and commands destined for the virtual address.

Abstract: A transmitter equipped with a plurality of transmission path ports and a relay section. The relay section has a routing table and a router. In the routing table, information about the relay of the received packet to one of the transmission path ports connected to a relay transmission path is stored, correlated with both a port identifier of each the transmission path port and the source address of the transmitter that transmitted the packet. The router extracts the port identifier of the transmission path port that received the packet and the source address contained in the received packet, and routes the received packet to the transmission path port connected to the relay transmission path by referring to the routing table for the extracted port identifier and the extracted source address.

Abstract: A system and method for a cell based wrapped wave front arbiter (WWFA) with bandwidth reservation are disclosed. The method for reserving bandwidth of a given priority using the WWFA for arbitrating bandwidth among virtual links between input and output ports, each virtual link supporting one or more priorities and corresponding to an arbitration unit (AU) of the WWFA generally comprises performing at least one arbitration pass of a wave front of the WWFA where AUs having a reserved bandwidth request of a given priority and reserved bandwidth credit of the given priority compete for the bandwidth associated with the wave front, and where AUs not having a reserved bandwidth request of the given priority and reserved bandwidth credit of the given priority do not compete for the bandwidth, and performing at least one subsequent arbitration pass where AUs having a reserved bandwidth request of the given priority compete for the bandwidth.

Abstract: A subscriber dynamically establishes a peer-to-peer session from a source subscriber to a destination subscriber across a switched virtual circuit (SVC). A signaling (control) connection is established from the source subscriber to a server, and a connection request is sent via the signaling (control) connection to the server requesting establishment of the SVC to the destination subscriber. In response, a database is queried for information about a source switch associated with the source subscriber and a destination switch associated with the destination subscriber. Subsequently, the connection request is forwarded to a proxy signaling agent, and the proxy signaling agent signals the source switch and the destination switch to dynamically establish the SVC connection from the source switch to the destination switch. This abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

Abstract: An SVC is established between a client and a host by dynamically configuring a host CPE device using a custom module designed for the host CPE device. The configured host CPE device enables communication between the client and the host via the SVC connection.

Abstract: A wireless Internet accessing system allowing determination and/or access to a web page by entering a telephone number of the web page holder in lieu of entering a URL of the web page. For example, the system can have a receiver receiving information from a cellular phone, a wireless Internet accessing unit wirelessly accessing an Internet, a web page address database storing telephone numbers and web page addresses of the respective telephone numbers, and a network access controller. The controller determines whether the received information has both telephone number signals and an identification key signal distinguished from the telephone number signal, retrieves a web page address corresponding to the telephone number from the web page address database, if determined that the identification key signal is additionally included, and controls the cellular phone to be wirelessly connected to the retrieved web page address through the wireless Internet accessing unit.

Abstract: A virtual private communications network (VPCN) and method of managing calls on the network. Communications devices are networked together over a private communications network. Each VPCN communications device has a unique private network identification (ID) code and can be contacted by dialing its respective ID. At least one of the VPCN communications devices is a wireless communications device, e.g., a cell phone, connected through a public wireless network to the private communications network. Calls to and from each such wireless device pass through the private communications network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for switching Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop Systems is provided between a plurality of Fibre Channel Loop devices. In one aspect of the invention, the system switches based at least in part on arbitrated loop primitives. An exemplary interconnect system may include a first port and a second port, both including port logic to monitor certain arbitrated loop primitives, a connectivity apparatus, a route determination apparatus including a routing table consisting of ALPA addresses and their associated ports, the route determination apparatus coupled to each port and the connectivity apparatus, where the connectivity apparatus creates paths between the ports based on arbitrated loop primitives. In one embodiment, the connectivity apparatus is a crossbar switch. Examples of the arbitrated loop primitives that cause the switch to create paths between ports includes one or more of the following: ARB, OPN and CLS.

Abstract: The invention relates to a network interfacing device and a communication apparatus that is provided in a packet routing network and accommodates a large number of VPNs. An object of the invention is to accommodate a large number of VPNs with low cost. The communication apparatus have: a plurality of interfacing sections each having a CAM and interfacing with links that are used for accommodating respective VPNs, for performing routing according to information stored in the CAM; a storage section for registering in advance therein a combination of identifiers of interfacing sections which accommodate VPNS respectively; and a controlling section for requesting an interfacing section designated by an identifier registered in the storage section in association with a VPN to which routing information is to be applied, to write the routing information into the CAM.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for switching Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop Systems is provided between a plurality of Fibre Channel Loop devices. In one aspect of the invention, the system switches based at least in part on arbitrated loop primitives. An exemplary interconnect system may include a first port and a second port, both including port logic to monitor certain arbitrated loop primitives, a connectivity apparatus, a route determination apparatus including a routing table consisting of ALPA addresses and their associated ports, the route determination apparatus coupled to each port and the connectivity apparatus, where the connectivity apparatus creates paths between the ports based on arbitrated loop primitives. In one embodiment, the connectivity apparatus is a crossbar switch. Examples of the arbitrated loop primitives that cause the switch to create paths between ports includes one or more of the following: ARB, OPN and CLS.