Distributed Switching Patents (Class 370/396)
  • Patent number: 7933983
    Abstract: A system and method analyzes resource usage within a utility data center (UDC) and recommends options to maximize efficient usage of these resources. Information is gathered about the current resources allocated to control planes within the UDC, including resource loads and threshold limits within each plane. Criteria used to analyze efficiency includes customer size and prioritization within the UDC, as well as, historical and trending information, and peak resource usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Doug Steele, Katherine Hogan, Rheid Schloss
  • Patent number: 7924852
    Abstract: In a method and network for transferring data and signals between terminal equipment via one or more switching stations, the data and digitized signals are combined in cells, with each cell having a header in which connection information is contained that designates a transmission or routing target. The terminal equipment and switching stations are synchronized so that the cells are transferred in a synchronized manner via one or more switching stations. Signals and high quality of service (QoS) data thus can be transferred through the same network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Joachim Grottel, Harald Karl, Friedrich Lindner, Andreas Tröltzsch
  • Patent number: 7912055
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating on a system containing a plurality of components in communication using multicast communication protocol is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of representing selected ones of the plurality of components, the relationship among the components and the associated with the communication protocols, determining a mapping between a plurality of events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components and among the communication protocols, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event, and performing the system operation in conjunction with the relationship between the events and observable events. The operations may be selected from the group of monitoring, discovering, managing, analyzing and displaying the components associated with the multicast protocols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Udi Kleers, Jerry Y. Goldman
  • Patent number: 7908655
    Abstract: A system and a method for detecting port scanning activities on a computer network. A probability variable is assigned to a device on a computer network. The probability variable indicates the probability that the device is conducting port-scanning activities. Data describing transmissions by the device during multiple intervals of time is accessed, and, for each of the time intervals, a determination is made concerning whether or not the device conducted port-scanning activities. Based on these determinations, the probability variable is updated for each of the time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Supratik Bhattacharyya, Avinash Sridharan, Tao Ye
  • Patent number: 7903555
    Abstract: A method of packet tracing includes triggering tracer devices. Each tracer device corresponds to an associated processing stage within a packet processor. The method also includes storing an indication after a packet completes an associated processing stage. The method may further include sending contents of a register to an application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Muraleedhara Herur Navada
  • Patent number: 7894462
    Abstract: A backbone network may include first and second border routers and a route reflector. The first border router may provide data connectivity between the backbone network and a first regional network. The first border router may be configured to receive a notification of a change in status of an edge router of the first regional network, and the notification may be received according to a first routing protocol. The first border router may be further configured to redistribute the notification of the change in status of the edge router from the first routing protocol to a second routing protocol with the first and second routing protocols being different. The second border router may provide data connectivity between the backbone network and a second regional network. The route reflector may be coupled between the first and second border routers, and the route reflector may be configured to transfer the redistributed notification from the first border router to the second border router.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: James Uttaro, Maria Napierala, Jeewan Ramsaroop, Richard Todd Harding, Hui Tong
  • Patent number: 7881712
    Abstract: A technique for providing a flexible approach to generating and signaling tones, such as call progress tones, in a communications network is described. Parameters associated with tones generated and signaled in a communication network are dynamically configured. A tone to be generated and signaled onto the network is specified in a request that identifies the tone. Parameters associated with the specified tone are identified. The information representing the tone is then generated in accordance with the identified parameters and signaled onto the communications network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Chengsheng Luo, David A. Houghton, Anantha R. Mekala
  • Patent number: 7881292
    Abstract: A communication device carries out a routing operation of data between a first network and a second network. The communication device comprises: a first interface connected to the first network; a second interface connected to the second network; and a processor that assigns an IP address to a user terminal device connected to the first interface in accordance with a DHCP. The processor changes a first lease period of the IP address set when the processor assigns the IP address to the user terminal device in accordance with the change of a network environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Sakanashi, Hiroyuki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7870311
    Abstract: Described is a system to control a flow of packets to and from an electronic processor which includes a packet processor engine programmed to interpret the packets from a packet memory, and to perform switching between packet chains in response to events, a working chain pointer register of the packet processor engine, programmed to indicate progress in executing an active buffer chain, prioritized pointer storage registers of the packet processor engine, each of the registers being programmed to point to one of the active buffer chains, a control register of the packet processor engine having chain start bits and chain protect bits, the chain start bits identifying the chains that have been started and wsa status register of the packet processor engine, having a chain actives group identifying the chain that is currently running, a chain matches group, a chain stops group identifying the chains that have been stopped and a timer expirations group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Wind River Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: H. Allan George
  • Patent number: 7869441
    Abstract: An input interface segments a variable length packet into plurality of fixed length cells and generates an internal switching information based on the header information of the variable length packet. The input interface transmits the information to a switch and, after that, transmits the cells as the following cells of the information to the switch. The switch performs switching processing to the succeeding cells based on the information. Therefore, the information is not added to the cells. When an input interface starts to transmit cells generated from a packet to its destination output interface through the switch, the switch is reserved until all the cells arrive at the output interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Information Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Sakamoto, Nobuhito Matsuyama, Takeshi Aimoto, Noboru Endo, Koji Wakayama, Norihiko Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 7864784
    Abstract: A subscriber network system is provided that is capable of reducing response time and reducing device cost. In the subscriber network system, a control cell is received that includes an ID portion, a data portion, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) portion. The control cell is processed in cooperation with a virtual path identifier (VPI), where the processing obtains the ID portion and the CRC portion. The ID portion and the CRC portion are processed and the ID portion is compared to a first stored value and the CRC portion is compared to a second stored value to produce information. A cell is produced to include the information and the produced cell is used to facilitate a connection in a network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ueno
  • Patent number: 7860068
    Abstract: A message distribution center (MDC) and Intelligent Delivery Agent are implemented in a wireless Internet gateway interposed between content providers and a wireless carrier to subjectively examine and direct messages via Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) based on desired rules (e.g., non-peak hours, paying subscribers only, etc.) using standard SMTP Gateway and other well-known protocols. The MDC includes an individual queue for each subscriber, and the provider is informed through conventional SMTP protocol messages that the short message has been accepted. If the carrier has specifically disallowed service for a particular Mobile Identification Number (MIN) (e.g., in the case of churning), then the content provider is informed through an SMTP interchange that the recipient is invalid. An MDC provides a single mechanism for interacting with subscribers of multiple carriers, regardless of each carrier's underlying infrastructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard A. Smith, Michael Dewey
  • Patent number: 7856025
    Abstract: A method and a system for intercommunicating between a private network user and a network with QoS guarantee are provided. The bearer control layer entity and the application layer entity obtain the address (port) translation information in the network with independent bearer control layer, and then allocate the resources for the private network user based on the address (port) translation information. According to the present invention, the various function entities may process transmission and translation of the private addresses correctly and hence accomplish a correct addressing and resource allocation. Thus, the problems that the end-to-end QoS resource allocation cannot be accomplished and the end-to-end QoS cannot be guaranteed when the user uses a private address are solved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yungu He
  • Publication number: 20100316055
    Abstract: Link-level data communications implemented in switching apparatus comprising modular switches disposed within a modular computer cabinet that includes modular computer systems; the switching apparatus configured as two layers of switches, the first layer switches coupled to one another for communications by inter-switch links, each second layer switch coupled for communications to the modular computer systems; all the switches stacked by a stacking protocol that shares administrative configuration information among the switches through the inter-switch links and presents all the switches as a single logical switch; the switching apparatus including ports coupling the apparatus to networks and to service applications and terminating applications on the modular computer systems; and sending the packet from network to modular computer system to which the packet is directed, or from modular computer system to network to which the packet is directed, the packet traversing none of the inter-switch links among the f
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew T. Belanger, Gary R. Shippy
  • Patent number: 7835371
    Abstract: A method of wirelessly transmitting or receiving a packet of information, and an apparatus to wirelessly transmit or receive a packet of information. In the case of transmitting, the method includes streaming a data element, including at least some of the contents of the packet, over a network link during transmit time. In the case of receiving, the method includes streaming a data element, including at least some of the contents of the received packet, over a network link during receive time. The transmitting or receiving is by a station of a wireless network and the streaming is to or from the station from or to a network device coupled to the station by the network link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Krischer, Philip J. Ryan, Michael J. Webb
  • Patent number: 7831715
    Abstract: An object of the present application is to provide a technology that can achieve packet communication between terminals connected to the Internet by way of a relay server in a faster and safer manner. The system of present application is a communication system characterized in that, on receipt of a start-connection message, a relay server having the lowest load is searched, and communication is achieved by way of the relay server found.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Yoshimi, Nobuyuki Enomoto, Zhenlong Cui, Kazuo Takagi, Atsushi Iwata
  • Patent number: 7830864
    Abstract: An apparatus including a sub-element processing (SEP) module configured to perform sub-element and/or per-session processing for each of a plurality of data elements included in data being switched between ones of a plurality of transmission links. The data can include wireless packet data, wireless non-packet data, wireline packet data, wireline non-packet data, and combinations thereof. The sub-element and/or per-session processing includes at least one of extracting and bundling at least one of voice data, encoding data and signaling data corresponding to one of a plurality of channels or sessions bundled within individual ones of the plurality of data elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Genband US LLC
    Inventor: San-qi Li
  • Patent number: 7817650
    Abstract: A data communication transmitting node is provided, the transmitting node comprising: a plurality of buffers for storing data from a respective plurality of input data streams; means for monitoring an occupancy level of each of the plurality of buffers to detect if the occupancy level is sufficient to provide a complete data block to the transmission stream; and a transmission controller operable to select, in turn, a buffer from the plurality of buffers to output a data block to a transmission data stream, the selection being performed according to a buffer selection order. If the buffer selected by the transmission controller is detected to have an insufficient occupancy level when selected, a dummy data block is supplied to the data transmission stream in place of a data block from the selected buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventor: Michael Page
  • Patent number: 7808932
    Abstract: A packet-based data network includes a packet-based network switch, and a plurality of packetised data sources coupled to the network, where the packetised data includes at least one of audio data or video data. The data network further includes at least one destination, being a data handling device for handling packetised data sources, coupled to the network, and a network control arrangement coupled to the network, the network arrangement being arranged to provide virtual circuit-switched connections for transfer of packetised data from sources to destinations via the network switch by assigning multicast group identifiers to the sources, so that the sources launch packetised data onto the network as multicast data packets identified by the multicast group identifiers, and instructing a destination to issue a request to the network switch to join the multicast group of a source so as to receive data packets from that source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited
    Inventors: Jian-Rong Chen, Daniel Wilson, Daphne Economou
  • Patent number: 7801118
    Abstract: The Fibre Channel standard was created by the American National Standard for Information Systems (ANSI) X3T11 task group to define a serial I/O channel for interconnecting a number of heterogeneous peripheral devices to computer systems as well as interconnecting the computer systems themselves through optical fiber and copper media at gigabit speeds (i.e., one billion bits per second). Multiple protocols such as SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface), IP (Internet Protocol), HIPPI, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) among others can concurrently utilize the same media when mapped over Fibre Channel. A Fibre Channel Fabric is an entity which transmits Fibre Channel frames between connected Node Ports. The Fibre Channel fabric routes the frames based on the destination address as well as other information embedded in the Fibre Channel frame header. Node Ports are attached to the Fibre Channel Fabric through links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Emulex Design & Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Stuart B. Berman
  • Patent number: 7801117
    Abstract: The Fibre Channel standard was created by the American National Standard for Information Systems (ANSI) X3T11 task group to define a serial I/O channel for interconnecting a number of heterogeneous peripheral devices to computer systems as well as interconnecting the computer systems themselves through optical fiber and copper media at gigabit speeds (i.e., one billion bits per second). Multiple protocols such as SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface), IP (Internet Protocol), HIPPI, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) among others can concurrently utilize the same media when mapped over Fibre Channel. A Fibre Channel Fabric is an entity which transmits Fibre Channel frames between connected Node Ports. The Fibre Channel fabric routes the frames based on the destination address as well as other information embedded in the Fibre Channel frame header. Node Ports are attached to the Fibre Channel Fabric through links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Emulex Design & Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Stuart B. Berman
  • Patent number: 7796614
    Abstract: Systems and methods consistent with embodiments of the present invention provide a method for forwarding packets between VLAN groups served by segmented ports on a network switching device. A request from a source in a VLAN group to a destination in another VLAN group is identified. Information needed to route packets to the destination is obtained by re-broadcasting the request for destination information to all VLAN groups, which do not include the source, that are served by the network switching device. Information needed to route packets to the source is also obtained. In some embodiments, source and destination routing information obtained, is stored in tables in a memory cache on the network switching device. Information stored in the tables is used to relay additional packets between the segmented ports on the device serving the source and destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: David Weymans
  • Patent number: 7782798
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for identifying node reachability, a method for identifying a link, a method for calculating a routing, and a method for disseminating node address information. In the method of the node address information dissemination, when the network is initiated, each node in the automatically switched optical network performs a node address aggregation process and an aggregation address dissemination process, and obtains and stores the aggregation address respectively. Therefore, any node in the network may judge whether the node and another node in the network are reachable to each other, and may further calculate the routing between the source and destination nodes pair. Moreover, the present invention also may determine whether any traffic engineering link in the multi-level ASON network is an external link or an internal link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies, Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Huiying Xu
  • Patent number: 7782874
    Abstract: A router for interconnecting external devices coupled to the router. The router comprises a switch fabric and a plurality of routing nodes coupled to the switch fabric. Each routing node is capable of transmitting data packets to, and receiving data packets from, the external devices and is further capable of transmitting data packets to, and receiving data packets from, other routing nodes via the switch fabric. The router also comprises a control processor for comparing the N most significant bits of a first subnet address associated with a first external port of a first routing node with the N most significant bits of a second subnet address associated with a second external port of the first routing node. The router determines a P-bit prefix of similar leading bits in the first and second subnet addresses and transmits the P-bit prefix to other routing nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jack C. Wybenga, Patricia Kay Sturm, Jorge Fossati
  • Patent number: 7773616
    Abstract: Systems and methods for communicating on a richly-connected multiprocessor computer system using a pool of buffers for dynamic association with a virtual channel. Packets are communicated in a multiprocessor computer system having a large plurality of processing nodes interconnected by a defined interconnection topology, in which a communication from a source processing node to a target processing node may pass through one or more intermediate nodes en route to the target processing node. A set of virtual channels is associated for each link in the interconnection topology. A first subset of buffers is dedicated for fixed correspondence to virtual channel identifiers, and a second subset of buffers is dedicated for dynamic allocation and assignment to virtual channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: SiCortex, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew H. Reilly, Nitin Godiwala, Judson S. Leonard
  • Patent number: 7773618
    Abstract: Systems and methods for preventing deadlock in richly-connected multiprocessor computer system using dynamic assignment of virtual channels. Deadlock is prevented in a multiprocessor computer system having a large plurality of processing nodes interconnected by a defined interconnection topology. Each link in the interconnection topology is associated with a set of virtual channels. Each virtual channel has corresponding communication buffers to store communication data and each virtual channel has an associated virtual channel identifier. Each communication between a source processing node and a target processing node is assigned an initial virtual channel to convey the communication from the source processing node. At an intermediate processing node, a different virtual channel is assigned to convey the communication toward the target processing node, in accordance with pre-defined rules to avoid a cycle of dependency of communication buffer resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: SiCortex, Inc.
    Inventors: Judson S. Leonard, Matthew H. Reilly, Nitin Godiwala
  • Patent number: 7769025
    Abstract: Load balancing apparatus for a data communications network comprises hash logic for computing a hash function on incoming data packets. A threshold detector is connected to the hash logic for triggering, in response to utilization of the downstream objects exceeding a predefined threshold, redefinition in the hash logic of parameters of the hash function from a first set of parameters to a second set of parameters for redistributing the data packets amongst the downstream objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hoyt Edwin Bowen, Jr., Patrick Droz, Lakas Kencl, Bernard Metzler
  • Patent number: 7764955
    Abstract: A method and system for routing a call based on calling device type is disclosed. In a communication network, an originating switch may receive a call request from a calling device seeking to connect with a dialed number. The originating switch may responsively send into a signaling system a call-setup message that conveys information including a calling device type indicator, such as a serial number of the calling device. A controller may then use the calling device type as a basis to select a destination to which the call should be routed in order to facilitate connecting with the dialed number. The invention can be usefully employed to facilitate routing of customer service calls concerning a calling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Manish Mangal, Doug Williams, Fred Rogers, Larry Young
  • Patent number: 7751341
    Abstract: According to the present invention, methods and apparatus are provided to allow for distribution of fiber channel messages. Messages associated with a variety of applications can be distributed within a single logical fabric to physical connected but logically disconnected fabrics. Interconnecting switches forward messages to neighboring fabrics and aggregate responses before replying to a first fabric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Badrinarayanan Ramaswamy, Joy Chatterjee, Rituparna Agrawal, Subrata Banerjee, Sudheer Yelanduru Raghavendra, Thomas Edsall
  • Patent number: 7746872
    Abstract: A direction of travel of a packet at a switch in an interconnection fabric that has multiple switches with ports is determined. A next turn pointer in the packet is used to identify turn bits in a routing path. The turn bits are then used to select an exit port as a function of the direction of travel of the packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Hahn Norden
  • Patent number: 7746783
    Abstract: A method for monitoring communication on a network that includes configuring a classifier using a monitoring profile, receiving a plurality of packets from a network, analyzing each of the plurality of packets by the classifier to determine to which of the plurality of packets satisfies the monitoring profile, forwarding any of the plurality of packets that satisfy the monitoring profile to a first temporary data structure, forwarding any of the plurality of packets that do not satisfy the monitoring profile to a second temporary data structure, requesting a first number of packets from the first temporary data structure by a first virtual serialization queue, wherein the first virtual serialization queue is associated with the first temporary data structure, forwarding the first number of packets to the first virtual serialization queue, and analyzing packets in the first virtual serialization queue by a monitoring program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sunay Tripathi, Nicolas G. Droux, Cahya Adiansyah Masputra
  • Patent number: 7738442
    Abstract: Origination and incoming are regulated for each service in user units. An origination filter table stores contract service information indicating whether or not each service can be used and the maximum number of sessions that can be activated by the originator corresponding to each originator identifier (for example, SIP-URI). An incoming filter table stores incoming enable/refusal information and an originator identifier from which incoming is enabled or refused corresponding to each receiver identifier. A communication control section references the contract service information and the maximum number of sessions in the origination filter table based on the originator identifier in the message received from a communication terminal, determines whether or not the service indicated by service type information in the message can be used, and determines whether or not a new session can be established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Miyamoto, Satoshi Kiyoto
  • Patent number: 7724661
    Abstract: An ATM network traffic shaper is implemented in hardware. The traffic shaper shapes transmit data on one or more virtual circuits (VCs) according to the specified quality of service (QoS) parameters. Thus, the traffic shaper provides for the delivery of associated data cells in accordance with the specified QoS parameters. The traffic shaper is scalable in that the number of supported VCs can be increased with a relatively small increase in the size of the device and associated logic gates. The traffic shaper supports constant bit rate (CBR), variable bit rate (VBR), and unknown bit rate (UBR) service types and generates cell transmit requests with zero cell delay variation (CDVT). The traffic shaper also provides very high resolution in terms of bit rate specification. Varying shaping resolutions are achieved by varying a shaping interval time (SIT) generated by a SIT counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel J. Burns
  • Patent number: 7710983
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining information associated with a particular multicast channel in a multicast network are disclosed. In accordance with the method, a request message requesting information associated with the particular multicast channel is generated and sent to the multicast network. Further, the request message is propagated downstream in a recursive manner via a multicast topology of the multicast network. A response to the request message is propagated upstream via the multicast topology to generate a response message including requested information associated with the particular multicast channel. The information may comprise number of users receiving the particular multicast channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Danyang Zheng, Ping Li, Jack C. Cham, Charles Shen
  • Patent number: 7706377
    Abstract: Video stream processing, such as processing that includes MPEG decoding an subsequent post-processing involves using signal processing circuitry (102, 106) to execute a first and a second video stream processing function. The first video stream processing function produces frame data of successive video frames in a temporally ordered output sequence of frames. The second video stream processing function uses the frame data in an ordered input sequence of frames that differs from the output sequence, for example because later P-frames are needed to decode B frames. The frame data is buffered between application of the first and second video processing function to the frame data. A first and a second. buffer memory (12, 106) are used. The first buffer memory (12) is coupled to the signal processing circuitry via a shareable channel (15) such as an external IC terminals, but the processing circuitry does not use the shareable channel (15) to access the second buffer memory (106).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Pieter Van Der Wolf, Abraham Karel Riemens, Om Prakash Gangwal
  • Patent number: 7701940
    Abstract: In one embodiment, distributed path computation elements (PCEs) collaboratively build local portions of an inter-domain P2MP path to each path destination or to each ingress border router of one or more respective successor domains based on a cost associated with using one or more local ingress border routers received from each predecessor domain. Once a furthest destination is reached, each PCE may recursively return a list of local ingress border routers used in the P2MP path to each predecessor domain, where each PCE receiving the list correspondingly prunes segments of its computed local portion of the P2MP path that lead to unused successor ingress border routers, and sends a prune message to its predecessor domains accordingly. A root PCE receives the final prune message(s) and a representation of each locally computed portion of the inter-domain P2MP path, and combines the portions into a final inter-domain P2MP path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Stefano Novello, Jean-Philippe Vasseur
  • Patent number: 7697434
    Abstract: A method for controlling resource utilization of a container that includes associating the container with a virtual network stack, receiving a plurality of packets from a network, analyzing each of the plurality of packets by a classifier to determine to which of a plurality of temporary data structures each of the plurality of packet is forwarded, forwarding each of the plurality of packets to one of the plurality of temporary data structures as determined by the classifier, requesting at least one packet for the one of the plurality of temporary data structures by the virtual network stack, wherein the virtual network stack is associated with the one of the plurality of temporary data structures, and forwarding the at least one packet to the virtual network stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sunay Tripathi, Nicolas G. Droux
  • Patent number: 7688829
    Abstract: A routing mechanism provides network segmentation preservation by route distribution with segment identification, policy distribution for a given VPN segment, and encapsulation/decapsulation for each segment using an Ethernet VLAN_ID, indicative of the VPN segment (subnetwork). Encapsulated segmentation information in a message packet identifies which routing and forwarding table is employed for the next hop. A common routing instance receives the message packets from the common interface, and indexes a corresponding VRF table from the VLAN ID, or segment identifier, indicative of the subnetwork (e.g. segment). In this manner, the routing instance receives the incoming message packet, decapsulates the VLAN ID in the incoming message packet, and indexes the corresponding VRF and policy ID from the VLAN ID, therefore employing a common routing instance over a common subinterface for a plurality of segments (subnetworks) coupled to a particular forwarding device (e.g. VPN router).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: James N. Guichard, W. Scott Wainner, Saul Adler, Khalil A. Jabr, S. Scott Van de Houten
  • Patent number: 7685281
    Abstract: A system is taught in which a module having processing elements can access network and storage interfaces that are external to the module of the processing elements as though those interfaces were located internal to the module of the processing elements. The system may be operated as one or more provisioned servers, each of the provisioned servers including capabilities as identified by a corresponding set of specifications and attributes, according to various embodiments. Typically the specifications (or constraints) and attributes are specified with a Server Configuration File. An Enterprise Server system may be provisioned into any combination and number of servers according to needed processing and I/O capabilities. Each of these servers may include distinct compute, storage, and networking performance. Provisioned servers may be managed similar to conventional servers, including operations such as boot and shutting down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Habanero Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Nakul Pratap Saraiya, Curtis M. Collins, Yuri Finkelstein, Thomas Dean Lovett, Shyam Mittur, Cosmos Nicolaou, Shreyas B. Shah, Fabio Onofrio Ingrao
  • Patent number: 7668164
    Abstract: The invention comprises an overlay network that can be under full control of a service provider. Routing of packets between nodes in said overlay network is performed by means of an underlying large communication network. The nodes in the overlay network comprises specific nodes in the large communication network. Therefore, routing of packets according to the invention is transparent for nodes not belonging to the overlay network. One or more federative nodes manages the routing information. The federative nodes are connected to the network and comprise a computer and software, designed for providing said management of the routing information. The management of routes in the overlay network may of course be distributed over several hosts, for scalability of large overlay networks and reliability reasons. A purpose of the invention is to enable a user organization to control the routing of packets for their overlay network via different external networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Inventor: Björn Jonsson
  • Patent number: 7668093
    Abstract: A framework to transition and re-partition information for event processing and downstream processing can be used in a real time system comprising components such as a consumer server, a file control database, an event manager, an event store, and a configurable output stream. The event manager may be a process which can be enhanced through the use of tags which are inserted to provide information for various downstream systems. The configurable output stream can be defined through an application programming interface which is configured to receive a filter to be applied to the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Convergys Information Management Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian James Clubb, Philip Geoffrey Claridge, Thomas Joseph Shusta, Jeffrey M. Miller
  • Patent number: 7660269
    Abstract: An apparatus for creating network configuration information from data including packet transmission time between one or more relay devices and a terminal, the relay devices relaying a signal which runs through a network and is measured by the terminal connected to the network, to another network, information about the relay devices and information about the terminal. The apparatus includes systems for: receiving the data from the terminal; arranging the relay devices in the network configuration information based on information about the relay devices; arranging the terminal in the network configuration information based on information about the terminal; arranging packet transmission time between the terminal and the relay devices in the network configuration information; and identifying a subnetwork from the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kentaro Aoki, Takeshi Ohmori, Kunio Okuda, Yukinobu Moriya, Hideo Yasuniwa
  • Patent number: 7656858
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems for, and methods of transporting digital signals and radio-frequency (“RF”) signals are disclosed. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an intelligent network (e.g., a combination router) and corresponding method are provided for transporting RF signals to, for example, an RFID antenna and transporting digital signals to, for example, a controller. In a preferred embodiment, the intelligent network is implemented with a manager unit for controlling a plurality of network devices to facilitate the efficient management of RFID-enabled devices. The network devices may include a combination router/switch, which has the capability of switching both digital data and RF data, RFID readers, RFID reader/writer pads, and other devices. In accordance with preferred embodiments, the intelligent network allows enhanced flexibility in controlling systems for interrogation of RFID antennae.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics, LLC.
    Inventors: Richard J. Campero, Thomas Cocotis, Steve Trivelpiece, Tim V. Kaenel
  • Patent number: 7656841
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for selecting another access network when transmitting data from a content server to a terminal in a multi access network environment comprising a discontinuous coverage radio access network. According to the present invention, the method comprises the step of: Upon detection of a request from a network selection controller to switch from a discontinuous coverage radio access network to another access network, sending a message to an access controller of said discontinuous coverage radio access network comprising cached data informing it to forward said cached data to said another access network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Alcatel
    Inventors: Jérôme Brouet, Jean-Claude Faye, Denis Rouffet
  • Patent number: 7649895
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for routing a multimedia message sent by a user agent to one of a plurality of multimedia message service centers, the user agent applying a pre-determined determined destination address to the multimedia message. The multimedia message is received at the pre-determined destination address, a target multimedia message service center is selected and the multimedia message is forwarded to the target multimedia message service center. Routing is based on address information contained in the multimedia message, session identification information associated with the multimedia message, load-balancing and fault-tolerance information associated with each one of the plurality of multimedia message service centers, service identifying information contained in the multimedia message and combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Airwide Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Kadar, Jiwei Wang, Ken Kim, David Featherstone
  • Patent number: 7649896
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system using label switching techniques to support QoS for mobile ad-hoc networks and its label distributing and switching method. The system includes plural clusters, each having plural mobile nodes. At least one mobile node in a cluster is selected as a routing agent. One routing agent in a cluster is selected as a core routing agent. Each core routing agent is capable of obtaining an unique seed for generating an label L=f(S, i, j)=S×3i×2j to a new LSP, where S is an unique seed that is an unique prime number, except 2 and 3, obtained by the core routing agent, i represents one of different kinds of LSP, and j represents one of different numbers for the same kind of LSP. Through the interconnecting of core routing agents, the virtual backbones can be constructed for bandwidth sharing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Jen-Shun Yang, Pei-Hsuan Wu, Chien-Chao Tseng, Vincent Feng
  • Patent number: 7633949
    Abstract: A method of providing network services is described. The network includes a number of nodes, each one of which is coupled to at least one other of the nodes by at least one of a number of optical links. The network is preferably capable of supporting a number of virtual circuits. The method begins with the receiving of a request for a virtual circuit between a first node and a second node of the network. Preferably, the request specifies a quality of service of the virtual circuit. Next, the availability of network resources for supporting a virtual circuit at the requested quality of service is determined. Assuming sufficient network resources are available for support of the virtual circuit, the request is then serviced by provisioning (and maintaining) the requested virtual circuit. Servicing the request preferably includes actions such as provisioning, maintaining, and restoring the virtual circuit, using the requested parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: H. Michael Zadikian, Steven E. Plote, John C. Adler, David P. Autry, Ali Najib Saleh
  • Patent number: 7630376
    Abstract: Sequences of items may be maintained using ordered locks. These items may correspond to anything, but using ordered locks to maintain sequences of packets, especially for maintaining requisite packet orderings when distributing packets to be processed to different packet processing engines, may be particularly useful. For example, in response to a particular packet processing engine completing processing of a particular packet, a gather instruction is attached to the particular identifier of a particular ordered lock associated with the particular packet. If no longer needed for further processing, the packet processing engine is immediately released to be able to process another packet or perform another function. The gather instruction is typically performed in response to the particular ordered lock being acquired by the particular identifier, with the gather instruction causing the processed particular packet to be sent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Williams, Jr., John Andrew Fingerhut, Doron Shoham, Shimon Listman
  • Patent number: 7627870
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for implementing and using data structures comprised of a hierarchy of queues or linked list data structures. A queue or linked list typically comprises a distributor, a plurality of sub-queues or sub-linked lists, and a receiver. The distributor distributes a plurality of items to be added to the queue or linked list to the plurality of sub-queues or sub-linked lists in an order, and the receiver receives the items from these elements in the same order. Entries for the queues and/or linked lists may be stored in a common memory. Stages of selectors may be used to select a current queue or linked list and a particular sub-queue or linked list. The number of queues/linked lists and sub-queues/sub-linked lists is unbounded and can be sized according to the needs of the system, such as to overcome a memory access speed limitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Amir Michaeli, Vitaly Sukonik
  • Patent number: 7623527
    Abstract: A processor and program for analyzing network trace with the use of data packets transmitted via a network includes: a memory section 32 for storing trace data generated from the data packets; a packet analyzing section 34 for retrieving a pair of packets belonging to the same session from the trace data to generate an order relation between nodes; an array data generating section 36 for using packet pair data and order relation data to generate and store array data used for estimating time difference of the specific time axis of each node; and a solution engine section 38 for calculating an estimated value of the time difference with the use of the array data to store the estimated value in a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Masako Mitani, Yukio Miura, Yukinobu Moriya, Hiroyuki Wada