Abstract: A plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients. At least some of said resources are to be served to clients from a shared content delivery network (CDN) formed by a plurality of repeater servers. Each content provider provides at least some resources via one or more content sources associated with that content provider. Amounts of data transmitted by the CDN on behalf of each of the plurality of content providers are monitored. Based at least in part on said monitoring, requests for resources are selectively delivered at a lower transmission rate. The lower transmission rate is achieved by generating pauses or delays in the transmission.

Abstract: A plurality of content providers provide multiple resources to multiple clients. At least some of the resources are to be served to clients from a shared content delivery network (CDN) formed by a plurality of repeater servers. Each content provider provides at least some resources via one or more content sources associated with that content provider. Transmission data rates from the CDN on behalf of some of the content providers are monitored. Based at least in part on the monitored data rates, requests for resources are directed to a source other than the CDN. Redirection of requests may be based on a pricing policy.

Abstract: Nodes in a realtime p2p media distribution can act in the role of ‘Amplifiers’ to increase the total available bandwidth in the network and thus to improve the quality of the realtime media consumed by the viewers. Examples of such media consumptions are TV channels over the Internet, video on demand films and files, and media files downloaded to be consumed at a later time. Amplifiers are added to the p2p swarm by a mechanism that discovers the need for supplemental bandwidth in the swarm and orders nodes to join the swarm in the role of amplifiers. The amplifiers' main goal is to maximize the amount of bandwidth they supply (upload) to the swarm while minimizing the amount of bandwidth they consume (download).

Abstract: In one embodiment, flows are monitored that are open for a length of time until ending by either a distinct ending or by being silent longer than a configured aging timer (wherein a silent flow is a “zombie flow”). In response to each first flow ending, a total flow time value may be increased by a length of time that first flow was open, and in response to each second flow ending by aging, a zombie flow time value may be increased by the aging timer. A ratio of zombie flows at a particular time in the computer network that will be ended by aging may be estimated as the zombie flow time value divided by the total flow time value. Also, in other embodiments, a capacity improvement, performance hit, and accuracy hit may be predicted based on a new aging timer value.

Abstract: A system and method for a media processor separates the functions of topology creation and maintenance from the functions of processing data through a topology. The system includes a control layer including a topology generating element to generate a topology describing a set of input multimedia streams, one or more sources for the input multimedia streams, a sequence of operations to perform on the multimedia data, and a set of output multimedia streams, and a media processor to govern the passing of the multimedia data as described in the topology and govern the performance of the sequence of multimedia operations on the multimedia data to create the set of output multimedia streams. The core layer includes the input media streams, the sources for the input multimedia streams, one or more transforms to operate on the multimedia data, stream sinks, and media sinks to provide the set of output multimedia streams.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a system includes a data storage device having data stored therein and a native computer system having resident thereon a controlling operating system in communication with the data storage device. The system also includes a primary computer system having resident thereon a primary operating system in communication with the native computer system via a first connection, the primary computer system being in communication with the data storage device via a second connection that is not in communication with the native computer system, the primary computer system having a processor executing a primary application. A volume on the data storage device is under logical control of the controlling operating system of the native computer system, and the primary computer system reads or writes data to the volume directly via the second connection. Other systems, methods and computer program products are also described relating to accessing data.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transporting client data received at a first rate over an interconnect at a second, higher rate, wherein the client data is combined with dummy data according to a pattern that minimizes the amount of buffer space required to store the received client data. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving client data at the first rate, buffering the client data, retrieving the client data, combining the client data with dummy data according to the pattern, and transmitting the combined data at the second rate. The pattern comprises K blocks, of which a first number contain P w-bytes of client data, and of which the remainder contain P+1 w-bytes of client data. The remainder of the space in the blocks is stuffed with dummy data. The pattern may also include a residual slot that contains one or more bytes of client data.

Abstract: A web-based video editing system includes a communication device configured to: generate information indicative of points of interest of a video, the points of interest being indicative of one or more active data or one or more inactive data during a selected time interval; determine an identity of each of the active data, and a required amount of an identified active data during the selected time interval; and request the identified active data and the required amount of each of the identified active data. The system also includes: a web server configured to: receive the requested information, assign a unique identifier to the identified active data and transmit a redirect to the communication device. The system also includes: a custom web server configured to: receive and transmit to the communication device information indicative of the unique identifiers and the required amount of each of the identified active data.

Abstract: A number of improvements in network adapters that offload protocol processing from the host processor are provided. Specifically, mechanisms for handling memory management and optimization within a system utilizing an offload network adapter are provided. The memory management mechanism permits both buffered sending and receiving of data as well as zero-copy sending and receiving of data. In addition, the memory management mechanism permits grouping of DMA buffers that can be shared among specified connections based on any number of attributes. The memory management mechanism further permits partial send and receive buffer operation, delaying of DMA requests so that they may be communicated to the host system in bulk, and expedited transfer of data to the host system.

Abstract: A portable media player can play a large number of media files without being required to physically store all of the media files at any given time. In one implementation, the portable media player includes a memory to store a playlist that includes a plurality of entries succinctly representing media files and a media access manager component. The media access manager component receives media files referenced by entries in the playlist over one or more of a plurality of network connections. The media access manager component downloads the media files as they become available over the network connections based on policies preset on the portable media player and policies preset for the media files.

Abstract: A method for communicating between devices in a network includes creating an I/O tunnel between a first device and a second device through the network. The I/O tunnel is associated with I/O resources in both the first device and the second device, and wherein at least one of the I/O resources comprises a buffer resource. A data transfer operation may be sent between the first device and the second device by consuming at least some of the I/O resources associated with the I/O tunnel. A plurality of commands or a plurality of responses can be aggregated into a single buffer resource. Upon completion of the data transfer operation, the I/O resources that are consumed are automatically renewed.

Abstract: In current systems, a typical way to collect application statistics includes sending requests to a resource manager that can access the resource hardware via a device driver. Current systems require multiple synchronous transactions between the processes, which results in the systems consuming large amounts of central processing unit resources that lead to sub-optimal rates of information retrieval. A method and apparatus configured to use asynchronous messaging across all modules and to return hardware statistics directly from the hardware to an application process, thereby bypassing transactions between the application and the resource manager, and bypassing similar transactions between the resource manager and a device driver. Embodiments of the invention are provided for minimizing the power consumed by the memory and minimizing the amount of dedicated memory necessary to perform.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for controlling congestion, such as within the transport control protocol (TCP) based on bandwidth estimation techniques which provide explicit indications of back-to-back packet traffic. In response to registered back-to-back traffic, receiver-side bandwidth estimation techniques are exploited to enhance the congestion control behavior of TCP based networks. By way of example, a sender marks packets in the header or by changing segment size within a packet to indicate whether the packet is being sent back-to-back. A receiver utilizes the explicit back-to-back information, optionally in conjunction with other back-to-back packet estimation techniques, when estimating available bandwidth and setting congestion parameters. In addition a mechanism for controlling the length of packet trains is described which is based on modulating the transmission of delayed acknowledgements, such as sending acknowledgements upon receipt of a selected number of packets.

Abstract: A serial ATA interface interfaces an ASIC with a HDD. A transfer start monitoring unit monitors start of data transfer between the ASIC and the HDD and a transfer completion monitoring unit monitors completion of the data transfer. A power management control unit controls power consumption of the ASIC and the HDD based on monitoring results obtained from the transfer start monitoring unit and the transfer completion monitoring unit.

Abstract: A data transmitter divides incoming data for transmission into data blocks and passes them in frame transmission order to a radio link stage via a serial frame buffer. The buffer holds the data frames until the radio link stage is able to transmit them. The incoming data has associated with it various parameters. The radio link stage has allocated to it radio link resources. The parameters and resources, which change independently of each other from time to time, are supplied to a controller which calculates high and low buffer levels therefrom. The controller controls the passing of the data frames through the frame buffer to maintain the number of frames in the buffer at any instant of time at a level between the calculated high and low levels.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes at least one outgoing transmission engine implemented in hardware, wherein the at least one outgoing transmission engine is for transmitting data in the plurality of buffers queued to the at least one outgoing transmission engine to the intersystem transmission medium, and a memory for storing the plurality of buffers, wherein each of the buffers queued to the at least one outgoing transmission engine is dequeued after the data is transmitted therefrom and requeued to an available buffer queue. In another embodiment, a system includes the above, except that it includes one or more incoming reception engines instead of outgoing transmission engines. In another embodiment, a method includes buffering data to be sent out by executing a loop of commands on an intersystem communication device and disconnecting the buffers after data has been transferred.

Abstract: In a method for controlling data traffic in a wireless or other communication network, one or more hardware/software agents are deployed to interface with one or more network entities such as routers, switches, backhaul transmission lines, and wireless base stations. The agents monitor the L1 (physical) and L2 (data link) layers of the network for the presence of indicators associated with network failover operations, such as DS1 alarms and protocol errors, respectively. Based on detected indicators across all monitored network entities, the agents determine if a failover operation has occurred. If so, data congestion associated with the failover operation is controlled according to a failover congestion monitoring and recovery mode (e.g., a data source backoff model), to reduce instances of dropped calls that would otherwise occur if the failover congestion were handled according to a general purpose congestion monitoring and recovery mode of the network.

Abstract: A method is presented for throttling data transmissions within a data processing system. Information about a data transfer from a server to a client is received within the application layer of a server, which stores the information about the data transfer along with information about a number of recent data transfers from the server to the client to create a sliding window of historical information about data transfers. The data transfer from the application layer of the server is delayed within the application layer of the server for an amount of time that is approximately equal to a computed delay time value in response to a determination that an average data transfer rate over the number of recent data transfers from the server to the client may exceed a data transfer rate threshold parameter.

Abstract: A receiving unit receives user-specific identification data from a display processing device connected via a network. A transmitting unit transmits operation screen data to the display processing device, which is for displaying an operation screen for receiving an operation from a user specified by the user-specific identification data received by the receiving unit.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a gateway including a controller adapted to transmit media content to a group of set top boxes that are associated with a premises and that each have a presentation device connected thereto where the presentation devices are in proximity to each other, receive a plurality of streams of the media content from a media server where the streams are of the same media content, and apply a delay compensation to delivery of the plurality of streams to one or more set top boxes of the group of set top boxes to synchronize presentation of the media content at each of the presentation devices, where the delay compensation is based on a transmission delay and a receipt delay, where the transmission delay is between each of the group of set top boxes and the gateway, and where the receipt delay is between the gateway and the media server. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A data transportation protocol (13, 21) for transferring data within a wireless network (6), the protocol (13, 21) comprising: a block I/O interface layer (40) to provide a single level of translation between block I/O storage protocol commands and network packets; and a wireless transport layer (41) to transport the network packets between a client (6A) and server (6B) within the network (6); wherein the block I/O interface layer (40) performs operations directly on a storage device driver (23) and a network device driver (14, 20) of the client (6A) and server (6B).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transmitting outgoing data uses data descriptors for multiple sets of contiguous data blocks stored in buffers. When new sets of contiguous data blocks are created due to acknowledgement signals for particular data blocks of the multiple sets of contiguous data blocks, new data descriptors are generated for some of the new sets of contiguous data blocks. These new data descriptors are placed in spaces in the buffers where the particular data blocks were originally stored.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a bandwidth needed for services to be provided over an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network and a Service over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network are disclosed. For example, the service provider utilizes a tool (e.g., an algorithm or a software application) that calculates the effective compression ratio and effective data rate of traffic on an IP network based on customer specified traffic information and standards for coding, protocol overhead, sampling, etc. In one embodiment, the network service provider presents a menu to a customer to allow the customer to enter the pertinent traffic information. Once the traffic information is received, the tool will determine the Effective Data Rate (EDR) and Effective Compression Ratio (ECR).

Abstract: A method includes producing units of work with at least one source application instance (AI) at a source device and consuming units of work with at least one destination AI at a destination device. A first reliable datagram service is established, with a first source and destination resource (SDR), between the source device and the destination device. A second reliable datagram service is established, with a second SDR independent of the first SDR, between the source device and the destination device. A first unit of work stream is transmitted over a communication services/fabric with the first reliable datagram service, which guarantees strong ordering of the first unit of work stream received at the destination device. A second unit of work stream is transmitted over the communication services/fabric with the second reliable datagram service, which guarantees strong ordering of the second unit of work stream received at the destination device.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining whether a transaction between a subscriber and a merchant website requires downloading and/or streaming digital objects. In response to a determination that the transaction does require downloading and/or streaming of digital objects, a subscriber is provided with various options for delaying such downloading and/or streaming in return for incentives of varying value.

Abstract: An electronic communication device includes a buffer and a controller. The buffer stores characters as they are being input by a user. The controller transmits the stored characters over a network when a pause in the input of characters exceeds a threshold time period. The controller also dynamically adjusts the threshold time period.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described which allow the detection of gaps in a set of data. These systems and methods may include defining streams of data from a network topology, associating incoming data with one or more of these streams, and processing these streams. A gap may be detected by comparing the times of events in the stream. If a gap is detected remedial action may be taken, and processing of the streams temporarily halted. Processing of the streams may continue when data for a certain stream is received, or after the lapse of a certain period of time.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for (1) collecting information from a remote application unit and/or (2) diagnosing or controlling the remote application unit. By utilizing a shareable computer code device (e.g., a dynamic linked library), a new application can utilize tested, proven code without having to reproduce existing functionality. Moreover, by supporting multiple data formats and/or multiple communication protocols, a computer code device increases the likelihood that a supported format and/or protocol will be either receivable or understandable by a receiver.

Abstract: In a flow control method, operation flow is controlled on a per connection basis. The method comprises managing a sending peer to prevent overflow of a receiving peer's receiver credits and allocating a number of send buffers at the sending peer greater than or equal to the maximum number of receiver credits that can be indicated by the receiving peer. The technique prevents the sending peer from overflowing its set of send buffers, arising due to re-use, without taking completions on operations queued to a Send Queue.

Abstract: Validation of various portions of received data, including validating a cut-through checksum found in a received data packet. The cut-through checksum is based on data found in a packet header, and thus can be validated before the entire packet is received. This feature allows processing of the received data to begin before the entire packet has been received. Many embodiments will also receive a checksum that is based on the entire packet.

Abstract: A method of bandwidth allocation for delivery of stored digital content from at least one server device to at least one client device by way of a network. The method includes the steps of: describing a control variable which represents a target flow rate of content from the server device to each client device; determining time-varying constraints on the target flow rate of the content; determining a cost function of the control variables for all clients, wherein the cost function represents an aggregate flow rate and is a sum of all flow rates for all clients; and prescribing bandwidth to all clients based upon a value of the control variables that maximize the cost function comprising performing periodic computations to update the value of the control variable such that the bandwidth can be continuously allocated to each client.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and systems are presented for transmission generation at a node in a wireless network involving writing a sequence of transmission instructions to a plurality of independently accessible buffers such that each one of the sequence of transmission instructions is written to one of the plurality of independently accessible buffers, reading each one of the sequence of transmission instructions from one of the plurality of independently accessible buffers, and carrying out at least one transmission task in accordance with each transmission instruction read from one of the plurality of independently accessible buffers, wherein a read operation for reading one of the sequence of transmission instructions from one of the independently accessible buffers may overlap in time with a write operation for writing another one of the sequence of transmission instructions to another one of the independently accessible buffers.

Abstract: A method for managing under-runs and a device having under-run management capabilities. The method includes retrieving packets from multiple buffers, monitoring a state of a multiple buffers, determining whether an under-run associated with a transmission attempt of a certain information frame from a certain buffer occurs; if an under-run occurs, requesting a certain information frame transmitter to transmit predefined packets while ignoring packets that are retrieved from the certain buffer, until a last packet of the information frame is retrieved from the certain buffer; and notifying a processor that an under-run occurred after at least one predefined packet was transmitted; wherein each buffer out of the multiple buffers is adapted to store a fraction of a maximal sized information frame.

Abstract: A compute unit with an internal bit FIFO circuit includes at least one data register, a lookup table, a configuration register including FIFO base address, length and read/write mode fields for configuring a portion of the lookup table as a bit FIFO circuit and a read/write pointer register responsive to an instruction having a lookup table identification field, length of bits field and register extract/deposit field for selectively transferring in a single cycle between the FIFO circuit and the data register a bit field of specified length.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for selecting a content distribution network (CDN) comprising at least one content server, from a plurality of CDNs, and a playing digital content file from the CDN on a content player. Selecting the CDN is based on a rank order of CDNs, an assigned weight value for each CDN, and a bandwidth measured between the content player and each CDN. Advantageously, a given content player may select a CDN based on prevailing network and CDN loading conditions, thereby increasing overall robustness and reliability when downloading digital content file from a CDN.

Abstract: A communication device and method provide selective control of a level of buffering of at least one data stream. The communication device includes a jitter buffer (202), a jitter buffer control unit (204) and a user interface (206). An instruction received via an input to a user interface (206) indicates a jitter buffer strategy (510), such as enabling a jitter buffer or setting a size of a jitter buffer, based on the user input. The control unit (204) sets the buffer strategy based in the instruction, and a data stream transmitted via a packet-switched network is received (530) and buffered for play out based on the buffer strategy (540).

Abstract: A switch fabric includes input links, output links, and at least one switching element. The input links are configured to receive data items that include destination addresses. At least some of the data items have different priority levels. The output links are configured to output the data items. Each of the output links is assigned multiple ones of the destination addresses. Each of the destination addresses corresponds to one of the priority levels. The switching element(s) is/are configured to receive the data items from the input links and send the data items to ones of the output links without regard to the priority levels of the data items.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system that optimizes transmission bandwidth of a broadband transmission system such as a cable television, satellite system, or wireless information service. Requests for content items from users are employed to add or delete content items from a list. Content items in the list are ranked relative to the number of requests received or by rate of request. Package groups are created with most requested content items being broadcast more frequently than less requested content items. Transmit groups are produced from package groups and placed in a broadcast queue. A transmit process transmits groups retrieved from the queue.

Abstract: Buffering data associated with a spatial publishing object data store at a buffer distance proximate a user presence in a spatial publishing object space. The buffer distance comprises a measure based at least in part on: capacity of a communications path between the data store and the user platform; availability of memory at the user platform; movement of a user presence through the space; traffic in the communications path; processing resources available; amount of objects within a distance of the user presence; amount of objects in the space; type of objects; proximity of objects to the user presence; and rate of the user presence movement in the space. Movement of the user presence in the space buffers data such that data for a proximate object is available in the buffer for presenting to the user when the user's presence is a predetermined distance from the proximate object.

Abstract: A first device transmits messages to a second device. The first device keeps track of messages that have already been transmitted from the first device to the second device, experiences an interruption in transmission of messages at the first device, and resumes the transmission from the first device following the interruption. Resuming the transmission includes transmitting only messages that have not already been completely transmitted from the first device to the second device.

Abstract: A system including a reference data server that stores a first set of data used in the plurality of processes, a load balancer that reconfigures the transactional data, a first stage processing system and a second stage processing system. The first stage processing system includes one or more first processing modules that execute at least one process of a first set of the plurality of processes on the reconfigured transactional data to generate first stage processed transactional data, each of the one or more first processing modules comprising an in-memory cache that stores a second set of data used in the at least one process, and a first stage data storage system that stores the first stage processed transactional data.

Abstract: A method for indicating an overload condition of a data storage system, comprises the steps of: defining one or more load indexes, wherein each of the load indexes has an overload threshold; and if one of the load indexes has met its respective overload threshold, providing an indicator of the overload condition of the storage system, else, monitoring the load indexes.

Abstract: A shaping unit includes FIFOs for accumulating a packet which is so designed as to arrive at a destination address. A packet (an ordinary packet), which has one destination address, is accumulated into the FIFO corresponding to the one destination address. A packet (a virtual multicast packet), which will be copied in the downstream of the shaping unit to arrive at two destination addresses, is accumulated into either of the FIFOs. A packet read unit transmits the virtual multicast packet, which is read from either of the FIFOs, and the ordinary packet, which is read from the one of the FIFOs, to a multiplexing circuit in such a manner that the total bandwidth of both packets is controlled.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for traffic based decisions for energy efficient networking are provided. In this regard, a network device may determine whether to transition out of an energy-saving mode based on a type and/or class of traffic received and/or to be transmitted by the network device. In instances that the network device does not transition out of the energy-saving mode, the network device may drop, buffer, or redirect the traffic. In instances that the network device transitions out of the energy-saving mode, the network device may process and/or forward the traffic, and/or convey the traffic up a protocol stack of the network device. The network device may determine whether to transition out of the energy-saving mode based on information stored in a table and/or in register(s) that reside within a PHY and/or within portions of the network device associated with implementing higher OSI layer functions.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of configuring quality parameters in a packet-based transmission flow for packets within the flow, and still further a method of transmitting packet-based transmission flows comprising packets of configured quality classes within a session capable of handling at least two distinguishable flows, the method comprising the steps of: receiving packets of a first flow as a first flow of the session, analyzing the received packets in terms of the configured quality classes, separating those segments of the packets of a configured quality class, which configured quality class differs from a quality class of said first flow of the session. Also, a corresponding reception method is disclosed, and respective transmitter and receiver devices are disclosed.

Abstract: The subject application is directed to a system and method for accessing a remote desktop via a document processing device interface. A thin client interface is generated on a graphical display associated with a document processing device, and data communication is established between the thin client interface and an associated remote frame buffer server disposed on a workstation via a document processing device network interface associated with a document processing device. A user interface associated with the workstation is generated on the graphical display via the thin client in accordance with an established data communication, user input is received via the thin client, and remote operation of the workstation is enabled via received user input.

Abstract: The size and location of an envelope of a data block are included in the posting to a second device of a descriptor list entry for the data block, thus allowing the second device to read the data block without having to first read the descriptor list entry. This envelope may be the same size and location of the data block, or this envelope may be larger than the data block. For example, as the size of the posted register may not be large enough to also store all of the bits required to specify the exact size and position of the data block, a larger data block envelope is defined without specifying the exact low order bits of the size and/or location of the data block envelope.

Abstract: A device for the streaming reception of audio and/or video data packets transmitted over a network from a source server, the device including a network buffer memory in which the packets may be stored, the network buffer memory exhibiting a variable buffering time; and a program memory encoded with instructions configured to adapt the buffering time of the packets for the purpose of improved playback performance of the packets and to locally determine the value of at least one quality of service indicator, the instructions configured to adapt the buffering time adapting the time as a function of the value of the indicator.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a method includes a Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) software overlay residing in a first plane of a node of the network is used to define hierarchical forwarding behavior for data being generated in the first plane. In a second plane of the network, local buffering and data retransmission is performed in response to at least one intermittent network outage. Communication between the first and second planes is performed to manage the transmission of data between the first and second planes as needed in the event of at network outage that is longer in duration than the at least one intermittent network outage, to thus prevent the loss of data.

Abstract: A system and method may include receiving a new flow request, the new flow request for requesting provisioning of a flow between a computer and the server, identifying a path of one or more network elements between the computer and the server, and determining whether provisioning the flow between the computer and the server violates a constraint. The system and method may further include updating an oversubscription factor and available bandwidth for an interface of each of the one or more network elements in the event the constraint is not violated, and determining whether a second path exists between the computer and the server in the event the constraint is violated.