Abstract: Delivering a video stream is disclosed. A request for the video stream is received. A past portion of the video stream is delivered to a client. The past portion has a marker time that precedes a current time by an interval that corresponds to a buffer length in a client buffer. Receiving a video stream is also disclosed. A request for the video stream is transmitted. A past portion of the video stream is received. The received past portion has a marker time that precedes a current time by an interval that corresponds to a buffer length in a client buffer.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method, upstream processing node, and computer readable medium for dynamically stabilizing a stream processing system. The method includes receiving at least one computing resource allocation target. The method further includes determining that an input data flow rate of at least one upstream processing element varies. The computing resource is dynamically allocated to the upstream processing element in response to the input rate of the upstream processing element varying. Data flow is dynamically controlled between the upstream processing element and at least one downstream processing element.

Abstract: As more internet service providers have more customers with high-speed internet access accounts and these customers access more multi-media rich data (such as videos), the network infrastructure of internet service providers becomes saturated. Thus, internet service providers are facing pressure to upgrade their networks. However, high-speed digital networking equipment is expensive. Thus, internet service providers need to optimize the usage of their existing networks. To optimize the usage of existing networks, a system of delaying certain data requests is proposed. By delaying certain data requests, the various components in a network can shift data transfers from peak traffic times to lower traffic times. One useful application of delayed requests is the case in which a web client requests data ahead of schedule either through predictive methods or through subscriptions for desired data.

Abstract: The dynamic management of download rates when downloading digital resources to clients. A server concurrently maintains download sessions with any number of clients, each download session for downloading a corresponding digital resource to a corresponding client. The download rates for the various download sessions are adjusted as download sessions are completed, and as new download sessions are added. As new download sessions are initiated, a minimum and target download rate may be calculated. The target download rate is the rate at which the server will attempt to download the requested digital resource to the client, and will depend on the total available bandwidth for use to download the digital resources.

Abstract: A Flow Record restriction apparatus is provided for restricting a transmission number of Flow Records while maintaining measurement information of the whole traffic. The Flow Record restriction apparatus includes: a flow generation unit 202 configured to determine a set of packets having the same attribute to be a flow of the same communication, and to generate a Flow Record based on header information of the packets for each flow; a Flow Record number restriction function unit 203 including a management buffer for temporarily storing generated Flow Records, and being configured to read the Flow Records from the management buffer and output the Flow Records; and a Flow Record transmission unit 204 configured to packetize the output Flow Records to transmit packets over the measurement network, wherein, when a number of Flow Records stored in the management buffer exceeds a preset upper limit value, the Flow Record number restriction function unit 203 aggregates a part of stored Flow Records.

Abstract: A computerized system and method for processing network content associated with multiple virtual domains. The processing may include anti-malware scanning and/or content filtering. The content associated with multiple domains may be processed in the same daemon process. In response to connection requests from virtual domains, the service process creates separate sockets to communicate with each virtual domain. A global configuration management module is used to provide configuration parameters for each session to the service process. A logging manager processes both the global logs and the logs from each virtual domain. Alternatively, the service process may initiate other service processes to handle incoming connections from one or more virtual domains, in order to better utilize resources in a multiple-CPU environment.

Abstract: This paper describes a server diagnostic module toolkit which provides for the non-intrusive inspection and/or data transformation of stages, modules, and data on a server utilizing a request-response protocol. Diagnostic modules are installed on a server so that diagnostic commands may be sent by a client within an otherwise normal request and received by the server to invoke debugging and monitoring functionality during the normal runtime processing of the server. Diagnostic data may then be stored and later retrieved so that debugging and monitoring may be accomplished without disturbing the normal processing of requests by the server.

Abstract: A scheduler is adapted to schedule packets or other data blocks for transmission from a plurality of transmission elements in timeslots of a frame in a communication system. In scheduling for a given frame, the scheduler initially designates each of the transmission elements as eligible to transmit one or more data blocks in the given frame, and selects from among those of the transmission elements designated as eligible at least one of the transmission elements for scheduling in a next available timeslot of the given frame. The scheduler then adjusts the eligibility status of the selected transmission element(s), and repeats the selecting and adjusting operations for one or more remaining timeslots of the given frame. The scheduler in an illustrative embodiment may be implemented in a network processor integrated circuit or other processing device of the communication system.

Abstract: Differentiated services for network traffic using weighted quality of service is provided. Network traffic is queued into separate per flow queues, and traffic is scheduled from the per flow queues into a group queue. Congestion management is performed on traffic in the group queue. Traffic is marked with priority values, and congestion management is performed based on the priority values. For example, traffic can be marked as “in contract” if it is within a contractual limit, and marked as “out of contract” if it is not within the contractual limit. Marking can also include classifying incoming traffic based on Differentiated Service Code Point. Higher priority traffic can be scheduled from the per flow queues in a strict priority over lower priority traffic. The lower priority traffic can be scheduled in a round robin manner.

Abstract: Flexible network policies might be enforced by (a) obtaining a flow of network packets, (b) determining a content characteristic by characterizing content of the flow using bit-stream level statistics, (c) determining content-independent flow characteristics, port-independent flow characteristics, and/or application header-independent flow characteristics, and (d) enforcing a policy on the flow using both (1) the determined content characteristic and the (2) determined content-independent flow characteristics, port-independent flow characteristics, and/or application header-independent flow characteristics.

Abstract: A multi-source peer content distribution system transfers content files from multiple, distributed peer computers to any requesting computer. The content distribution network coordinates file transfers through a mediation system including a content catalog and a host broker system. The content catalog contains an identification of each content file, the segmented subunits of each file, and the peer caches to which the subunits have been distributed. The host broker system receives content file requests issued over a network from requesting computers. In response, manifest files identifying the request corresponding content subunits and distributed cache locations are returned. The requesting computers can then retrieve and assemble the corresponding content subunits from the peer computers to obtain the requested content file.

Abstract: Communication with a status management component of a computer system is enabled. A status adapter is provided to a processing runtime environment for use in accessing a status management runtime environment. The processing runtime environment includes data object node instances resident in computer memory and enables access to persistent storage for data object node instances. The status management runtime environment is configured to provide status-related information. The status adapter is configured to 1) accept input from the processing runtime environment, 2) provide, to the status management runtime environment, the input in a form that the status management runtime environment is able to use, 3) receive, from the status management runtime environment, an output including status-related information, and 4) provide, to the processing runtime environment, the output in a form that the processing runtime environment is able to use.

Abstract: An apparatus determines a communication protocol for transmitting data, adds a calculation result of checksum calculation to the data and transmits the result with the data, and stores the calculation result in a memory according to a communication protocol determination.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for conveying selected media content from a sending entity (A) to a receiving terminal (B) when the sending entity sends the media content for immediate delivery over IP. A session manager detects that the receiving terminal is unable to receive the selected multimedia content by immediate delivery over IP. A format converter (308,608) converts the media content into a format adapted for deferred delivery involving temporary storage of the media content in an intermediate messaging center (310,610), and sends the converted media content to the messaging center for deferred delivery to the receiving terminal. The session manager and the format converter are both implemented in an originating multimedia service network (300,600) serving the sending entity, or in a terminating multimedia service network (302,602) serving the receiving terminal.

Abstract: There is provided a wireless communication system in which a plurality of wireless communication devices form a network in an autonomous distributed manner. Each of the plurality of wireless communication devices includes an identification information acquirer that acquires, from another wireless communication device that satisfies a predetermined condition, the identification information of the another communication device, an identification information holder that holds the acquired identification information of the another wireless communication device, and an authentication unit that, in authentication of the another wireless communication device, continues the authentication on condition that identification information in a certificate of the another wireless communication device is held in the identification information holder.

Abstract: A client media application sends a first request for a first chunk of a particular media stream. In response to the request, the client media application begins receiving data packets associated with the requested first chunk of the particular media stream. The data packets are received through a socket having a buffer. Rather than waiting until all of the data packets associated with the first chunk of the particular media stream have been read from the buffer by the client media application before sending a request for a second chunk of the particular media stream, the client media application monitors the amount of data that has been received compared to an expected amount of data, and sends the second request when it determines that the amount of data remaining to be received is less than the size of the buffer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for a computer-implemented, in-vehicle application platform (VAP) for conducting vehicle-to-business (V2B) communication. A V2B vehicle application layer resides within the vehicle. The VAP comprises a communication layer facilitating reliable message exchange between this vehicle application layer and V2B business applications. The VAP further comprises a HW abstraction layer encapsulating vehicle-specific interfaces both with regard to the CAN bus and the in-vehicle HMI. According to certain embodiments, these layers of the VAP provide their functionality via open, non-proprietary, and well-defined interfaces, allowing for efficient development of V2B applications and enhancing portability of the latter.

Abstract: Described herein are various principles for operating a connectionless content unit transfer protocol to transmit content of a content unit to multiple clients using a shared buffer. A server may transfer content of one or more content units to each of multiple clients upon request from the client using individual buffers. For each content unit being transferred, the server may maintain a count of the aggregate size of buffers for transferring content of that content unit. If the server determines that the aggregate size of the buffers transmitting a particular content unit is larger than the content unit itself, the server may establish a shared buffer for transferring that content unit to clients. A server using a shared buffer in this manner may transfer content of the content unit to clients using the shared buffer until all requesting clients have received the content unit.

Abstract: Methods for determining and utilizing server performance metrics in a network are provided. For example, such methods can involve determining the service availability and metric measurements of types of services provided by a content delivery machine. User weightings can be used to indicate whether more traffic should be sent to one content server address compared to another. DNS servers use the test result updates and/or user weightings to determine the best server to return in response to a request to resolve a given DNS name. Computer systems and apparatus for carrying out such methods are also provided.

Abstract: Computer network apparatus may include a packet-receiving module to receive a packet into an element of a storage array while a low resource state exists, an array truncation module to truncate the array at the element when the array is full or when no more packets are available to be received, and an array indication module to indicate the array after the array truncation module truncates the array. In one embodiment, a system may include a receiving node containing the apparatus. A method may include receiving a packet into an element of an array while a low resource state exists, truncating the array at the element after the array is full or no more packets are available to be received, and indicating the array.

Abstract: A recording medium storing a program for performing collective communication of unique-messages by a computer. According to the program, a space in which nodes are arranged is equally split into regions according to directions from the origin of a relative coordinate system, and a region to which each node belongs is determined on the basis of the relative coordinates of the node. When the computer receives an instruction to execute collective communication of unique-messages, messages are submitted to nodes in turns so that the numbers of messages addressed to the respective regions and submitted per predetermined unit time are equated, and each message submitted to one of the nodes contains data unique to the node.

Abstract: A method of delivering an encoded data stream to a plurality of recipient end-user nodes of a network includes receiving an incoming encoded data stream at a first recipient node from a transmitting node over the network. During ongoing receipt of the incoming encoded data stream at the first recipient node from the transmitting node, the incoming encoded data stream is decoded at the first recipient node to produce a decoded data stream that is output for consumption at the first recipient node. The decoded data stream is used to generate a modified encoded data stream being a modified version of the incoming encoded data stream. Still during ongoing receipt of the incoming encoded data stream at the first recipient node from the transmitting node, the modified encoded data stream is relayed from the first recipient node to one or more second recipient nodes over the network.

Abstract: According to various embodiments of the present invention, an intelligent framer/mapper integrates the framer, mapper, and the controlling function of the host processor, implemented as either a soft processor or an embedded processor, into a single device, such as a programmable logic device. The use of the soft processor or embedded processors on the device reduces the load on the host processor on the line card. According to some aspects of the invention, the devices takes advantage of an embedded, dedicated processor and/or soft processor(s) to allow for a distributed processing on a single chip.

Abstract: An antivirus agent located on a user computer, local area network or standalone hardware device includes a statistical module, a control unit, a timeslot generator and a dispatcher. The statistical module calculates statistics for incoming request packets including the burstiness degree H. A number of normal distributions are predefined. A number of probability sequences are predefined. An input statistic is used to select one of the probability sequences. This probability sequence is used to select a timer value from the distributions. Packets are loaded into a variable-length buffer in the dispatcher to form the timer expires or when the buffer is full. The rate of the output traffic from the dispatcher depends upon a selected distribution value by the timeslot generator and not by any manufactured timing by an attacker. Output traffic frequency is shaped by the dispatcher; packets may go out faster or slower, thus thwarting an attacker who relies upon their own inserted packet timing.

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: A method of composing a web page is described. The method includes transmitting an authoring web page including an embedded authoring tool to a client computer using a network. The authoring tool may be used to compose the web page. Web-page content corresponding to the composed web page is received from the client computer. The composed web page may include one or more regions for displaying one or more advertisements having one or more links to one or more content locations. In another aspect of the disclosure, an advertising program registration module may include a link or other mechanism for sending the authoring web page to a publisher registering to participate in the advertising program.

Abstract: A network acceleration device includes a persistent, in-memory cache of network content. For example, the cache may store content in a manner that allows a software process to map virtual memory to specific, known regions of an underlying physical memory. Upon detecting a failure of a process executing within the network device, the network acceleration device may restart the software process and remap data structures of the cache to the known regions of the physical memory without necessarily requiring that the cache content be reloaded from a non-volatile memory, such as a hard drive. In this manner, the network acceleration device may accelerate download speeds by avoiding timely cache content restoration in the event of a software process failure.

Abstract: A system and method for updating a display unit remotely located from a computing system are described. The method includes copying display information from a video buffer of a computing device executing an application to generate a display update, calculating a size of the display update, and determining an amount of available bandwidth of a network connecting the computing device and the display unit. The method also includes calculating a time period required to communicate the display update from the computing device to the display unit, transmitting the display update to the display; and repeating the method after the time period has elapsed.

Abstract: A network device includes a memory configured to store a flow table, and a processor. The processor is configured to receiving a network packet, determine the network packet corresponds to an unidentified network flow, and provide flow information for the unidentified network flow to a controller. The processor is further configured to receive a flow identifier and an flow table entry from the controller. The flow table entry includes a flow rule and an encapsulate instruction. The processor is further configured to store the flow rule in the flow table, encapsulate the network packet using the flow identifier, and forward the encapsulated network packet to the network.

Abstract: In an embodiment, objects are downloaded to an access terminal (AT) based on which window(s) are prominently displayed on the AT. In another embodiment, objects are downloaded to the AT based on a set of user-specified object download priorities. In another embodiment, a portion of a streaming data session to the AT is de-prioritized in response to a transition of a display of the AT from a first set of windows associated with the streaming data session to a second set of windows associated with a different session. For example, the de-prioritization can result in the portion (e.g., a video-portion of a audio and video conference) being omitted or reduced. In another embodiment, in response to the AT entering a limited environment, objects being downloaded to the AT can be dynamically altered to conform with the AT's limited environment.

Abstract: An exemplary audio system includes an audio engine, one or more shared buffers where each shared buffer is associated with a client application and one or more lock-free mechanisms to help ensure that a write position of a shared buffer stays equal to or ahead of a read position for that shared buffer and to ensure that a client application's failure to maintain a write position equal to or ahead of a read position does not prevent audio engine access to the shared buffer. Other exemplary technologies are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for quickly and easily making data from one device available to other devices in a user's collection of computing devices. In one example, each of a user's computing devices includes a client-side clipboard application. A cloud clipboard service may be resident on a server to which each of the user's computing devices are operatively connected. Data from a local clipboard buffer on a user's computing device is automatically uploaded by the associated client-side clipboard application to the cloud clipboard service. Thereafter, the uploaded data it is automatically propagated to a user's other networked devices for use on those devices. Data from one user uploaded to the cloud clipboard service may also be propagated to the devices of one or more other users.

Abstract: A relay device includes a screen information receiving unit that receives screen information from the application server, a cycle screen storage unit that stores screen information, a cycle detecting unit that detects a cycle of a change as first cycle information when the screen information cyclically changes, a cycle converting unit that converts the first cycle information into second cycle information, and a screen, information transmitting unit that acquires screen information from the cycle screen storage unit and transmits the screen information to the client terminal at a timing based on the second cycle information.

Abstract: Buffering messages by receiving a message from a messaging client, writing the message to a logically-contiguous write-available region of a message buffer starting at a logically next write-available location within the write-available region, updating a head index to indicate a head boundary between a logically last message in the message buffer and a logically next write-available location in the message buffer, defining a packet including the message within the message buffer, transmitting a packet that includes a logically first message in the message buffer, and updating a tail index to indicate a tail boundary between a new logically last write-available location in the message buffer and a new logically first message in the message buffer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatic notification and response based on communication flow expressions having dynamic context. A message is provided from a sender to at least one recipient in accordance with a communication flow having a plurality of potential paths. The communication flow is controlled by a communication flow expression having a dynamic context, wherein the communication flow expression contains at least one primitive keyword indicating how the message should be processed. The dynamic context of the communication flow expression may be established using one or more labels or a context function. A number of primitive keywords are provided that allow a communication flow expression to react to a dynamic context.

Abstract: A method of receiving communications at a data processing device includes receiving a packet from a virtual channel associated with a physical communication link. The packet is associated with a link virtual channel, and is stored in a storage location with the link virtual channel. Multiple internal virtual channels can be associated with the link virtual channel. A pointer to the storage location is enqueued in one of a plurality of FIFOs associated with one of the internal virtual channels. Each FIFO of the plurality of FIFOs stores pointers associated with a different internal virtual channel, allowing receiver arbitration logic to reorder between internal virtual channels based on internal resource availability and current priorities among virtual channels. This reduces the likelihood of communication deadlock and supports multiple classes of service.

Abstract: A method is provided for maximizing utility of a media delivery network having a media source, a first media adaptor, a second media adaptor and a media renderer. The media source can provide data in a first format and a second format. The first media adaptor can receive the data in the first format from the media source. The second media adaptor can receive the data in the second format from the media source. The first media adaptor can further provide data in a third format based on the received data in the first format. The second media adaptor can further provide data in a fourth format based on the received data in the second format. The media renderer can render the data in the third format and can render the data in the fourth format.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for pacing network traffic among a plurality of compute nodes connected using a data communications network. The network has a plurality of network regions, and the plurality of compute nodes are distributed among these network regions. Pacing network traffic among a plurality of compute nodes connected using a data communications network includes: identifying, by a compute node for each region of the network, a roundtrip time delay for communicating with at least one of the compute nodes in that region; determining, by the compute node for each region, a pacing algorithm for that region in dependence upon the roundtrip time delay for that region; and transmitting, by the compute node, network packets to at least one of the compute nodes in at least one of the network regions in dependence upon the pacing algorithm for that region.

Abstract: A data streaming system and method typically use a server arranged to stream one of a plurality of encoded data streams to a client. Each of the plurality of data streams may be an independent representation of a common data source encoded at a different resolution to the other of the plurality of data streams. The server can include a transmitter and a first buffer. The transmitter can be arranged to transmit data packets of the encoded data stream to the client via the first buffer. The transmitter can be arranged to monitor the content of the first buffer and switch to transmit another of the plurality of data streams in the event that predetermined criteria are detected from the first buffer.

Abstract: A network data flow management device including: a working packet module configured to store data related to a data flow; at least one network interface connected to the working packet module for receiving and sending data related to data flows; and a processor configured to: receive data from the working packet module and determine if the data flow matches a predetermined protocol; and if the data flow matches the predetermined protocol, send predictive acknowledgments based on the data flow via the network interface. A method for network data flow management including: monitoring a data flow for a predetermined protocol; if the data flow matches the predetermined protocol, saving data relating to the data flow; and creating and sending a predictive acknowledgement packet related to the data flow.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new method, system, apparatus and software product for signaling parameters of multiple buffers by a terminal to a server and determining multiple buffer status of the terminal by the server using these parameters, e.g., for an adequate rate adaptation of multimedia streaming services provided to the terminal by the server. The terminal can be (but is not limited to) a computer, a communication device, a wireless communication device, a portable electronic device, a mobile electronic device, a mobile phone, etc.

Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method that includes maintaining statistics, at a network interface, metering operation of the network interface. The statistics are transferred by direct memory access from the network interface to a memory accessed by at least one processor.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present method and apparatus adaptive load shedding includes receiving at least one data stream (comprising a plurality of tuples, or data items) into a first sliding window of memory. A subset of tuples from the received data stream is then selected for processing in accordance with at least one data stream operation, such as a data stream join operation. Tuples that are not selected for processing are ignored. The number of tuples selected and the specific tuples selected depend at least in part on a variety of dynamic parameters, including the rate at which the data stream (and any other processed data streams) is received, time delays associated with the received data stream, a direction of a join operation performed on the data stream and the values of the individual tuples with respect to an expected output.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems and methods for data message exchange in a client server network are described herein. In various embodiments, a client and a server network may implement a data message protocol for message exchanges. A method of an embodiment ensures message delivery, acknowledge message delivery, message delivery in a specific order, resending of lost data messages, and the like. In various embodiments, such data exchange may optimize data transmission and resource consumption in a client server network. A server can store data messages in a buffer and resend them only when requested by the client, as in the case of lost or out of sequence data message. A client with limited storage space need not concern itself with storing data messages and processing them at a later point in time. Furthermore, a client may optimize data transmission by acknowledging bulk data messages, rather than acknowledging them individually.

Abstract: Administering connection identifiers for collective operations in a parallel computer, including prior to calling a collective operation, determining, by a first compute node of a communicator to receive an instruction to execute the collective operation, whether a value stored in a global connection identifier utilization buffer exceeds a predetermined threshold; if the value stored in the global ConnID utilization buffer does not exceed the predetermined threshold: calling the collective operation with a next available ConnID including retrieving, from an element of a ConnID buffer, the next available ConnID and locking the element of the ConnID buffer from access by other compute nodes; and if the value stored in the global ConnID utilization buffer exceeds the predetermined threshold: repeatedly determining whether the value stored in the global ConnID utilization buffer exceeds the predetermined threshold until the value stored in the global ConnID utilization buffer does not exceed the predetermined thr

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems and methods for dynamically reallocating buffers used in communicating packets in various communication channels are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method may involve transmitting packets in several communication channels dependent on availability of buffers allocated among the communication channels; tracking a history of packet traffic in each of the communication channels; and dynamically reallocating one or more of the buffers dependent on the history.

Abstract: A storage networking device provides remote direct memory access to its buffer memory, configured to store storage networking data. The storage networking device may be particularly adapted to transmit and receive iSCSI data, such as iSCSI input/output operations. The storage networking device comprises a controller and a buffer memory. The controller manages the receipt of storage networking data and buffer locational data. The storage networking data advantageously includes at least one command for at least partially controlling a device attached to a storage network. Advantageously, the storage networking data may be transmitted using a protocol adapted for the transmission of storage networking data, such as, for example, the iSCSI protocol. The buffer memory advantageously is configured to at least temporarily store at least part of the storage networking data at a location within the buffer memory that is based at least in part on the locational data.

Abstract: A system and method for content and application acceleration in a wireless communications system are provided. A method for transmitting data includes receiving a block of data from a content provider, generating a signature from the block of data, and determining if the signature exists in a content cache. The content cache includes previously transmitted signatures and blocks of data associated with the previously transmitted signatures. The method also includes if the signature exists in the content cache, saving the signature but not the block of data in a buffer. The method further includes if the signature does not exist in the content cache, saving the block of data in the buffer. The method additionally includes transmitting contents of the buffer over a backhaul link.

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: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for regulating pinhole preservation traffic generated or received by firewall or network address translator (NAT) session initiation protocol (SIP) user agent clients (UACs) are disclosed. One method includes, maintaining a list of contact information for a plurality of SIP UACs registering from behind at least one of a firewall and a NAT. The method further includes iterating through the list to generate SIP messages to the different UACs such that the SIP messages to the different UACs are spaced at substantially regular intervals with respect to each other, wherein the SIP messages to the different UACs trigger responses from the UACs such that the responses are spaced at substantially regular intervals with respect each other.