Method and apparatus providing connection-oriented services for packet switched data communications networks. Directory services include distributed discovery of MAC addresses and protocol alias addresses. Topology services include a link state topology exchange among switches, which provides each switch with a complete topology graph of the network. This enables an access switch receiving a data packet to determine a complete path from a source end system to a destination end system. Another service includes resolution of broadcast frames to unicast frames, in order to reduce the amount of broadcast traffic. Policy restrictions may be applied prior to connection setup. Path determination services enable multiple paths from a source to a destination. Connection management includes source routed mapping of connections on the desired path. A distributed call rerouting service is provided wherein if a link on an active path fails, each switch receives a topology change notification and unmaps any connection involving the failed link. A broadcast/unknown service provides restricted flooding of nonresolvable packets. Furthermore, connection-oriented switching is provided based on the source and destination MAC addresses as a connection identifier. Still further, resolution of networks outside the switch domain is enabled by access switches listening for network and server route advertisements and maintaining best routes to said networks and servers. The best route metrics may be combined with best path metrics to determine a path from a first access switch to an egress switch connected to the external network.

Distributed connection-oriented services for switched communication networks

The disclosure is directed to a sensor device including processing circuitry, at least one sensor coupled to the processing circuitry, a serial data interface coupled to the processing circuitry and memory responsive to the processing circuitry. The memory includes a static unique identification number. The serial data interface provides access to retrieve the static unique identification number and sensed data measured with the at least one sensor from the memory.

Environmental monitoring device

An improved method and apparatus is used for storing and delivering information over the Internet and using Internet technologies. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus for maintaining statistics on a server (204) is disclosed. According to an alternative embodiment, a method and apparatus (204) is disclosed for predicting data that a client device (100) may request from a server on a network. In another embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus (204) is disclosed for managing bandwith between a client device (100) and a network. According to yet another embodiment, a method and apparatus (204) is disclosed for validating a collection of data (200). According to yet another embodiment, a method for providing notification to clients (100) from servers (204) is disclosed.

A method and apparatus for storing and delivering documents on the internet

A system and method for filtering and organizing items from computer memories based on common elements. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, filters are provided for manipulating the items. The filters are essentially tools for narrowing down a set of items. In one embodiment, the filters are dynamically generated based on the properties of the separate items. The system utilizes virtual folders. The virtual folders expose regular files and folders to users in different views based on their metadata instead of the actual physical underlying file system structure on the disk. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, quick links are provided. In one embodiment, quick links are a set of predefined links (e.g., located on the left side of the display) that can be clicked on to generate useful views of the sets of items. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, libraries are provided. Libraries consist of large groups of usable types of items that can be associated together.

System and method for filtering and organizing items based on common elements

The present invention is directed to a high speed packet switching network and, in particular to a method and system for minimizing the time to establish a connection between an origin and a destination node. Due to high dynamicity of the traffic on transmission links, it is important to select a routing path according to a fully up-to-date information on all network resources. The simpler approach is to calculate a new path for each new connection request. This solution may be very time consuming because there are as many path selection operations as connection set up operations. On another hand, the calculation of paths based on an exhaustive exploration of the network topology, is a complex operation which may also take an inordinate amount of resources in large networks. Many of connections originated from a network node flow to the same destination network node. It is therefore possible to take a serious benefit in reusing the same already calculated paths for several connections towards the same node. The path calculated at the time the connection is requested is recorded in a Routing Database and updated each time a modification occurs in the network. Furthermore, alternate paths for supporting non-disruptive path switch on failure or preemption, and new paths towards potential destination nodes can be calculated and stored when the connection set up process is idle. These last operations are executed in background with a low processing priority and in absence of connection request.

Method and system for minimizing the connection set up time in high speed packet switching networks

High speed network nodes can establish new connections by preempting existing ones when insufficient bandwidth is available in the network. Numerous preemption priorities are arranged in a limited number of groups and a median priority level is defined within each group. This median, stored in the topology database of each node of the network, permits better bandwidth utilization per group while consuming very little memory space and generating very low traffic overhead.

Method for preempting connections in high speed packet switching networks

A topology manager within a data communication network including a number of nodes interconnected by bi-directional links, wherein each said node is provided with means for dynamically setting and storing within the node a full topology database including full parent-node-relationship references. The system is is capable of fast path determination and fast spanning tree recovery based on the topology database contents.

System for managing topology of a network in spanning tree data structure by maintaining link table and parent table in each network node

This method enables optimizing the time required for reestablishing connections between end users attached to a data communication network, which connections were disrupted due to a network failure. The network includes access nodes and transit nodes interconnected with network links/trunks (with no specific distinction being herein required between both designations of a communication line). The end users are attached to the network through access nodes and each said access node permanently stores an image of the current network trunk including the number Ni of connections currently supported by said network trunk. Upon detection of a trunk failure, each access node supporting connections affected by said failure, is made aware of the total number (Ni) of connections in each priority group affected by the failure, together with a network dependent parameter (TP) representing the elementary processing time required to reroute a single network connection. Then each access node may independently, start a first reconnection set-up procedure at a time Ri randomly selected between zero and (Ni -ni) *TP, where ni is the number of connections supported by the access node in each priority group, and then space the required subsequent reconnections set-ups by a time equal to (Ti -Ri)/ni, with Ti =Ni *TP.

Method and system for optimizing the connection set up time in high speed communication networks for recovering from network failure

The present invention relates to a method and system of locating a network
resource in a packet switching network divided in a backbone subnetwork
connected to one or a plurality of access subnetworks. The access subnetworks
comprise one or a plurality of access border nodes directly connected to the
backbone subnetwork. The backbone subnetwork comprises one or a plurality of
backbone border nodes directly connected to the access subnetworks. Border
nodes of different subnetworks are connected by border links. The method in access border nodes involves the steps of :
 receiving a query message comprising a resource name, the resource name
including a prefix; comparing the resource name prefix with the prefixes stored in an access border
node directory database, said access border node directory database comprising
prefixes of the resources local to the access border node subnetwork; determining whether the resource name relates to a resource which is local to
the access border node subnetwork or not; forwarding said query message to an adjacent backbone border node when the
resource name relates to a resource which is not local to the access border node
subnetwork. The method in backbone border nodes involves the steps of :
 receiving a query message comprising a resource name, the resource name
including a prefix; comparing the resource name prefix with the prefixes stored in one or a plurality
of backbone border node directory databases. Each backbone border node
directory database corresponds to an access subnetwork managed by the
backbone border node; determining whether the resource name relates to a resource which belongs to
an access subnetwork that the backbone border node manages or not; forwarding the query message to an adjacent access border node when the
resource name relates to a resource which belongs to an access border node
subnetwork managed by the backbone border. Each access subnetwork has its own spanning tree and distributed topology, and
interactions between access networks are limited to a minimum. The size of
distributed topologies is kept small and the control traffic is mostly limited to
subnetworks.

Distributed directory services for locating network resources in a very large packet switching network

A data processing system having first and second data processing apparatuses and a data communication network supporting HTTP communications to which the first and second processing apparatuses are connected and a method of exchanging electronic files between the first and second processing apparatuses. A Web server is provided running a Web application implementing a Web service accessible by the first and second processing apparatuses through Web browsers. The Web application receives a file from the first processing apparatus, and sends it to the second processing apparatus without storing it in a Web server local file. The first processing apparatus accesses the Web service via the respective Web browser, and uploads a selected file from a file system local thereto to the Web server; under responsibility of the Web application, the uploaded file is received at the Web server and, upon request by the second processing apparatus, is sent thereto.

Jean-Paul Chobert

Papers

Method for preempting connections in high speed packet switching networks

System for managing topology of a network in spanning tree data structure by maintaining link table and parent table in each network node

Method and system for optimizing the connection set up time in high speed communication networks for recovering from network failure

Distributed directory services for locating network resources in a very large packet switching network

Method and system for exchanging files between computers