In human affairs, brokers are intermediaries with specialized knowledge who work toward a mutually desirable outcome through negotiation. The QOS Broker is a software engineering technique that uses this principle to arrange for the delivery of end-to-end quality of service in distributed multimedia systems. An experimental prototype using a telerobotics application helped identify the technique's limitations and system requirements. >

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The QOS Broker [distributed multimedia computing]

A network management system allows a network administrator to intuitively manage all components of a heterogeneous networked computer system using views of any component or any set of components. These views are generated in a multi-dimensional, virtual reality environment. Navigation tools are provided that allow an operator to travel through the network hierarchy's representation in the virtual environment using an automatic flight mode. Automatic flight mode determines a reasonable trajectory to a network component that avoids collisions with intervening objects in the virtual environment. Since the system is capable of managing a world-wide network, views of network components may be organized by continent, wide area network, city, building, subnet, segment, and computer. A view may also display internal hardware, firmware, and software of any network component. Views of network components may be filtered so only components pertaining to a specific business or other interest are displayed.

Network management system using virtual reality techniques to display and simulate navigation to network components

The present invention provides a highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of users interact in the three-dimensional, computer-generated graphical space where each user executes a client process to view a virtual world from the perspective of that user. The virtual world shows avatars representing the other users who are neighbors of the user viewing the virtual word. In order that the view can be updated to reflect the motion of the remote user's avatars, motion information is transmitted to a central server process which provides positions updates to client processes for neighbors of the user at that client process. The client process also uses an environment database to determine which background objects to render as well as to limit the movement of the user's avatar.

http://www.worlds.com/text/PatentNo3_7493558.pdf

System and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space

A method and apparatus for managing delivery of data, also referred to as “content”, by a data processing system in a communications system in which a number of content providers and content consumers are located within the communications system. The data processing system receives a request to accept delivery of content at the data processing system, wherein the request originates from a requesting content provider. A determination is made as to when the content may be received from the requesting content provider and when the content may be transmitted to content consumers based on contents already scheduled to be delivered from the number of content providers. Delivery of the content from the requesting content provider is accepted based on a determination of when the content may be received and when the content may be transmitted.

Method and apparatus for managing delivery of multimedia content in a communications system

A method and apparatus are generally disclosed for maintaining data integrity across distributed computer systems. In one embodiment, the method of the invention includes the step of transmitting an object from a server application to a client application. The method also includes the step of transmitting an object state from the server application to the client application. The method further includes the steps of synchronizing the object and object state between the server application and the client application, and updating the object by invoking a server application method after the step of synchronizing. An apparatus and article of manufacture for carrying out the steps of the method are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for maintaining data integrity across distributed computer systems

The facilities required to control and manage multiservice applications in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks are discussed. An overview of the hardware aspects of ATM networks is presented. Requirements and architectural models for multiservice applications and an architecture for connection management are described. The requirements at each layer of the connection management architecture are discussed, and the services and protocols are outlined. >

Connection management for an ATM network

As network services become more sophisticated to handle multimedia exchange, demands for real-time network control are increasing. With 2D workstations, managers can observe network activities only at a distance. Direct observation requires a 3D interface combined with a structured control architecture. >

Managing networks through a virtual world

The authors describe the new challenges presented for the management of broadband networks and outline the framework of the COMET research group at Columbia University for finding solutions to these challenges They review a prototype that implements some of the requirements for managing the broadband networks of the future In the COMET framework, management operations are defined in terms of primitives with a much higher semantic level than that typified by get and set in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) management model, and the user interface to the managed system is based on virtual worlds that allow the manager to directly visualize and interact with the network The impact that this new environment may have on existing management architectures is discussed >

Management and control for giant gigabit networks

Just as broadband networks will enable user-to-user communications to extend from textural services to those employing multimedia, they will also enable a management environment that can take advantage of increased bandwidth and multimedia technology. The fundamental advances incorporated in such an environment can provide efficient solutions to the problem of information management. To establish this environment, the authors tackle the fundamental problems of observability and controllability of broadband networks. A virtual world provides a next-generation network management interface through which a user can observe and interact with the network directly in real time. The system that the authors are developing uses a 3D virtual world as the user interface for managing a large gigabit ATM network. It provides the capability for experimentation in all aspects of network transport, control and management. >

Management of broadband networks using 3D virtual world

Existing network management systems typically use a combination of textual displays and 2-D directed graph representations of network topology. A network management system is being designed that uses a virtual world presented through a 3-D stereo display and manipulated with a 3-D mouse. The goal is to allow the user to better understand and control the structure and behavior of a large, complex network. In the current prototype, the user interacts with a 3-D representation of a network whose topology and behavior are specified by a separate network emulator. The user can choose from among a set of different views of the network. For example, one view shows a selected virtual path as a series of logical links contained within a physical path. The system will serve as a testbed for the knowledge-based design of network visualizations. >

/pdf/a-virtual-world-for-network-management-1d3l3ohaju.pdf

L.A. Crutcher

Papers

Connection management for an ATM network

Managing networks through a virtual world

Management and control for giant gigabit networks

Management of broadband networks using 3D virtual world

A virtual world for network management