A video on demand network (VODN), transmits video signals (VS) to user stations (US11, . . . , US2N) pursuant to the receipt of control signals (CS) issued by these user stations. In order to optimize the retrieval costs, this video on demand network maintains a large video library in a central video server (CS) and stores locally popular video signals in a plurality of local distributed video servers (DS1/2) from which the latter video signals are transmitted to the user stations. The video signals provided by the local distributed servers are updated from the central server based upon the changing popularity of the video signals. The present invention proposes in particular to store the video signals in the local distributed servers in random access read/write memories (HDA), e.g., electronic RAMs, magnetic or optical disks, and/or the like, from which the video signals can flexibly be supplied on-line to the user stations and to store the video signals in the central server in sequential access memories, e.g. Digital Audio Tapes (DAT) and CD-ROMs (CDR), providing cheap mass storage.

Video on demand network, including a central video server and distributed video servers with random access read/write memories

The Fibre Channel standard was created by the American National Standard for Information Systems (ANSI) X3T11 task group to define a serial I/O channel for interconnecting a number of heterogeneous peripheral devices to computer systems as well as interconnecting the computer systems themselves through optical fibre and copper media at gigabit speeds (i.e., one billion bits per second). Multiple protocols such as SCSI (Small Computer Serial Interface), IP (Internet Protocol), HIPPI, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) among others can concurrently utilize the same media when mapped over Fibre Channel. A Fibre Channel Fabric is an entity which transmits Fibre Channel frames between connected Node Ports. The Fibre Channel fabric routes the frames based on the destination address as well as other information embedded in the Fibre Channel frame header. Node Ports are attached to the Fibre Channel Fabric through links.

Fibre channel switching fabric

Methods and apparatus for Fibre Channel interconnection is provided between a plurality of private loop devices through a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system. In the preferred embodiments, the Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system is a fabric or an intelligent bridging hub. In one aspect of this invention, a Fibre Channel private loop device is connected to two or more Arbitrated Loops containing, or adapted to contain, one or more private loop devices. Preferably, the interconnect system includes a routing filter to filter incoming Arbitrated Loop physical addresses (ALPAs) to determine which Fibre Channel frames must attempt to be routed through the fabric. Numerous topologies of interconnect systems may be achieved. In another aspect of this invention, a method is provided for implementing a logical loop of private loop devices by segmenting the logical loop into a plurality of sets, assigning each set to a physical Arbitrated Loop and connecting the Arbitrated Loops to a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system. Additional methods are provided for restricting attached devices to Arbitrated Loop physical addresses within certain ranges. Additionally, methods are provided for resetting hosts, the method generally comprising the steps of detecting the addition of a storage device to a first Arbitrated Loop, and thereafter, resetting the Arbitrated Loop or loops on which a host or hosts reside on second Arbitrated Loop. Methods for operation with use of SCSI initiators generate a link service reject when no address match is found, or when an address match is found, but where no device with the destination ALPA exists on the Arbitrated Loop corresponding to the destination.

Methods and apparatus for fibre channel interconnection of private loop devices

The present invention relates to a video server (DS) for transmitting video signals (VS) to user stations in response to the receipt of control signals issued by these user stations and including a plurality (HDA) of memories (HDASA, HDASB) which are controlled by a plurality of memory controllers (OBC, SCSIC-A/B). The memory controllers are controlled based on the control signals by a server control means (DSC, PCM1/PCMN) which includes a server controller (DSC) and a plurality of program control modules (PCM1/PCMN) each of which is associated with a subset (HDA1/HDAN) of the plurality (HDA) of memories (HDASA, HDASB) and to a subset of the plurality of memory controllers (OBC, SCSIC-A/B). This server control means is kept relatively simple if the server controller activates for each requested video signal the program control module in which associated subset of memories this video signal is stored and if this program control module, upon being activated, operates its associated memory controllers to achieve the transmission.

Video server for video-on-demand system with controllable memories and with pause, fast-forward and rewind functions

A multicast transmission gating system is provided as a gateway for reception of multicast transmissions for various multicast groups from a public network to a private network having a number of clients. The gating system provides transcoding capability to provide real-time sub-groups to the private network and provides control of access by network clients to prevent bandwidth conflicts and dissemination of secure information. Firewall capabilities are also supported to prevent security breaches of the private network via the multicast facilities of the public network.

System for translation and delivery of multimedia streams

Routing logic (RL) for a communication switching element (ISE) of a self-routing multi-stage switching network and able to transfer cells or packets of information from any of its inlets (I1/32) to any of its outlets (O1/32). The outlets of the switching element are arranged in routing groups containing one or more of them and of which the identity is derived by the routing logic from an output-port-address (OPA) identifying an output of the switching network and contained in the self-routing-tag (SRT) associated to the cell. This cell is then transferred to one of the outlets belonging to the selected routing group. The routing logic (RL) is also able to control the transfer of a cell through the switching element according to the execution of a predetermined routing function selected amongst a plurality of routing functions (RS, DI, MC, BH, IS). This routing function to be executed is selected by the routing logic according to a routing-control-code (RCC) also contained in the self-routing-tag (SRT) and each value thereof identifies a specific transfer pattern constituted by a predetermined sequence of routing functions to be executed in the switching elements (ISE) through the switching network (SN).

Michel André Robert Henrion

Papers

Routing logic means for a communication switching element