Method and system for VMAN protocol Layer-2 packet nested encapsulation
Granted: August 19, 2008
Patent Number:
7415016
A method and system is provided in which MAN traffic is segregated at a customer and a provider domain level. A switch at the edge of the MAN encapsulates a data packet in a new header, which is used to specify the customer domain tags. The data packet is encapsulated further in another new header, which is used to specify new VMAN tags. The nested encapsulation is repeated as necessary until the data packet is forwarded to a remote switch at the edge of the MAN in accordance with the…
Method and apparatus for dynamically selecting timer durations
Granted: August 12, 2008
Patent Number:
7411901
A data communication system dynamically selects timer durations to ensure delivery of data at a desired bit rate. A source or proxy source transmits data, such as streaming media, to a destination according to a dynamic bit rate timer, where the timer regulates the transmission frequency and/or the packet size of the data being transmitted. The timer dynamically adapts the transmission frequency or packet size according to the relative positioning of data pointers in a buffer and…
Method and apparatus for providing quality of service across a switched backplane between egress queue managers
Granted: August 5, 2008
Patent Number:
7408876
A method and system is provided to enable quality of service across a backplane switch. An egress queue manager on one blade communicates with an egress queue manager on another blade where each blade is connected via a backplane switch. When a blade becomes congested, egress queues mapped to a destination on the congested blade also become congested. The egress queue managers determine when to reduce or resume the packet sending rates of egress queues mapped to destinations on congested…
Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing power allocation to a device powered over a network communications cable based on a cable characteristic
Granted: July 22, 2008
Patent Number:
7404091
Methods, systems, and computer program products for managing power allocation to a device powered over a communications cable based on a cable characteristic are disclosed. In one example, a method of managing power allocation to a device powered over a communications cable can include providing a power source for connecting to a powered device via a communications cable. An anticipated power loss of the device is determined. A characteristic of the cable is determined. Power allocated…
Look up table (LUT) for point-to-point protocol identification (PPP ID)
Granted: July 15, 2008
Patent Number:
7400647
A Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) identifier (PPP ID) value of a PPP frame, including data, is converted to an associated Ethernet Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag identifier (ID) value to enable the PPP ID value information to be communicated in an Ethernet frame to the next transmission layer for use in routing the data from the PPP frame.
Method and apparatus for modifying software
Granted: June 17, 2008
Patent Number:
7389505
A computing system receives a compressed archive file that includes a one or more new executable software modules, and a installation file specifying instructions for installing such modules on the computing system. The modules and the installation file are extracted from the compressed archive file, and the modules installed in accordance with the instructions. Instances of executing software modules that correspond to the installed modules are notified about their impending…
Packet processing system architecture and method
Granted: June 10, 2008
Patent Number:
7385984
A packet processing system architecture and method are provided. According to a first aspect of the invention, a plurality of quality of service indicators are provided for a packet, each with an assigned priority, and a configurable priority resolution scheme is utilized to select one of the quality of service indicators for assigning to the packet. According to a second aspect of the invention, wide data paths are utilized in selected areas of the system, while avoiding universal…
Method and system for distributed wireless access
Granted: June 10, 2008
Patent Number:
7386309
A method and system is provided for distributed wireless access. The system includes an access concentrator and a plurality of antenna modules. The antenna modules are spread across a campus and are coupled to the access concentrator via network wiring. Each antenna module includes an antenna to receive and transmit signals. When incoming signals are received at the antenna, the signals are converted from a radio frequency to a lower frequency. The converted signals are then digitized.…
Method and apparatus for controlling process dependencies
Granted: May 20, 2008
Patent Number:
7376951
A method and system is provided to control and check run-time process dependencies. When a process manager receives a request to start a new process, the process manager accesses a configuration file to check if the new process depends on any other processes to be running and what versions of these prerequisite processes are required. If an exact version is specified in the configuration file, the prerequisite process version must match the exact version specified to be compatible with…
Virtual load balancing across a network link
Granted: May 13, 2008
Patent Number:
7372813
Information is directed across the same corresponding virtual channels in both a first network switch and a second network switch. As a result, any congestion in the second network switch results only in packet dropping associated with the particular congested virtual channel. However, information continues to move across the remaining uncongested virtual channels. As a result, even if congestion occurs in the second network switch, information continues to flow across the single network…
High speed bus with alignment, re-timing and buffer underflow/overflow detection enhancements
Granted: April 29, 2008
Patent Number:
7366935
In a networked system in which high speed busses interconnect sources and destinations of data, systems for and methods of data alignment, data re-timing, and circular buffer underflow/overflow detection, are described.
Methods and systems for hitless restart of layer 3 packet forwarding
Granted: April 22, 2008
Patent Number:
7362700
A method for hitless restart of layer 3 packet forwarding includes replicating some but not all state information from a master management service module to a slave management service module. The master management service module builds a layer 3 routing table by participating in layer 3 routing protocols. The layer 3 routing table is stored in memory. The master management service module builds a first layer 3 forwarding table and stores the forwarding information in hardware. A slave…
Ejector assembly for rack-mounted computing devices
Granted: March 25, 2008
Patent Number:
7349228
An ejector assembly for securing a blade in a rack and for ejecting the blade from the rack. The ejector assembly includes an ejector handle movable between a first position wherein the blade is secured in the rack and a second position wherein the blade can be removed from the rack. The ejector assembly also includes a release mechanism to hold the ejector handle in the first position. Upon actuation of the release mechanism, the ejector handle may be moved toward the second position.…
Methods and apparatus for communication between an application and a device
Granted: March 11, 2008
Patent Number:
7343597
Methods and apparatus for communication between an application and a device. In one embodiment, a set of class mappings maps parameters between a parser and an application data model. The parser is reversible, and the parser can be used to both parse a received command and reconstruct a command.
Method and apparatus for fast route table update
Granted: February 19, 2008
Patent Number:
7334048
A method and apparatus is provided for fast route table updates. A route table entry is identified, and a subsequent route table entry is located using the identified route table entry. All subsequent route table entries are identified using the previous route table entry until all route table entries associated with a predetermined characteristic are identified. The identified entries may be purged or transferred from one route table to another. The predetermined characteristic may be…
Method of and system for allocating resources to resource requests
Granted: January 22, 2008
Patent Number:
7321926
A system and method of allocating a resource to a service request. Servers are virtually assigned through a hierarchy including groups of servers and super groups of the groups of servers. Each service request type is associated with a service index that determines both a super group and a load balancing policy for that service request type. A load balancing policy may be applied to select a group of servers among several server groups associated with the super group. Another load…
Unified, configurable, adaptive, network architecture
Granted: December 18, 2007
Patent Number:
7310664
A network switch having a unified, adaptive management paradigm for wireless network devices is disclosed. The switch includes configurable ports for connecting devices. A software application running on the switch allows a network administrator to selectively configure each port to support either a wired device or wireless device. Configuration information and software images that are needed for operation of the wireless device are associated with the port. When a wireless device is…
System and method for assembling a data packet
Granted: December 4, 2007
Patent Number:
7304996
Disclosed is a system and method for assembling a data packet. The system can be implemented as four memory elements associated with one or more processors. The first memory element stores a sequence number and a sub-channel identifier for an incoming data packet. The second memory element stores a revised packet fragment. The third memory element stores an unrevised packet fragment. The fourth memory element stores a starting address. In the system, the starting address may be the…
Method and system for reassembling and parsing packets in a network environment
Granted: November 20, 2007
Patent Number:
7298746
A packet reassembly system includes a buffer for storing information elements included in one or more incoming packets, a memory for storing validity indicators corresponding to the information elements, a first logic circuit capable of setting the validity indicators based on the information elements stored in the buffer, and a second logic circuit capable of determining the contiguity of the information elements stored in the buffer based on the settings of the validity indicators.
Packet processing system architecture and method
Granted: November 6, 2007
Patent Number:
7292591
A packet processing system architecture and method are provided. According to a first aspect of the invention, packet parser functions are distributed throughout a packet processing system comprising a packet classification system and a packet modification system. According to a second aspect of the invention, an egress mirroring function is provided to the system. According to a third aspect of the invention, a multi-dimensional quality of service indicator for a packet is provided.…
