Cisco Technology, Inc.

David Bainbridge

Adam Laurence Taylor

Mickael Graham

Alex Wang

Beecher Adams

Frederick H Mitchell

Shannon I Hembrough

Xiaohui Zhou

Joshua B Littlefield

Ranjan Prasad

Anton Okmianski

Thomas Alan Parker

Timothy Webb

Neil Russell

Greg Morris

A method and apparatus for tracking an identity of a user associated with a network lease is disclosed. The IP lease is correlated to user information by storing a user ID with lease information in a manner in which the user information is associated with the lease information. In an embodiment, the user ID is a Global User ID (GUID). In an embodiment the user ID is unique to a specified domain. In an embodiment, the user ID is given to only one user and never changes.

Associating network address lease information with user data

An example embodiment of the present invention provides a process that uses IP flow information to selectively notify users of an application server of the server's unavailability. In the example embodiment, the process, which might run on a system comprising a router, monitors IP flow records as to dropped packets and learns that an application server has become unavailable. The process then uses the IP flow records to identify active users of the application server, for example, by passing a source IP address to a presence service. Once the process has identified an active user, the process determines a means of notification for the user, which might be through the presence service, and transmits a notification to the user as to the unavailability of the application server. In the example embodiment, the process transmits a later notification as to the availability of the application server, using reverse camp-on functionality.

Selective user notification based on IP flow information

A method and apparatus are provided which present hierarchical data to a user via a graphical user interface. In the interface, hierarchical data is represented by nodes, beginning with one or more top nodes and extending into lower hierarchical levels by the display of child nodes, child's child nodes, and so forth. The arrangement of nodes on the graphical user interface is such that scaling portrays the various hierarchical levels, and nodes do not spatially interfere with one another. Navigation through the hierarchical data is provided by allowing the user to select any visible node, at which point a zoom-in or zoom-out view to the selected node as a centrally located node on the interface is performed.

Method and apparatus providing a graphical user interface for representing and navigating hierarchical networks

An approach for facilitating the analysis of computer software errors generally involves logging status data in a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). The status data may indicate one or more attributes of a computing system or any of its components. The status data may be supplemented with additional status data to indicate attributes of the computing system and its components over time. In response to detecting a specified condition, the status data is written from the volatile memory to a non-volatile memory, for example, onto one or more disks. The status data stored on the non-volatile memory may then be used to analyze the behavior of the computer software over time leading up to the computer software error.

Approach for facilitating analysis of computer software errors

Automatically managing network addresses in a managed access environment is described. A managed access environment is defined as one in which a service provider delegates responsibility for a portion of their address space to an access provider, which is responsible for distributing the addresses to devices used by subscribers of the service provider. An aspect of the invention allows rule-action associations to be defined. The method includes accessing network address utilization data and evaluating rule conditions in relation to the utilization data. When a rule condition is met, an associated address management action is executed. Different embodiments of the invention provide execution of different actions, such as allocating, reconfiguring, and reclaiming addresses from a service provider's address space.

Automated management of network addresses in a broadband managed access environment

Techniques for configuring a customer premises equipment connected to a network of a network service provider include receiving configuration information at a distributed component on the network from a central unit on the network. The distributed component also receives from the customer premises equipment a request for values of configuration parameters that determine network properties for the customer premises equipment. The distributed component generates a set of values for the configuration parameters based on the request and the configuration information received from the central unit. The set of values are sent from the distributed component to the customer premises equipment. A system using these techniques is scalable with increasing numbers of customer premises equipments simultaneously requesting values for configuration parameters and is robust in face of equipment failure at a distributed component or at the central unit or both.

Method and apparatus for dynamically configuring customer premises network equipment

A method for automatically managing network addresses in a managed access environment is described. A managed access environment is defined as one in which a service provider delegates responsibility for a portion of their address space to an access provider, which is responsible for distributing the addresses to devices used by subscribers of the service provider. An aspect of the invention allows rule-action associations to be defined. The method includes accessing network address utilization data and evaluating rule conditions in relation to the utilization data. When a rule condition is met, an associated address management action is executed. Different embodiments of the invention provide execution of different actions, such as allocating, reconfiguring, and reclaiming addresses from a service provider's address space.

A method and apparatus are provided which present hierarchical data to a user via a graphical user interface. A preferred embodiment represents hierarchical data related to a computer network and is provided to a user as part of a network management software application. In the interface, hierarchical data is represented by nodes, beginning with one or more top nodes and extending into lower hierarchical levels by the display of child nodes, child's child nodes, and so forth. The arrangement of nodes on the graphical user interface is such that scaling portrays the various hierarchical levels, and nodes do not spatially interfere with one another. Navigation through the hierarchical data is provided by allowing the user to select any visible node, at which point a zoom-in or zoom-out view to the selected node as a centrally located node on the interface is performed. Child nodes at lower hierarchical levels that were not visible before selection are then made visible up to a predetermined number of levels within the hierarchy. A map is provided on the interface which allows a user to graphically comprehend the present location of all nodes displayed on the interface in relation to their position within the overall hierarchy. As applied to network management, the interface allows errors in low level devices within a network to be visually propagated up to the upper levels of the hierarchy, for display to a user viewing only the top levels. The interface and computing system configured according to the invention overcomes problems of prior art systems which obscure a user location within a large hierarchy and the invention overcomes significant navigation problems of prior art systems.

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Acton, MA, United States of America

David Bainbridge