Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.

Other

Frank M Shannon

Roman Krzanowski

William Arthur Bjorkman

Vincent Anthony Alesi

Charles A Rexrode, Ii

Sean P Andrews

Eli Reiter

Michael H Zemering

A method includes detecting, by a first network device, a configuration problem at a second network device, where the first and second network devices are associated with a link aggregation group (LAG) coupling the first and second network devices. The method also includes de-activating, by the first network device, one or more links in the LAG in response to detecting the configuration problem. The method further comprises maintaining at least one of the links in the LAG as an active link and allowing traffic to be forwarded on the active link in the LAG.

Link aggregation protection

A method includes generating, by a first network device, test traffic to be transmitted to a second network device. The first and second network devices are coupled via a number of communication links, where one of links is a backup link. The method also includes transmitting, by the first network device, the test traffic to the second network device at periodic intervals via the backup link, receiving, by the second network device, the test traffic and monitoring the received test traffic. The method further includes comparing the monitored test traffic to a threshold, determining whether the monitored test traffic meets the threshold, and generating an alarm or notification message, in response to determining that the monitored test traffic does not meet the threshold.

Detecting error conditions in standby links

A method includes monitoring, by a first network device, traffic from a customer device, wherein the traffic is to be forwarded via a provider's network. The method also includes identifying a traffic pattern associated with the traffic, identifying a link on which the identified traffic pattern was transmitted and generating performance monitoring traffic. The method further includes forwarding, by the first network device, the performance monitoring traffic to the provider's network via the link on which the identified traffic pattern was transmitted.

Generating and allocating performance monitoring traffic

A device serving as a fiber optic cable dummy connector is provided. The device may have connection ports to accept the connectors terminating a fiber optic cable, such as LC-type connectors, or other configurations. The device may be used instead of an actual SFP module for connection of the fiber optic cable to a port on a piece of equipment. The device may be made opaque so that no transmission or receipt of data or light (laser) from the fiber optic cable may pass through the device. The device may be manufactured to be one-half the length of an actual SFP module. The device may be manufactured from any suitable material. The device may be used in place of using an actual SFP module. The dummy connector may be used in place of coiling fiber optic cables and leaving them unconnected until they are needed.

Dummy connector for a fiber optic cable

A root node associated with an Ethernet-Tree (E-Tree) service sends, over a rooted-multipoint Ethernet virtual connection (EVC), a performance monitoring (PM) packet, where the PM packet includes a unique identifier for the root node and a time sent by the root node. The root node receives, from leaf nodes and a root point associated with the E-Tree service, PM response packets, where each PM response packet includes a unique identifier for the responding leaf node/root point and a time received by the responding leaf node/root point. The root node extracts, from each of the PM response packets, the unique identifier and the time received, and stores performance measurements based on the extracted data, where the performance measurements are associated with the respective leaf nodes/root point.

Performance monitoring of E-tree service

A device to serve as a fiber optic cable dummy connector is provided. The device may be have connection ports to accept the connectors terminating a fiber optic cable, such as LC-type connectors. Other configurations may be possible. The device may be used in place of an actual SFP module for connection of the fiber optic cable to a port on a piece of equipment. The device may be made opaque so that no transmission or receipt of data or light (laser) from the fiber optic cable may pass through the device. The device may be manufactured to be one-half the length of an actual SFP module. The device may be manufactured from any suitable material. The device may be used to plug fiber optic cables, inactive or active, into ports on a piece of equipment, in place of using an actual SFP module. The dummy connector may be used in place of coiling fiber optic cables and leaving them unconnected until they may be needed.

A method includes generating a layer three trap packet that includes an indicator that indicates an audit request of a resident configuration file, transmitting the layer three trap packet to another device, receiving a reference configuration file in response to transmitting the layer three trap packet, comparing the resident configuration file with the reference configuration file, and replacing the resident configuration with the reference configuration file when a difference between the reference configuration file and the resident configuration file exists.

Trap-based configuration audit

The electronically controllable system of the invention for viewing on a television, updateable television programming information comprises a microcontroller which is partially controllable by remote control system and is updateable via telephone link, magnetic cards or floppy disks, or television or radio subcarrier, the microcontroller including input/output interfaces, a microprocessor and a RAM; a mixer for mixing a regularly received television signal with the signal generated by the microcontroller; an RF converter for receiving the radio frequency information from the mixer, microcontroller, and television antennae and properly converting the information into information which may be sent to the television; and a remote control system for permitting the viewer to direct the microcontroller to perform searches on information contained in the RAM so as to provide on the television screen in a chosen format, subsets of information desired by the viewer. The system preferably also includes a ROM for directing the microcontroller to access the information link should the RAM lose information due to power failure.

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Arnold, MD, United States of America

Frank M Shannon