Nortel Networks Corporation

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Avaya Inc.

Ciena Corporation

Rockstar Consortium US LP

Rockstar Bidco, LP

Rpx Clearinghouse LLC

Indermohan S Monga

Bruce A Schofield

Franco Travostino

Stephen Suryaputra

Tal Isaac Lavian

Phil Wang

Ramesh Durairaj

Thomas P Hardjono

Vikram Ramachandran

Paul Callahan

William R Hawe

Donald Fedyk

Victor Firoiu

Andre N Fredette

Pierre Miller

Shobhan Lakkapragada

Rajesh Tyagi

Schofield Bruce

Rajesh Saluja

Khera Gautam

Victor Flrolu

A primary optical path in an optical network is established between first and second edge nodes of the optical network for communication between the first edge node and a primary customer network site coupled to the second edge node. A backup optical path through the optical network from the first edge node to a third edge node of the optical network other than the second edge node is determined for communication between the first edge node and a backup customer network site coupled to the third edge node of the optical network. The backup customer network site is designated to back up the primary customer network site. Communications are forwarded on the primary optical path from the first edge node toward the primary customer network site via the second edge node. Upon detection of a degradation or failure of the primary customer network site, communications are forwarded on the backup optical path from the first edge node toward the backup customer network site via the third edge node.

Managing alternate site switching in an optical communication system

Various embodiments allow Grid applications to access resources shared in communication network domains. Grid Proxy Architecture for Network Resources (GPAN) bridges Grid services serving user applications and network services controlling network devices through proxy functions. At times, GPAN employs distributed network service peers (NSP) in network domains to discover, negotiate and allocate network resources for Grid applications. An elected master NSP is the unique Grid node that runs GPAN and represents the whole network to share network resources to Grids without Grid involvement of network devices. GPAN provides the Grid Proxy service (GPS) to interface with Grid services and applications, and the Grid Delegation service (GDS) to interface with network services to utilize network resources. In some cases, resource-based XML messaging can be employed for the GPAN proxy communication.

Grid proxy architecture for network resources

Application program network service requests are translated into specific actions that are then performed through the management plane and/or control plane. The translations and resulting actions are responsive to previously defined policies for the communication network, and may further reflect processing of previous service requests by the same or another application program. The amount of resources available for use by a given application program may be predefined based on a globally defined network policy. Each service request obtained from an application program may be translated into multiple actions performed using various specific protocols and/or interfaces provided by either the management plane, the control plane, or both the management and control planes. Reports of network activity, status and/or faults for a requesting application program may be tailored to the requesting program's view of the network, and passed directly and exclusively to the requesting program.

System and method for translating application program network service requests into actions and performing those actions through the management and/or control plane responsive to previously defined policies and previous requests by the same or another application program

A Grid Proxy Architecture for Network Resources (GPAN) is proposed to allow Grid applications to access resources shared in communication network domains. GPAN bridges Grid services serving user applications and network services controlling network devices through its proxy functions such as resource data and management proxies. Working with Grid resource index and broker services, GPAN employs distributed network service peers (NSP) in network domains to discover, negotiate and allocate network resources such as bandwidth for Grid applications. An elected master NSP is the unique Grid node that runs GPAN and represents the whole network to share network resources to Grids without Grid involvement of network devices. GPAN provides the Grid Proxy service (GPS) to interface with Grid services and applications, and the Grid Delegation service (GDS) to interface with network services to utilize network resources. Resource-based XML messaging is employed for the GPAN proxy communication.

Described are a method and a sensor aware network for dynamic processing of sensor data. Network context data are inserted into data packets from sensors or local sensor networks coupled to the sensor aware network. Sensor aware nodes in the sensor aware network can read the context data and can respond by performing specific network actions. The sensor data and network context data are provided to one or more application nodes. The sensor data and network context data can be stored in a database and later searched according to the network context data. Advantageously, sensor data flows can be treated differently by the sensor aware network, the application and the user, depending on the type of sensor data and the actual data values. Thus critical responses to certain sensor data flows can be implemented more efficiently than otherwise possible using conventional network configurations.

Method for dynamic sensor network processing

Optical By-Pass (OBP) links may be created by adding wavelengths between nodes on the network. The OBP may extend between any pair of nodes on the network. Intermediate nodes on the OBP are transient nodes and simply forward traffic optically. An OBP extends between a pair of nodes and, unlike express links, is created in such a manner that it does not affect the previous allocation of resources on the network. This enables capacity to be added between pairs of nodes on the network to alleviate congestion at a portion of the network, without changing other traffic patterns on the network. This enables inclusion of an OBP to be deterministic and of linear impact on the network. The OBP links may be statically provisioned or created on demand. Optionally, the OBP links may be crated to coincide with PBB-TE tunnels on the network.

Utilizing optical bypass links in a communication network

A method and apparatus for securing an optical communication link includes the step of identifying a profile of the link by measuring, at the transmitter, optical back-reflections from optical pulses forwarded to a receiver. The profile is stored at the transmitter. Periodically during operation, such as during key exchange, more optical pulses are forwarded to the receiver, and the back reflections are collected as periodic profiles. The periodic profiles are compared against the stored profiles. Eavesdroppers, such as those who cut the fiber, tap the fiber, or implement a man in the middle attack, may be easily identified because the losses caused by their interference with the fiber will be evident in the periodic profiles.

Method and apparatus for securing fiber in an optical network

A method and apparatus for monitoring the transportation of medical images on a communication network includes a medical image transport service (MITS) that may be used to notify clients of the status of scheduled requests. The MITS may be configured to provide numerous notifications, such as the scheduled time for delivery, changes in scheduled time for delivery, delays associated with delivery at the scheduled time, and likely resolutions to network or other delays attendant to the requested transaction. The notifications may be sent in-band on the network or out-of-band on a parallel network. Where the notification relates to a delayed transaction, the notification message may contain the reason for the delay, the source of the delay, its location, and if other images can still be retrieved. The notification may also include a likely resolution of the problem and an estimate of when the problem will be resolved.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the transportation of medical images on a communication network

A system, device, and method for managing communication services in an optical communication system utilizes a optical service agent (OSA) that operates within the domain of the network user and manages various communication services on behalf of the network user. The OSA interacts with the optical communication network to obtain various communication services and manages those communication services for the network user based upon predetermined parameters defined by the network user. An authenticated auto-discovery mechanism is used to automatically identify and authenticate OSA-enabled users and to distribute information between peer OSA-enabled users. A peer-to-peer signaling mechanism is used to extend OSA functionality to OSA-enabled users that do not interface directly with the optical communication network.

System, device, and method for managing communication services in an optical communication system

A system, device, and method for bandwidth management in an optical communication system uses an optical service agent to provide bandwidth management services on behalf of a user. The optical service agent may monitor bandwidth utilization on a connection, control bandwidth utilization on a connection, obtain additional bandwidth for a connection, relinquish excess bandwidth for a connection, and allocate bandwidth among multiple connections, to name but a few. The optical service agent may interact with an optical communication network and/or various peer users in order to obtain and reserve communication services.

System, device, and method for bandwidth management in an optical communication system

A system, device, and method for managing alternate site switching in an optical communication system recovers from failures/degradations that are uncorrected by the core optical communication network. When an uncorrected failure/degradation is detected, communications for a protected end-system are switched from a primary end-system to a backup end-system. The backup end-system may be selected a priori, for example, during connection establishment, in order to reduce switching time once a decision has been made to switch communications from the primary end-system to the backup end-system. Provisions are made for completing the alternate site switching within a specified amount of time. Load balancing may be used to further reduce switching time from the primary end-system to the backup end-system. This alternate site switching augments the various protection mechanisms provided by the core optical communication network in order to provide end-to-end protection for the optical communication path.

System, device, and method for managing alternate site switching in an optical communication system

A system, device, and method for managing connection quality in an optical communication system ascertains high-level communication requirements and non-requirements of the network user, determines a set of lower level communication services for the network user based upon the high-level communication requirements and non-requirements of the network user, and obtains the lower-level communication services for the network user.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Indermohan S Monga