Netapp, Inc.

Network Appliance, Inc.

James A Hart

Gene M Ciancaglini

Michael M Garofalo

John D Moores

Michael James Rydeen

Mark R Parquette

Salil A Parikh

Guy Oliveira

William Proulx

Muriel Medard

Stephen R Chinn

Donald Proulx

Paul Marichal

Michael Lupinacci

Steven Lumetta

A method and apparatus for a communications network that executes a medium access control (MAC) protocol that permits multiple access to a shared medium or shared switching fabric. The MAC protocol uses a BANDWIDTH_ALLOCATOR to regulate access to the network by sending a permission message to a NODE, allowing it to transmit to a specific set of NODEs for a specific length of time. The medium and switching fabric can carry one or more protocols, each of varying framing format and native bitrate. The switching fabric provides a connection-oriented bufferless data transport service that preserves frame ordering. An illustrative embodiment uses a slotted master/slave time-division multiplexed access (TDMA) scheme to allow flexible provisioning of network bandwidth.

Multi-protocol network interface card

A node is removed/added from a network with minimal disruption by actuating a mechanism on an adjacent node that provides an indication to a controller node, which commands a wrap of the adjacent nodes. Once the node is added/removed, the wrap can be removed to resume normal operation. With this arrangement, disruption of traffic flow is minimized as nodes are added and removed from the network.

Non-disruptive network topology modification

A fiber-optic networking system that can survive a break in the fiber and restore full connectivity to all nodes in the network. The network can detect the presence of a cut in the fiber, locate the cut, recover from the cut, and restore the communication capacity that was available before the cut. The network is also capable of automatically determining the existence and identity of the nodes in the network, the distance of the node from the headend, and the executing procedures to handle both planned and unplanned (i.e., during a fault) removal of nodes from the network.

Fault tolerant optical data communication network having auto discovery

A method and apparatus for a communications network that executes a medium access control (MAC) protocol that permits multiple access to a shared medium or shared switching fabric. The MAC protocol uses a bandwidth allocator to regulate access to the network by sending a permission message to a node, allowing it to transmit to a specific set of nodes for a specific length of time. The medium and switching fabric can carry one or more protocols, each of varying framing format and native bitrate. The switching fabric provides a connection-oriented bufferless data transport service that preserves frame ordering. An illustrative embodiment uses a slotted master/slave time-division multiplexed access (TDMA) scheme to allow flexible provisioning of network bandwidth.

Integrated system and method for controlling telecommunication network data communicated over a local area network and storage data communicated over a storage area network

A multiple switch architecture is presented. The architecture includes two or more switches on a ring wherein interconnection between the switches allows one switch to generate control and scheduling commands to the other switch.

Multiple switch protected architecture

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NH, United States of America

James A Hart