Cabletron Systems, Inc.

Aprisma Management Technologies, Inc.

Jason Jeffords

Roger H Dev

Todd A Crowley

Kurt A Dobbins

Chris Oliver

Wallace E Matthews

Prasan Kaikini

Phil Andlauer

Dan Hullette

Donald Sexton

Bruce Nutbrown

Andy Grimes

Thomas Hazel

Tom Parker

Martin S Quinn

Method and apparatus for coordinating access to a shared object amongst a plurality of processes in a distributed system. One process is identified as a lock owner process controlling a lock associated with the shared object. When a process needs to access the shared object, it requests control of the lock from the lock owner process. When no other process controls the lock, the lock owner process grants control to the requesting process. When another process controls the lock, the lock owner process places the requesting process in a queue and waits for the lock to become available. All accesses to the shared object are processed through the lock owner processes thus assuring coordination and synchronization among the processes.

Method and apparatus for coordination of a shared object in a distributed system

A method and apparatus for accessing resource objects contained in a distributed memory space in a communications network, including dividing the distributed memory space into a plurality of memory pools, each pool containing a collection of resource objects, providing a plurality of resource manager objects, each resource manager object having an associated set of memory pools and a registry of network unique identifiers for the resource objects in those pools, and accessing a given resource object via its network identifier. Another aspect of the invention is to provide a relativistic view of state of a plurality of objects, each object generating a state vector representing that object's view of its own state and the state of all other objects, each object sending its state vector to other objects, and each object maintaining a state matrix of the state vectors.

Replicated resource management system for managing resources in a distributed application and maintaining a relativistic view of state

A network system includes a hierarchical directory which includes a plurality of nodes in a tree structure. Each node contains a set of address mappings relating a first address to a second address. An address resolution request attempts to resolve a first address to a target address in a node in which the first address is located. If the resolution of this first address cannot be accomplished in this first node, the process moves to a next higher node in the hierarchy and again attempts to resolve the request. The address mappings become less specific as the process moves up the hierarchy and, as a result, more general addresses will be used to resolve the first address to the target address.

Perspective-based shared scope address resolution method and apparatus

Method and apparatus for coordination of a shared object in a

A system and method for controlling access to a shared object among a plurality of interconnected processes. A lock token is associated with a shared object. In order for a process to access or modify the associated object, it must possess the lock token. Whenever a process establishes control of the lock token, it transmits a message to each other process indicating that the process controls the lock token. In some instances, in order for a process to establish control of the lock token, the process must receive approval from each other process. Further, when two or more processes request the lock token at the same time, neither process will gain control and each process will then wait for a random time period before again seeking control of the token.

Establishing control of lock token for shared objects upon approval

Apparatus and method for establishing 'virtual connections' through a packet switched data communications network, the network including a plurality of end systems and switches connected by links. Each end system has a unique physical layer address and each switch has a connection database of valid connections between different ports on the switch and a switching mechanism for establishing temporary connections. Each switch is registered with a connection server such that, prior to transmission of a connectionless datagram from a first end system to a second end system, a path of valid connections through one or more switches from the first end system to the second end system is determined by configuring the connection table of each switch on the path with a connection identifier identified by the physical layer addresses of the first and second end systems, and wherein the data packet remains as a connectionless datagram. In other aspects, an improved method is providing for allocating bandwidth among competing devices requesting access to a bandwidth limited shared resource (e.g., the previously defined switch), and to a search method for making a best path determination through the network based on a number of constraints.

Method of transmitting data packets in a packet switched communications

Method and apparatus for providing a call-tapping point in a switched network with point-to-multipoint functionality. The tapping point is added as an additional destination for data being sent from a source node to a first destination node. The tapping point is also added as a destination for data being sent from the first destination node to the source node. A merge operation is performed for finding and combining common segments of the paths between the source and destination, the source and tapping point, and the destination and tapping point.

Use of multipoint connection services to establish call-tapping points

Network having secure fast packet switching and guaranteed quality of

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Lee, NH, United States of America

Jason Jeffords