Harmonic, Inc.

Digital Equipment Corporation

General Instrument Corporation

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Motorola Mobility LLC

Arris Enterprises LLC

Michael W Patrick

Amir Leventer

James A Daly

Nitsan S Elfassy

Jeremy Cole Rosenberg

Gerald R Joyce

Thomas K Wong

Sanjay R Radia

Swee Boon Lim

Panagiotis Tsirigotis

Robert J Goedman

Adam Levy

Alex Muller

John Ulm

Nitin Sasi Kumar

Christopher W Brown

Vladyslav Buslov

Victoria Sinitsky

John A Perreault

Patrick M Maurer

Pavlo Shcherbyna

Qi Bao

Dennis J Picker

David Flanagan

Anita Ramachandran

Jeremey C Rosenberg

Dmytro Kutergin

Chris Brown

Nate Vanderschaaf

Anton Grichina

John M Ulm

Junjing Guo

Stephen A Foley

Uma Ramanathan

Nithya Vijayaraghavan

Approaches for processing packets transmitted within a Passive Optical Network (PON) using executable software. Processing packets within a PON may be performed by classifying one or more packets, of a plurality of received packets, to a particular PON system component, and then processing the one or more packets classified to the same PON system component on a single physical or virtual processor. The one or more packets may be forwarded between a sequence of one or more software stages. The software stages may each be configured to execute on separate logical cores or on a single logical core.

Multiple core software forwarding

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Transport Stream tunnels are employed on Ethernet links between the core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more core servers (CSs).

Virtual converged cable access platform

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). Each physical or virtual compute server (CS) connects to the core routing engine (CRE) with a Link Aggregation Group (LAG) of two or more Ethernet links.

Virtual converged cable access platform (CCAP)

Approaches for performing all DOCSIS downstream and upstream data forwarding functions using executable software. DOCSIS data forwarding functions may be performed by classifying one or more packets, of a plurality of received packets, to a particular DOCSIS system component, and then processing the one or more packets classified to the same DOCSIS system component on a single CPU core. The one or more packets may be forwarded between a sequence of one or more software stages. The software stages may each be configured to execute on separate logical cores or on a single logical core.

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). A combination of the core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) emulate a single Layer 3 CMTS having a single point of management.

Scheduling of packets to be forwarded onto DOCSIS downstream channels as part of a Virtual Converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP). A packet to be forwarded onto a DOCSIS downstream channel is enqueued in a service flow queue. The packets stored in the service flow queue are associated with a single service flow. A request is propagated up a hierarchy of schedule elements to a scheduler process to schedule the packet for delivery. The scheduler process determines a grant of how much traffic to offer the DOCSIS downstream channel. The grant determined for the DOCSIS downstream channel may be expressed in units of symbols rather than in bytes. The scheduler process extends a particular grant to the service flow queue by translating symbols in the grant for the service flow queue which issued the request.

Virtual CCAP downstream traffic scheduling

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). The core routing engine may comprise one or more core routing engine members. The core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more physical or virtual compute servers (CS) are each implemented entirely on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

Virtual converged cable access platform (CCAP) core

A network element employing multiple namespaces in performing IP packet routing. The network element maintaining two or more namespaces. A first namespace corresponds to an in-band network domain and a second namespace corresponds to an out-of-band network domain. The network element performing IP packet routing over the in-band network domain and the out-of-band network domain using said two or more namespaces. Embodiments allow operators to more easily implement separate routing tables for 'in-band' and 'out-of-band' communication. Having separate routing tables for in-band and out-of-band communication prevents malicious CPEs and hacked CMs from directly communicating to servers on the out-of-band network, thereby increasing security for CMTS operators.

Namespace routing

Approaches for a virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) for providing high speed data services to a remote physical device (RPD). The virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) comprises a core routing engine (CRE) for performing packet switching and routing and one or more core servers (CS) that each perform CMTS functions for the one or more remote physical devices (RPDs). The core routing engine may comprise one or more core routing engine members. The core routing engine (CRE) and the one or more core servers (CS) are each implemented entirely on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

Buffer bloat continues to cause latency problems for all kinds of network traffic, e.g., internet protocol traffic. Implementing network based control of packet upstream packet discards enables a scheduler of packets to manage congestion, instead of the network element with bloat. In embodiments, a cable modem termination system may schedule delivery of packets and, after receiving the scheduled packets, discarding packets. The cable modem termination system may determine when to discard a packet based on a detected backlog of data in a cable modem upstream flow queue. For example, a late discard of such packets may be based on information in a schedule request received from the network element.

Cable modem termination system control of cable modem queue length

In a method for admitting a new data file into a channel, a request for admission of the new data file into the channel is received. It is determined as to whether at least a minimum number of bits of at least one current data file has been transferred to the receiver. The rate at which the at least one current data file is transferred is reduced below a minimum constant bit rate in response to a determination that at least a minimum number of bits of the at least one current data file has been transferred to the receiver and the new data file is admitted into the channel.

Admitting a data file into a channel

An IP video delivery system and method that allocates a first number of video streams for delivery on a number of channels that, provides a number of bonding groups, where each bonding group bonds at least one of the channels, and allocates a second number of video streams for delivery on the bonding groups. In one aspect, the method delivers the first video streams as unbonded on the channels. The bonding groups utilize bandwidth unused by the first video streams. In one aspect, the method utilizes bandwidth unused by the first or second video streams for high speed data. The method provides instantaneous load balancing to spread the first and second video streams across all available bandwidth in the channels, and delivers those video streams using a variable bit rate with no additional statistical multiplexing rate shaping to fit video streams into the channels.

IP video delivery using flexible channel bonding

A method and system for enabling trick plays during a variable bit rate (VBR) playback of a media file transmitted to a user media device as a constant bit rate (CBR) flow includes determining a plurality of access points within the media file. The media file is configured to be played back from each of the plurality of access points. A minimum buffer value is calculated for each of the plurality of access points. The minimum buffer value identifies a minimum amount of the media file to transmit to the user media device before beginning playback of the media file from each of the plurality of access points to substantially ensure that the media file is configured to be played back from each of the plurality of access points continuously and uninterruptedly at a variable bit rate.

Enabling trick plays during VBR playback of a CBR transmitted media file

An apparatus, method and system for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) content within a system that includes a bypass architecture, using a Session Encapsulation Information Database (SEIDB). Within an existing PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) framework used as a control plane for IP content bypass flow setup, the SEIDB system stores session bypass encapsulation information for IP content bypass flows within the system. Within the SEIDB, each entry of bypass encapsulation information has a flow classifier component that uniquely identifies a bypass flow in a manner that allows both a cable modem termination system (CMTS) and the IP content source to uniquely identify the bypass flow at the SEIDB. Initially, the CMTS gathers bypass encapsulation information and uploads it to the SEIDB. Before the bypass flow begins, the IP content source obtains the necessary bypass encapsulation information from the SEIDB, e.g., using a flow classifier as a search filter item.

Apparatus, method and system for managing session encapsulation information within an internet protocol content bypass architecture

A method and apparatus for classifying video flows to minimize switching time at a user terminal is described. One aspect of the invention relates to classifying video for distribution. A plurality of classes associated with a respective plurality of network jitter measures is established. A jitter profile for a plurality of video flows is defined by associating each video flow of the plurality of video flows with one of the plurality of classes based on an estimated jitter measure of the video flow. The jitter profile is distributed towards at least one user terminal from a distribution facility. The user terminal may use the jitter profile to set the fill level of its jitter buffer dynamically according to the particular video flow being decoded.

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Assonet, MA, United States of America

Michael W Patrick