International Business Machines Corporation

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc.

International Business Corporation

Ibm France

Patrick Michel

Alain Benayoun

Jean-Francois Le Pennec

Gilles Toubol

Jacques Fieschi

Claude Pin

Patrick Sicsic

Michel Paul Verhaeghe

Andre Albano

Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Le Pennec

Jean-Francois LePennec

Rene Chuniaud

Joaquin Picon

Jean Francois Le Pennec

Philippe Therias

Pascal Roy

Jean-Louis Clara

Patrick Cavallo

Frederic J Bauchot

Claude R Galand

Marc Lamberton

Maurice Duault

Gerard Marmigère

Bruno Centola

Jacques Cresp

Claude Gomez

Daniel J Esteban

Maurice Cukier

Philippe Pierre Louis

Gerard Brun

Jacques Feraud

Jean-Francois Pennec

Christian Ouazana

Henri Giuliano

Francis E Baudelot

Dominique Vinot

Didier Avargues

Jean-Fracois LePennec

Frederic Marciano

Jean-Charles Cueff

Philippe Dalmas

Gerard Bardet

Joseph Spatari

Bernard Sergent

A method for sharing data contained on a peripheral device amongst a plurality of blade servers is disclosed. The method includes storing a copy of data from a peripheral device to a memory device. The memory device is partitioned into at least 'n' memory areas, each memory area storing one copy of the data. The method also includes assigning one of the at least 'n' memory areas to each of a plurality &#x2018;n&#x2019; of servers. The method also includes establishing communication between the plurality of servers and the plurality of assigned memory areas via a switch controller. The switch controller is configured to access the plurality of assigned memory areas via a processor.

Virtual USB key for blade server

A hardware device for concurrently processing a fixed set of predetermined tasks associated with an algorithm which includes a number of processes, some of the processes being dependent on binary decisions, includes a plurality of task units for processing data, making decisions and/or processing data and making decisions, including source task units and destination task units. A task interconnection logic means interconnect the task units for communicating actions from a source task unit to a destination task unit. Each of the task units includes a processor for executing only a particular single task of the fixed set of predetermined tasks associated with the algorithm in response to a received request action, and a status manager for handling the actions from the source task units and building the actions to be sent to the destination task units.

Hardware device for processing the tasks of an algorithm in parallel

A hardware device for processing the tasks of an algorithm of the type having a number of processes the execution of some of which depend on binary decisions has a plurality of task units (), each of which are associated with a task defined as being either one process or one decision or one process together with a following decision. A task interconnection logic block () is connected to each task unit for communicating actions from a source task unit to a destination task unit. Each task unit includes a processor () for processing the steps of the associated task when a received action requests such a processing. A status manager () handles actions coming from other task units and builds actions to be sent to other task units.

A method for validating an electronic payment by a credit/debit card in a transaction system. The method includes registering a purchase of an article by a buyer using a credit/debit card associated with at least one PIN code, checking that the at least one PIN code is associated with the number of said credit/debit card provided by said buyer to said seller terminal, checking, by said electronic payment center, whether or not said at least one PIN code is valid, and one of: after the at least one PIN code is found to be valid, checking, by said electronic payment center, whether the electronic payment center has received a pre-validation from a third party; after the at least one PIN code is found to be valid, contacting a third party via a communication network and requesting that the third party validate the purchase; and after the at least one PIN code is found to be valid, contacting a third party via a communication network and requesting said at least one PIN code from the third party. The third party is a prime owner of the credit/debit card.

Method for validating an electronic payment by a credit/debit card

The disclosed invention relates to a re-synchronization system that operates in a switching arrangement receiving a plurality of incoming data packets. The switching arrangement is made of an active switch card that transmits the incoming data packets and a backup switch card that may be re-activated by an operator after replacement. The re-synchronization system is implemented in each switch card. When the backup switch card is re-activated, both switch cards receive the incoming data packets and the system of the invention allows to re-synchronized both switch cards by controlling the transmission of the incoming data packets out of each switch card until the same data packets are transmitted. The re-synchronization system further comprise storage for storing the incoming data packets and detector for detecting a re-synchronization information among the incoming data packets.

System and method for packet switch cards re-synchronization

A data packet switching node that temporarily stores data packets received from at least one source network adapter and transmits them to at least one destination network adapter comprises a data packet flow control system to control the data packet flow. The data packet flow control system comprises identifier to determine the at least one destination adapter of each received data packet. Then, flow control logic coupled to the storage allow computing a data packet flow value representing the traffic for the at least one destination adapter. The data packet flow value is transmitted simultaneously to the at least one source network adapter and to the at least one destination network adapter each time a data packet for the at least one destination network adapter is stored into the storage.

Dynamic data packet flow control for packet switching node

A hardware device for processing the tasks of an algorithm of the type having a number of processes the execution of some of which depend on binary decisions has a plurality of task units (), each of which are associated with a task defined as being either one process or one decision or one process together with a following decision. A task interconnection logic block () is connected to each task unit for communicating actions from a source task unit to a destination task unit. Each task unit includes a processor () for processing the steps of the associated task when a received action requests such a processing. A status manager () handles actions coming from other task units and builds actions to be sent to other task units

A switchover system and method is described. The invention preferably operates in a data packet switching system for transmitting through a switching arrangement data packets that comprise at least a data packet identifier. The switching arrangement comprises at least an active switch card associated to a backup switch card. And the active switch card and the backup switch card receive simultaneously at least a data packet and transmit it to a network adapter device. The switchover system comprises active and backup means for respectively storing at an active and backup data packet address the transmitted at least data packet. It also comprises switchover detecting means coupled to the active and backup storing means for detecting a switchover event, and control means coupled to the active and backup storing means and to the switchover detecting means for setting the backup storing means when a switchover event is detected.

Switchover system and method in a data packet switching network

A data transmission system comprising a packet switch module interconnecting LAN adapters, a plurality of input and output ports connected to the LAN adapters such that each pair of input and output ports defines a crosspoint within the switch module, and a memory block located at each crosspoint of the switch module for storing at least one data packet. At each clock time, a scheduler causes a data packet stored in a memory block, among all memory blocks corresponding to a given output port, to be transferred to that output port. The system further comprises a configuration interface mechanism for sending configuration data to the memory control means of memory blocks located at pre-determined crosspoints such that a packet received by corresponding input ports from an input adapter having a speed n times faster than an input adapter transmitting to a single input port is transferred to corresponding output ports at a speed which is n times the transfer speed between a single input port and a single output port.

Data transmission system with multi-memory packet switch

In a remote computer, a method for providing a file comprises the steps of receiving a request for this file, identifying this file as being stored in a distant server, requesting the distance server to send the file, identifying this file as being used, and forwarding this file. Further, in a local server, a method for transferring a file from a home server comprises the steps of receiving a request for this file, this request comprising the home server identification, checking that this file is not locally stored, requesting this file to the home server, identifying the file as being locally used, and forwarding this file.

Files transfer between a remote home server and a local server

The invention discloses a method of updating, in nodes on both ends of a secure link, the encryption key they share to encrypt and decrypt data. When having to transmit data from one of the nodes towards its peer remote node, a data base in the forwarding node, is first updated from the data to be transmitted. Then, encryption is performed and data transmitted to the peer remote node while a next-to-use encryption key is derived from the new contents of the data base. When received, data are decrypted with the current value of the encryption key and the peer remote node data base is updated identically from the received decrypted data after which a next-to-use encryption key is derived, thereby obtaining in the peer remote node, a next-to-use identical key. The data base is preferably the dictionary of a data compression/decompression system used simultaneously with encryption/decryption to transmit data over the secure link. While keys are frequently updated, for improved security, the invention does not require that key updates need to be actually distributed.

Method of updating encryption keys in a data communication system

Method for validating an electronic payment by a credit card in a transaction system comprising a seller terminal () for registering a sale of one or several articles by a buyer (or) using a credit card associated with a plurality of PIN codes and an electronic payment center () connected to the seller terminal by the Internet network (). The method consists for the electronic payment center to check that a buyer PIN code which is provided by the buyer to the center is associated with the number of the credit card provided by the buyer to the seller terminal and is characterized in that it comprises a step automatically carried out by the electronic payment center of checking with a third party whether the buyer PIN code is valid.

Data transmission system comprising a plurality of Local Area Networks (LANs) (-to-) interconnected by a hub () including the same plurality of LAN adapters (-to-) respectively connected to the LANs and a packet switch () comprising at least a packet switch module interconnecting all LAN adapters wherein a packet transmitted by any adapter to the packet switch includes a header containing at least the address of the adapter to which the packet is forwarded. The system comprises a memory block at each crosspoint of the switch module including memory control means for determining from the header of the received data packet whether the packet is to be forwarded to the output port associated with the crosspoint and a data memory unit for storing at least the data packet into the data memory unit before sending it to the output port. The memory control means analyzes all the bytes following the header when it includes a specific configuration indicating that the packet is a multicast address packet preceding a multicast frame in order to determine whether the packets of the multicast frame are to be forwarded to the output port.

Expandable self-route multi-memory packet switch with a configurable multicast mechanism

Data transmission system comprising a plurality of Local Area Networks (LANs) (-to-) interconnected by a hub () including the same plurality of LAN adapters (-to-) respectively connected to the LANs and a packet switch () comprising at least a packet switch module interconnecting all LAN adapters wherein a packet transmitted by any adapter to the packet switch includes a header containing at least the address of the adapter to which the packet is forwarded. The system comprises a memory block located at each cross point of the switch module including a data memory unit for storing at least a data packet and memory control means for determining from the header of the received data packet whether the packet is to be forwarded to the output port associated with the cross point and for storing the packet into the data memory unit and a scheduler for causing at each clock time a data packet stored in a data memory unit of a memory block among all memory blocks corresponding to the output port to be forwarded to this output port.

Self-route expandable multi-memory packet switch

Growing community of inventors

La Gaude, France

Patrick Michel