Sonus Networks, Inc.

Atreus Systems Corp.

Alcatel Canada Inc.

Scott Brookes

Douglas Bellinger

Richard Burke

Geoff Stewart

Thomas Phillips

Wendy Raoux

Antonino Argentina

Patrick Rhude

Luc Richard

Stephanie Bazin

Andrea Baptiste

Gaetan Delahousse

Richard Charles Vieregge

Martin Hebert

Nelson Gillette

A system and method automates and simplifies tasks associated with setting up a user self-activating network-based service. A configurable input engine is configured to define the service. The service may, for example, use a plurality of networking devices and/or computing devices. After the service is defined, an offer of the service is published to a user. The offer includes values of commercial terms and/or values of configuration parameters associated with the offer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the user, the configurable input engine automatically generates activations for the devices to be used by the service. The activations are sent to policy distribution points (PDPs) where the activations are translated into device-specific instructions. The device-specific instructions are in turn sent to the devices (networking devices and/or computing devices) to be configured. The device-specific instructions configure the devices, thereby automatically setting up the service for the user.

System and method for setting up user self-activating network-based services

A 'policy distribution point' (PDP) allows service drivers to be installed remotely and automatically without rebooting the PDP or otherwise interrupting existing network-based services. The exposure of sensitive configuration data to non-secure networks is minimized by placing PDPs close to the devices to be configured. Service drivers on the PDP can be reused to configure multiple devices of the same type. The PDP receives an 'activation' and uses a service driver on the PDP to translate the activation into &#x201c;device-specific instructions.&#x201d; The device-specific instructions are sent to a device and configure the device to set up the network-based service. One or more PDPs can be used to configure both computing device and networking devices to provide a single service.

Policy distribution point for setting up network-based services

A method and apparatus that includes processing for providing reliable interoperation of the plurality of independent software modules. Such processing begins by determining selection of an object by one of a plurality of independent software modules to produce a new object selection. The processing then continues by determining object selection status, which indicates a selected object and an associated one of the plurality of independent software modules. In other words, the object selection status indicates which independent software module is currently managing a particular object. The processing then continues by updating the object selection status when a difference occurs between at least one of the independent software modules identified currently in the object selection status and the independent software module selecting the object, and/or the newly selected object is different from the object identified in the object selection status. In other words, the object selection status is updated to correspond the selecting software module to be responsible for management of the selected object. If such was already indicated in the object selection status no change occurs.

Method and apparatus for providing reliable interoperation of a plurality of independent software modules

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Ottawa, Canada

Scott Brookes