Metaswitch Networks Limited

Shaun Crampton

Felix Palmer

Alex Pollitt

David Drysdale

Philip Pearl

Michael James Curtis

Liz Rice

Chris Mairs

Simon Wingrove

Steve Balls

Fiona Corden

Casey Davenport

Robert Brockbank

Michael Jeffrey Evans

Matthew Williams

Jonathan Harrison

Jeff Rollins

A controller node receives a list of a first plurality of flows programmed on a network switch. The controller node extracts a flow cookie value from a flow cookie data field of each flow in the first plurality of flows on the received list and calculates a session identifier on the basis of the extracted cookie values. At least one add flow command is transmitted from the controller node to the network switch to program a second plurality of flows on the network switch. The at least one add flow command comprises flow cookie values in the flow cookie data fields of each of the flows in the second plurality of flows which are set equal to the calculated session identifier. At least one delete flow command is transmitted from the controller node to the network switch to delete programming of the first plurality of flows on the network switch.

Flow synchronization

Measures, including methods, systems, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums and computer programs for use in routing packet data. At a network switching device, a data packet is received from a device located upstream of the network switching device. The received data packet comprises routing data associated with a routing decision which has been taken for the data packet upstream of the network switching device. The routing data comprises an abstract media access control (MAC) address corresponding to a next hop destination for the data packet located downstream of the network switching device. At the network switching device, the abstract MAC address in the data packet is replaced with a real MAC address of the next hop downstream destination. At the network switching device, the data packet is forwarded towards the next hop downstream destination.

Packet data routing

A method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to a telephony user device and at least one other user device in a data communications network. Communications are conducted with a server system. The communications comprise a client-server connection. Call party details of a telephone call are transmitted to the server system in the communications. The telephone call involves at least the telephony user device, as a first telephony user device involved in the call, and a second telephony user device involved in the call. The call party details including a first identity associated with the first telephony user device and a second identity associated with the second telephony user device.

Systems and methods of call-based data communication

Measures for transferring routing protocol information between a software defined network and one or more external networks are provided. A control node in a software defined network (SDN) is configured to maintain a protocol information database comprising routing protocol information for one or more switching nodes in the SDN. In response to detecting occurrence of a predetermined trigger event, the control node modifies the routing protocol information in the protocol information database, and determines whether the one or more switching nodes include an edge switching node. In response to the determination, a routing protocol message is transmitted from the control node to the edge switching node for forwarding via an external network interface. The routing protocol message includes data generated on the basis of the modified routing protocol information.

Transferring routing protocol information between a software defined network and one or more external networks

Measures for processing data in a packet-switched network. A first device is configured to snoop control packets of a predetermined control plane protocol in the network. The predetermined control plane protocol is operated by a plurality of other devices in the network to obtain Layer 2 information on the basis of known Layer 3 information. The first device does not operate the predetermined control plane protocol in the network. At the first device, in response to identifying that a given snooped packet was generated according to the predetermined control plane protocol. Layer 3 information associated with a second device in the plurality is extracted from the given snooped control plane protocol packet on the basis of known Layer 2 information associated with the second device. The second device is connected to the first device.

Data processing

Measures for processing data in a packet-switched network. At a first device in the network, a packet transmitted from a second device in the network is received. The received packet comprising an Internet Protocol (IP) address for a third device in the network. On the basis of the IP address for the third device comprised in the received data packet, lookup in an IP routing table of the second device is initiated to obtain a next-hop address for the received packet. The obtained next-hop IP address is determined to be an IP address of a device connected to the first device.

Measures for processing data in a packet-switched network. At a first device in the network, an echo request packet is transmitted into the network. The echo request packet comprises a predetermined identifier. An echo response packet is received from a second device in the network. In response to the received echo response packet comprising the predetermined identifier, the received echo response packet is identified as a packet generated on the basis of an echo request packet originated from the first device, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address comprised in the received echo response packet is determined to be an IP address of the second device.

Communications equipment associated with a calling party in a telecommunications network has a telephony function for handling telephone calls and a data communication application for handling data communication sessions. The telephony function and the data communication application have an associated first and second user interface respectively. A called party identifier is collected via the second user interface in response to user input at the communications equipment. A telephone call is set up between the calling party and the called party using the telephony function on the basis of the collected called party identifier. Data communication session setup information, comprising information identifying the called party, is transmitted on the basis of the collected called party identifier. The data communication session setup information is for establishing a data communication session separate from the telephone call for the communication of data between the calling party and the called party.

Controlling communications equipment

A method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two user devices in a data communications network. A client-server connection request is received from at least one of the at least two user devices. Call party details of a telephone call are received. The telephone call involves at least a first telephony user device and a second telephony user device. The call party details include a first identity associated with the first telephony user device and a second identity associated with the second telephony user device. At least one of the first and second identities comprises a telephone dialing number. A separate communications session is established on the basis of the first and second identities received in the call party details.

Data communication

Methods, apparatus and computer program products for controlling a computing device comprising a touch-screen user interface. A status of one or more applications having access to the touch-screen user interface of the computing device is monitored. In response to the monitoring indicating that a predetermined application is displaying a screen on the touch-screen user interface, at least one overlay portion is configured over a part of the displayed screen. Hence, an augmented user interface experience is provided which allows display of information to a user via an overlay displayed on top of information associated with a predetermined application already being presented to the user. No interaction by the user with the touch-screen user interface is required in order to navigate away from or back to the predetermined application.

Controlling a computing device

Measures for configuring a network aggregation device in a network. First routing data for a plurality of internet protocol (IP) flows configured on at least one edge device of a service provider network is identified. The edge device is located towards the service provider network from the network aggregation device. At least one utility metric for at least one IP flow in the identified plurality of IP flows is calculated. The at least one utility metric is calculated at least in part on the basis of one or more destination IP addresses associated with the at least one IP flow. A subset of IP flows from the identified plurality of IP flows is selected at least in part on the basis of the calculated at least one utility metric. Second routing data for the selected subset of IP flows is configured on the network aggregation device.

Device configuration

Measures for processing data in a telecommunications network. At a cache, a subscriber configuration data request requesting subscriber configuration data for a subscriber device is received from a network node in a cluster of network nodes. In response to receipt of the subscriber configuration data request, it is determined that a shared cache store does not contain subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device. In response to the determination, subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device is retrieved from a subscriber configuration network node. The subscriber configuration data for the subscriber device retrieved from the subscriber configuration network node is transmitted to the network node.

Processing data in a cluster of network nodes

Measures for use in generating path configuration data for an optical network. A least cost path calculation process is performed on a network graph representation of the optical network to generate path configuration data for the optical network. Performing the least cost path calculation process comprises performing a network graph expansion process on the network graph representation of the optical network to obtain an expanded network graph representation of the optical network. Performing the network graph expansion process comprises determining data identifying the possible expansion paths to each optical node, the cost of each path and the available wavelengths for each path, grouping together wavelength and path data for paths of equal cost, and at one or more nodes, identifying a subset of one or more wavelengths and performing a wavelength pruning operation.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Shaun Crampton