International Business Machines Corporation

Nortel Networks Corporation

Cape City Command, LLC

Cameron Capital Management, LLC

Sridhar Rao

Seeta Hariharan

Marco C Heddes

Anthony Matteo Gallo

Fabrice Jean Verplanken

Jean Louis Calvignac

Michael Steven Siegel

Brian Mitchell Bass

Brian Alan Youngman

Bahram Sanaei

Brooks Johnston

Yanping Wang

Hemanta K Dutta

Claude Basso

Colin Beaton Verrilli

Ravinder Kumar Sabhikhi

Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran

Randall W Alexander

David M Perlsweig

Marc C Lavergne

Sonia Kiang Rovner

John Robison

Gail Irene Woodland

Nicholas M Williamson

James A Cooke

Shou-Huey Jiang

Steven Robert Medeiros

Ron Bauman

A method and system for improving stock exchange equity trade order acknowledgment times including a network appliance ('trade accelerator') in the sub-network of the trading platforms, having a specialized network flow processor with associated micro-code and a host processor running specialized software. Specialized network appliance software sensitive to trading protocols for communicating between trading platforms and exchange servers detects latency variations in trade order acknowledgments at the exchange and recommends to subscribing trading platforms a least latency trade order path.

Method and system for improving equity trade order acknowledgement times

A method and system for developing portable network processor applications and/or managing heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network includes host processor(s) utilizing system configuration application(s) that are network processor independent. In one aspect, the method and system include using standardized interface(s) for each network processor, using a standardized transport layer compatible with the interface(s), and providing a generic message application layer. The generic message application layer defines generic payload(s) and message type(s) for configuration communications between the network and host processors. In another aspect, the method and system include providing packet processing shell(s) and generic protocol software that is coupled with the packet processing shell(s) through standard interface(s), network processor independent, and performs operations for packet processing. The method and system also include providing a library that includes network processor specific information for performing the operations and providing block(s) for performing other network processor specific operations.

Software architecture for managing a system of heterogenous network processors and for developing portable network processor applications

An apparatus for developing portable packet processing applications on network processors includes a docking platform which provides a common interface for individual packet processing applications to be plugged into the network processing environment. Each application interacts with the docking platform through the common interfaces provided by the latter. The docking platform interacts with the other modules inside the system to accomplish the requests from the application. In this manner, the applications become 'shielded' from the implementation details of the underlying hardware. The applications need not change when the network processor hardware features are changed. It therefore provides a universal packet processing programming environment in which applications can execute in a portable and flexible manner in various hardware architectures.

Docking platform for developing portable packet processing applications in a network processor

A method for managing tables that are used by network processors to control network traffic through a network. The method comprises including a first table management software application in a first network processor, in which the first table management software is dedicated to managing only tables associated with the first network processor; including a second table management software application in a second network processor, in which the second table management software application is dedicated to managing only tables associated with the second network processor; and including a table management control application in a host processor, in which the table management control application is configured to respectively manage the tables associated with the first network processor and the tables associated with the second network processor through the first table management software application and the second table management software application through a plurality of generic application programming interfaces (APIs).

Method and system for managing tables that are used by network processors to control traffic through a network

A method for controlling congestion control and avoidance behavior of a plurality of heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network also includes at least one host processor that utilizes at least one congestion control application. The method include providing a plurality of generic application program interfaces (APIs). The generic APIs communicate with the congestion control application(s) and the heterogeneous network processors. The generic APIs communicate with the congestion control application(s) in the host processor(s) in a network processor independent manner, but manage the congestion control and avoidance behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in a network processor specific manner. Thus, the generic APIs allow the control application(s) to be network processor independent and to manage the congestion control and avoidance behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in the network processor specific manner.

Method of generically specifying congestion control and avoidance behavior

A method and system for controlling packet classification behavior of a plurality of heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network also includes at least one host processor that utilizes at least one packet classification application. The method and system include providing a plurality of generic application program interfaces (APIs). The generic APIs communicate with the packet classification application(s) and the heterogeneous network processors. The generic APIs communicate with the packet classification application(s) in the host processor(s) in a network processor independent manner, but manage the packet classification behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in a network processor specific manner. Thus, the generic APIs allow the packet classification application(s) to be network processor independent and to manage the packet classification behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in the network processor specific manner.

Method and system of generically specifying packet classification behavior

A method for developing portable network processor applications and/or managing heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network includes host processor(s) utilizing system configuration application(s) that are network processor independent. In one aspect, the method and system include using standardized interface(s) for each network processor, using a standardized transport layer compatible with the interface(s), and providing a generic message application layer. The generic message application layer defines generic payload(s) and message type(s) for configuration communications between the network and host processors. In another aspect, the method and system include providing packet processing shell(s) and generic protocol software that is coupled with the packet processing shell(s) through standard interface(s), network processor independent, and performs operations for packet processing. The method also include providing a library that includes network processor specific information for performing the operations and providing block(s) for performing other network processor specific operations.

An apparatus is disclosed for transporting control information in a communications system. The apparatus comprises a network processor, a control point processor operatively coupled to the network processor, and a guided frame generated by the control point processor. The guided frame comprises a first section in which frame control information is placed and is used by the network processor to update at least one control register within the network processor; a second section carrying correlators assigned by the control point processor to correlate guided frame responses with their requests; a third section carrying one or a sequence of guided commands; and an End delimiter guided command.

Network switch and components and method of operation

A control sub system, a plurality of interface processors, a plurality of media interfaces a plurality of queues are operatively coupled and responsive to a control signal to move data from a memory to a selected one of the plurality of queues.

A method processing packets for network processor applications. The method includes receiving a packet at an ingress connector of a docking platform from a network processor application, wherein the ingress connector is not specific to the network processor application. The method also includes processing the packet by a PPA shell, the PPA shell comprising a plurality of interfaces between the docking platform and the network processor application, where the plurality of interfaces is not specific to the network processor application, and where the processing comprises invoking at least one of a plurality of functions utilizing one of the plurality of interfaces, wherein the plurality of functions is specific to the network processor application.

Developing portable packet processing applications in a network processor

A method and system for managing a plurality of tables for a plurality of heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network also includes at least one host processor that utilizes at least one table management application. The method and system include providing a plurality of generic application program interfaces (APIs). The generic APIs communicate with the control application(s) and the heterogeneous network processors. The generic APIs communicate with the table management application(s) in a network processor independent manner, but manage the tables for the heterogeneous network processors in a network processor specific manner. Thus, the generic APIs allow the control application(s) to be network processor independent and to manage the tables for the heterogeneous network processors in the network processor specific manner.

Method and system of generically managing tables for network processors

An efficient method for performing state based ingress packet selection for a packet processing system in a network processor is disclosed. With this method, each set of message classes is associated with a state of an application, and each set of message classes is assigned to a semaphore. The application blocks one of the semaphores based on its current state. When a message is received, and the message belongs to a class assigned to the blocked semaphore, the blocked semaphore is signaled. The blocked semaphore then wakes the application. In this manner, when the application is awakened, it is guaranteed to find a message that it is interested in processing in its current state, resulting in greater efficiency in the processing of ingress messages.

Method and system for processing ingress messages for a state based application associated with a network processor

A method and system for providing network processor management that efficiently operates in homogenous and heterogonous environments are provided. The system includes a controlled entity having a switched architecture including a first set of processing resources and a second set of processing resources distinct from the first set of processing resources, and a controller for issuing a control request packet to the first set of processing resources, the control request packet including a first set of control actions and a second set of control actions, wherein the controlled entity processes the first set of control actions using the first set of processing resources and transfers the second set of control actions to the second set of processing resources.

Uniform management of mixed network systems

A network switch apparatus, components for such an apparatus, and methods of operating such an apparatus in which data flow handling and flexibility is enhanced by the cooperation of a control point and a plurality of interface processors formed on a semiconductor substrate. The control point and interface processors together form a network processor capable of cooperating with other elements including an optional switching fabric device in executing instructions directing the flow of data in a network.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Sridhar Rao