Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080291937 | Transmission control protocol queue sorting - A device that queues and transmits data packets is described. This device includes: a queue configured to store data packets awaiting transmission; a controller configured to dynamically determine an order in which the data packets are transmitted from the queue; and a transmission mechanism configured to transmit the data packets from the queue in the determined order. The transmission order is determined using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) sequence numbers and/or TCP timestamps contained in the data packets in the queue in order to provide increased utility without reducing existing fairness between independent data streams. | 11-27-2008 |
20080298257 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING A ROUTER THAT IMPROPERLY RESPONDS TO ARP REQUESTS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that detects a non-compliant router that incorrectly responds to all address-resolution-protocol (ARP) requests, including ARP requests and ARP probes for link-local IP addresses. This is accomplished by sending an ARP request asking for an Ethernet address associated with a link-local IP address, wherein the link-local IP address is a reserved link-local IP address, which should not be assigned to any device. If a response is received to the ARP request, the system determines that the response was sent by a non-compliant router that incorrectly responds to all ARP requests, including ARP requests for link-local IP addresses. | 12-04-2008 |
20090092063 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING LINK-LOCAL IPv4 ADDRESSING ACROSS MULTIPLE INTERFACES OF A NETWORK NODE - Embodiments of the present invention provide link-local IPv4 addressing across multiple interfaces of a network-node. During operation, the network-node broadcasts an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet on multiple interfaces which asks for the hardware address of a network node whose link-local IPv4 address is Y. In response, the network-node receives an ARP-reply packet on an interface from a target network-node. If Y is present in the ARP cache and is associated with a different interface, the source network-node chooses a winner interface, and updates the ARP cache so that Y is associated with the winner interface. The network-node sends one or more contention-resolution packets on the loser interface to cause a loser network-node to choose another link-local IPv4 address for itself. | 04-09-2009 |
20090209245 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING A WIRELESS DEVICE THROUGH REVERSE ADVERTISING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that uses reverse advertising to configure a new wireless device to join an existing wireless network. During operation, the new wireless device broadcasts an advertisement for itself. In response to the advertisement, the new wireless device receives information from an existing wireless device on the existing wireless network. This information specifies how to join the existing wireless network. Next, the new wireless device uses the information to configure itself to join the existing wireless network. | 08-20-2009 |
20100235668 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING A SLEEP PROXY FOR SERVICES ON A NETWORK - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for implementing a sleep proxy. The system starts by receiving a request at the sleep proxy for information pertaining to a service provided by a device. In response to this request, the system determines if the device is a member of a list of devices for which the sleep proxy takes action. If so, the system determines if the sleep proxy can answer the request. If so, the sleep proxy sends a response to the request on behalf of the device. In a variation on this embodiment, if the system cannot answer the request on behalf of the device, the system sends a wakeup packet to the device, wherein the wakeup packet causes the device to exit a power-saving mode so that the device can respond to the request directly. | 09-16-2010 |
20110075591 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOOKING UP CONFIGURATION INFORMATION FOR A NETWORK NODE - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for looking up location-specific configuration information for a network node or a subnet. During system operation, a network node creates a query message containing a key that comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) prefix and a string, wherein the IP prefix identifies the network node or the subnet, and the string specifies the type of configuration information. The network node then sends the query message to a name server, which is part of a distributed system that provides a global naming service, wherein the name server additionally stores configuration information. Finally, the network node receives a response message from the name server, wherein the response message contains the requested configuration information. | 03-31-2011 |
20120311114 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING INCORRECT RESPONSES TO NETWORK QUERIES - A system that determines if a DNS server suffers from a particular known functional limitation. During operation, the system sends an exploratory query to the DNS server, wherein the exploratory query is specially constructed so as to detect the existence of a functional limitation in the DNS server without causing the DNS server to fail. Next, the system receives an answer to the exploratory query from the DNS server. If the DNS server gives an incorrect response, the system can take actions as may be desired for the implementation. For example, the system may display a message identifying the functional limitation, or the system may establish a mode of operation where it avoids performing those types of DNS queries known to present a risk of crashing the particular Internet gateway. | 12-06-2012 |
20140095752 | INTERRUPT SUPPRESSION STRATEGY - The disclosed embodiments provide a system that suppresses interrupts to facilitate efficient use of a processor in a computer system. The system includes a node that transmits a first interrupt to the processor upon receiving a first packet for processing at the processor and disables subsequent interrupts to the processor during an interrupt-suppression state in the processor. The system also includes the processor, which processes the first packet upon receiving the first interrupt and transmits a first acknowledgment of the first packet to the node to enable the interrupt-suppression state. | 04-03-2014 |
20140214958 | HYBRID UNICAST/MULTICAST DNS-BASED SERVICE DISCOVERY - This document describes a “hybrid proxy,” which is a network node that enables hosts outside of a link to discover services that are available on the link, by answering service discovery queries from hosts outside of the link. A hybrid proxy may use “zero configuration” networking technologies such as Multicast Domain Name System (mDNS), Domain Name System-Service Discovery (DNS-SD), and/or Domain Name System Long-Lived Queries (DNS-LLQ). As one example, a hybrid proxy may receive a unicast DNS-SD query, transmit a corresponding mDNS query on its link to obtain information responsive to the query, and then transmit a unicast DNS-SD response to the querying host. As another example, a hybrid proxy may receive a unicast DNS-LLQ query, transmit an initial DNS-LLQ answer to the querying host, transmit an mDNS query on its link to obtain additional information, and then transmit subsequent DNS-LLQ update messages to the querying host. | 07-31-2014 |
20140244996 | PRIVATE DISCOVERY OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES - The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates communication between a first electronic device and a second electronic device. During operation, the system uses the first electronic device to create a discovery request comprising a first group identifier (ID) associated with the first electronic device, wherein using the first electronic device to create the discovery request involves encrypting the first group ID and including the encrypted first group ID in the discovery request. Next, the system transmits the discovery request to the second electronic device, wherein the discovery request is used by the second electronic device to generate a discovery response to the discovery request. | 08-28-2014 |
20140258319 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACCELERATING THE EXPIRATION OF RESOURCE RECORDS IN A LOCAL CACHE - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates reconfirmation of resource records in a cache. The system starts by retrieving the resource record at a client and attempting to establish communication using the data in that resource record. In the event that communication is not successful, the system responds by issuing one or more queries for the resource record in question. The system then waits for a response to the query. If the response to the query is not received in a pre-determined amount of time, the system invalidates the resource record. The response from the device is a multicast response, thereby allowing other clients to update corresponding resource records in their local caches without querying the device, and thus saving network bandwidth. | 09-11-2014 |