Jeffrey A Prince

US Patent:

6427185, Jul 30, 2002

Filed:

Jul 17, 1997

Appl. No.:

08/896485

Inventors:

Randy Ryals - Menlo Park CA
Jeffrey Prince - Sunnyvale CA
H. Earl Ferguson - Los Altos CA
Mike K. Noll - San Jose CA
Derek H. Pitcher - Newark CA

Assignee:

Nortel Networks Limited - St. Laurent

International Classification:

G06F 1208

US Classification:

711100, 711146

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for managing the flow of data within a switching device is provided. The switching device includes network interface cards connected to a common backplane. Each interface card is configured to support the maximum transfer rate of the backplane by maintaining a âpendingâ queue to track data that has been received but for which the appropriate routing destination has not yet been determined. The switching device includes a switch controller that maintains a central card/port-to-address table. When an interface card receives data with a destination address that is not known to the interface card, the interface card performs a direct memory access over a bus that is separate from the backplane to read routing data directly from the central table in the switch controller. Each interface card builds and maintains a routing information table in its own local memory that only includes routing information for the destination addresses that the interface card is most likely to receive.

US Patent:

6788671, Sep 7, 2004

Filed:

Mar 5, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/093290

Inventors:

Randy Ryals - Menlo Park CA
Jeffrey Prince - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Nortel Networks Limited - St. Laurent

International Classification:

H04L 1200

US Classification:

370351, 370355, 370359

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for managing the flow of data within a switching device is provided. The switching device includes network interface cards connected to a common backplane. Each interface card is configured to support the maximum transfer rate of the backplane by maintaining a âpendingâ queue to track data that has been received but for which the appropriate routing destination has not yet been determined. The switching device includes a switch controller that maintains a central card/port-to-address table. When an interface card receives data with a destination address that is not known to the interface card, the interface card performs a direct memory access over a bus that is separate from the backplane to read routing data directly from the central table in the switch controller. Each interface card builds and maintains a routing information table in its own local memory that only includes routing information for the destination addresses that the interface card is most likely to receive.

US Patent:

7031296, Apr 18, 2006

Filed:

Dec 27, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/330640

Inventors:

Randy Ryals - Menlo Park CA, US
Jeffrey Prince - Sunnyvale CA, US
H. Earl Ferguson - Los Altos CA, US
Mike K. Noll - San Jose CA, US
Derek H. Pitcher - Newark CA, US

Assignee:

Nortel Networks Limited - St. Laurent

International Classification:

H04L 12/00

US Classification:

370351, 370355, 370362, 370392

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for managing the flow of data within a switching device is provided. The switching device includes network interface cards connected to a common backplane. Each interface card is configured to support the maximum transfer rate of the backplane by maintaining a “pending” queue to track data that has been received but for which the appropriate routing destination has not yet been determined. The switching device includes a switch controller that maintains a central card/port-to-address table. When an interface card receives data with a destination address that is not known to the interface card, the interface card performs a direct memory access over a bus that is separate from the backplane to read routing data directly from the central table in the switch controller. Each interface card builds and maintains a routing information table in its own local memory that only includes routing information for the destination addresses that the interface card is most likely to receive.

US Patent:

RE40467, Aug 26, 2008

Filed:

Feb 3, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/347786

Inventors:

Randy Ryals - Menlo Park CA, US
Jeffrey Prince - Sunnyvale CA, US
H. Earl Ferguson - Los Altos CA, US
Mike K. Noll - San Jose CA, US
Derek H. Pitcher - Newark CA, US

Assignee:

Nortel Networks Limited - St. Laurent, Quebec

International Classification:

H04L 12/00

US Classification:

370351, 370355, 370359

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for managing the flow of data within a switching device is provided. The switching device includes network interface cards connected to a common backplane. Each interface card is configured to support the maximum transfer rate of the backplane by maintaining a “pending” queue to track data that has been received but for which the appropriate routing destination has not yet been determined. The switching device includes a switch controller that maintains a central card/port-to-address table. When an interface card receives data with a destination address that is not known to the interface card, the interface card performs a direct memory access over a bus that is separate from the backplane to read routing data directly from the central table in the switch controller. Each interface card builds and maintains a routing information table in its own local memory that only includes a routing information for the destination addresses that the interface card is most likely to receive.

US Patent:

7649885, Jan 19, 2010

Filed:

May 6, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/139912

Inventors:

Ian Edward Davis - Fremont CA, US
Jeffrey A. Prince - Los Gatos CA, US
Ronak Patel - Santa Clara CA, US

Assignee:

Foundry Networks, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H04L 12/56

US Classification:

370392, 370401

Abstract:

According to an embodiment of the invention, a network device such as a router or switch provides efficient data packet handling capability. The network device includes one or more input ports for receiving data packets to be routed, as well as one or more output ports for transmitting data packets. The network device includes an integrated port controller integrated circuit for routing packets. The integrated circuit includes an interface circuit, a received packets circuit, a buffer manager circuit for receiving data packets from the received packets circuit and transmitting data packets in one or more buffers and reading data packets from the one or more buffers. The integrated circuit also includes a rate shaper counter for storing credit for a traffic class, so that the integrated circuit can support input and/or output rate shaping. The integrated circuit may be associated with an IRAM, a CAM, a parameter memory configured to hold routing and/or switching parameters, which may be implemented as a PRAM, and an aging RAM, which stores aging information. The aging information may be used by a CPU coupled to the integrated circuit via a system interface circuit to remove entries from the CAM and/or the PRAM when an age count exceeds an age limit threshold for the entries.

US Patent:

20060165055, Jul 27, 2006

Filed:

Mar 15, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/376666

Inventors:

Randy Ryals - Menlo Park CA, US
Jeffrey Prince - Sunnyvale CA, US
H. Ferguson - Los Altos CA, US
Mike Noll - San Jose CA, US
Derek Pitcher - Newark CA, US

International Classification:

H04L 12/50
H04Q 11/00
H04L 12/28

US Classification:

370351000, 370362000

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for managing the flow of data within a switching device is provided. The switching device includes network interface cards connected to a common backplane. Each interface card is configured to support the maximum transfer rate of the backplane by maintaining a “pending” queue to track data that has been received but for which the appropriate routing destination has not yet been determined. The switching device includes a switch controller that maintains a central card/port-to-address table. When an interface card receives data with a destination address that is not known to the interface card, the interface card performs a direct memory access over a bus that is separate from the backplane to read routing data directly from the central table in the switch controller. Each interface card builds and maintains a routing information table in its own local memory that only includes routing information for the destination addresses that the interface card is most likely to receive.

US Patent:

20070061386, Mar 15, 2007

Filed:

Aug 30, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/215755

Inventors:

Tamera Hancock - San Jose CA, US
Scott Hicks - Underhill Center VT, US
James Martin - Endicott NY, US
William Montgomery - Moreland GA, US
Douglas Murray - Johnson City NY, US
Shawn Oshiro - Gilroy CA, US
Nan Pay - San Jose CA, US
Jeffrey Prince - Bloomfield Hills MI, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 17/30

US Classification:

707204000

Abstract:

Under the present invention, an IT migration and corresponding information collection are conducted in a single visit. A directory such as an electronic mail directory of an organization (i.e., for which the IT migration is being performed) is first analyzed to identify contacts (e.g., employees) for the IT migration. Then, a message is sent to each of the contacts containing instructions for the IT migration. The instructions will typically include, among other things, a schedule for performing the IT migration. Thereafter, each of the contacts is visited according to the schedule(s) with all components needed to perform the IT migration. At the single visit, the IT migration will be performed and inventory information collected for each of the contacts that are present when visited. Finally, transaction details corresponding to the IT migration and the inventory information are recorded.

US Patent:

20090279558, Nov 12, 2009

Filed:

May 6, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/140749

Inventors:

Ian Edward Davis - Fremont CA, US
Jeffrey A. Prince - Los Gatos CA, US
Ronak Patel - Santa Clara CA, US

International Classification:

H04L 12/56

US Classification:

370412

Abstract:

According to an embodiment of the invention, a network device such as a router or switch provides efficient data packet handling capability. The network device includes one or more input ports for receiving data packets to be routed, as well as one or more output ports for transmitting data packets. The network device includes an integrated port controller integrated circuit for routing packets. The integrated circuit includes an interface circuit, a received packets circuit, a buffer manager circuit for receiving data packets from the received packets circuit and transmitting data packets in one or more buffers and reading data packets from the one or more buffers. The integrated circuit also includes a rate shaper counter for storing credit for a traffic class, so that the integrated circuit can support input and/or output rate shaping. The integrated circuit may be associated with an IRAM, a CAM, a parameter memory configured to hold routing and/or switching parameters, which may be implemented as a PRAM, and an aging RAM, which stores aging information. The aging information may be used by a CPU coupled to the integrated circuit via a system interface circuit to remove entries from the CAM and/or the PRAM when an age count exceeds an age limit threshold for the entries.