A Network-Connected Device (NCD) includes a network interface, a host interface, an NCD memory and an NCD processor. The network interface is configured for communicating over a network. The host interface is configured for communicating with a host. The NCD memory is configured to buffer packet information that originates from the host and pertains to a packet to be transmitted to the network at a specified transmission time. The NCD processor is configured to process the buffered packet information before the specified transmission time, and to transmit the packet to the network at the specified time. Processing of the packet information and transmission of the packet are decoupled from buffering of the packet information.

A Network-Connected Device (NCD) includes a network interface, a host interface, an NCD memory and an NCD processor. The network interface is configured for communicating over a network. The host interface is configured for communicating with a host. The NCD memory is configured to buffer packet information that originates from the host and pertains to a packet to be transmitted to the network at a specified transmission time. The NCD processor is configured to process the buffered packet information before the specified transmission time, and to transmit the packet to the network at the specified time. Processing of the packet information and transmission of the packet are decoupled from buffering of the packet information.

A real-time Ethernet (RTE) protocol includes start-up frames originated by a master device for network initialization including a preamble, destination address (DA), source address (SA), a type field, and a status field including state information that indicates a current protocol state that the Ethernet network is in for the slave devices to translate for dynamically switching to one of a plurality of provided frame forwarding modes. The start-up frames include device Discovery frames at power up, Parameterization frames that distribute network parameters, and Time Synchronization frames including the master's time and unique assigned communication time slots for each slave device. After the initialization at least one data exchange frame is transmitted exclusive of SA and DA including a preamble that comprises a header that differentiates between master and slave, a type field, a status field excluding the current protocol state, and a data payload.

According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes one or more processors. The processors prefetch a scheduling entry corresponding a future time period in advance from scheduling information including one or more scheduling entries, each entry of which contains a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues. The processors determine a starting time of transmission for one or more frames waiting for transmission in each queue, based on the scheduling entry. At least one of timing of the prefetching process and timing of the scheduling process is determined based on a result of comparison of a time difference and one or more thresholds. The time difference is a difference between current time and future time where the future time is a candidate for starting time of transmission.

A module monitors an arrival time of a frame at a node that selectively transmits frames from different flows in different time windows. The module determines whether the arrival time is within a time window and generates a signal in response to the arrival time being outside of the time window. In some cases, the frame is received at an ingress port of the node and the arrival time of the frame is recorded in an event database in response to receiving the frame at the ingress port. The arrival time of the event is accessed from the event database and this information is used to determine whether the arrival time is within the time window. The time window can be modified in response to the arrival time being outside the time window.

A wireless communication circuit for operating over a wireless local area network (WLAN) in which real time application (RTA) traffic and non-RTA traffic coexist and are distinguished from one another. RTA queues are created to enqueue RTA packets while non-RTA packets are pushed into non-RTA queues. Management frames containing RTA session parameters and RTA queue setting information are exchanged between stations. Channel time is allocated to RTA queues for transmitting packets, during which non-RTA queues are not allowed to access the channel. Stations determine which RTA queues to enqueue an RTA packet into based on RTA queue classification information of its RTA session.

A device implementing dynamic redundancy may include at least one processor configured to receive, from another device, packet reception data corresponding to video data previously provided for transmission from the device to the other device and determine, based at least in part on the packet reception data, an amount of redundancy to apply to video data provided for transmission to the other device. The at least one processor may be further configured to determine, based at least in part on the amount of redundancy, an encoding scheme for applying the redundancy to the video data. The at least one processor may be further configured to apply the amount of redundancy to the video data based at least in part on the encoding scheme to generate redundant data items and provide the video data and the redundant data items for transmission to the other device.

Described embodiments provide systems and methods for path selection proportional to a penalty delay in processing packets. A server-side intermediary may identify a delay penalty for processing packets of a server destined for a client. The server-side intermediary may be in communication via links of different latencies with a client-side intermediary. The server-side intermediary may select a second link with a latency that deviates from the lowest latency of a first link by the delay penalty. The server-side intermediary may transmit, to the client-side intermediary, duplicates of the packets via the selected second link with information indicating to hold the duplicates at the client-side intermediary. The server-side intermediary may receive an indication to drop or send the duplicates to the client. The server-side intermediary may transmit the indication to the client-side intermediary to drop or send the duplicates according to the indication.

A module monitors an arrival time of a frame at a node that selectively transmits frames from different flows in different time windows. The module determines whether the arrival time is within a time window and generates a signal in response to the arrival time being outside of the time window. In some cases, the frame is received at an ingress port of the node and the arrival time of the frame is recorded in an event database in response to receiving the frame at the ingress port. The arrival time of the event is accessed from the event database and this information is used to determine whether the arrival time is within the time window. The time window can be modified in response to the arrival time being outside the time window.

According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes one or more processors. The processors prefetch a scheduling entry corresponding a future time period in advance from scheduling information including one or more scheduling entries, each entry of which contains a transmission state and an interval for each of one or more transmission queues. The processors determine a starting time of transmission for one or more frames waiting for transmission in each queue, based on the scheduling entry. At least one of timing of the prefetching process and timing of the scheduling process is determined based on a result of comparison of a time difference and one or more thresholds. The time difference is a difference between current time and future time where the future time is a candidate for starting time of transmission.