A distribution node for an automation network comprises at least two input/output interfaces for transmitting and receiving real-time-relevant and non-real-time-relevant data packets, and a switching device connected to the input/output interfaces. The switching device forwards data packets received via an input/output interface via a further input/output interface using a switching table, where the switching table contains at least a data packet identifier and a transmission time in a data transfer cycle for each real-time-relevant data packet. Inter alia, the switching device can detect a data packet identifier on reception of a real-time-relevant data packet, and output the real-time-relevant data packet at the transmission time allocated to the detected data packet identifier in the switching table via an input/output interface as a transmission interface.

Techniques for communicating packets in a computer network are provided. At a network device, a first stream of packets is obtained from a packet processing node. A second stream of packets is obtained from a packet generating node. A counter is maintained that counts a number of the packets received from the second stream. An internal clock signal of the network device is obtained. A control signal is generated for pacing the first stream of packets based on the counter and the internal clock signal. The first stream of packets is provided to a packet consuming node based on the control signal.

A system for network design comprising: a controller in communication with an input/output device, the controller being in communication with at least one fiber infrastructure database including at least one of a link performance data and a service volume data and a performance risk database; a modeling component configured to predict a number of potential customers impacted by a loss of a span and a number of circuits; wherein the controller is in communication with the modeling component, the controller being configured to merge data from the fiber infrastructure database and performance risk database to provide at least one of a recommended route design and an automated order to define a new route.

A router fabric for switching real time broadcast video signals in a media processing network includes a logic device configured to route multiple channels of packetized video signals to another network device, a crossbar switch configured to be coupled to a plurality of input/output components and to switch video data of the multiple channels between the logic device and the plurality of input/output components in response to a control instruction, and a controller configured to map routing addresses for each video signal relative to the system clock, and to send the control instruction with the mapping to the crossbar switch and the logic device.

A router fabric for switching real time broadcast video signals in a media processing network includes a logic device configured to route multiple channels of packetized video signals to another network device, a crossbar switch configured to be coupled to a plurality of input/output components and to switch video data of the multiple channels between the logic device and the plurality of input/output components in response to a control instruction, and a controller configured to map routing addresses for each video signal relative to the system clock, and to send the control instruction with the mapping to the crossbar switch and the logic device.

A router fabric for switching real time broadcast video signals in a media processing network includes a logic device configured to route multiple channels of packetized video signals to another network device, a crossbar switch configured to be coupled to a plurality of input/output components and to switch video data of the multiple channels between the logic device and the plurality of input/output components in response to a control instruction, and a controller configured to map routing addresses for each video signal relative to the system clock, and to send the control instruction with the mapping to the crossbar switch and the logic device.

In a group of servers, a link fault to one of the servers is detected. In response to detecting the link fault, network traffic that uses the faulty link is distinguished and the distinguished network traffic is forwarded. Applicable backup links are activated, and the distinguished traffic is redirected using an activated backup link for the faulty link.

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 transfer device includes an output-port decision unit to decide, on the basis of storage information stored in a frame input, an output port from which the frame is output from among a plurality of ports, an allocation unit to associate an input port to which the frame is input with an output port from which a frame which is transferred by a cut-through method is output on a one-to-one basis, and allocate a first frame to a first pathway transferring by the cut-through method and allocate a second frame to a second pathway transferring by a store-and-forward method on the basis of type information of an input port to which a frame has been input, class information of the frame, and the output port decided by the output-port decision unit, and an IET-output control unit to output the first frame from the output port, decide whether to divide the second frame on the basis of the class information of the second frame, and output the second frame from the output port on the basis of decision. Therefore, the transfer device can realize an IET low-latency transfer function by control simpler than that in the conventional transfer devices.

A system and method for routing network packets. A switch fabric connects a plurality of forwarding units, including an egress forwarding unit and two or more ingress forwarding units, each ingress forwarding unit forwarding network packets to the egress forwarding unit via the switch fabric. The egress forwarding unit includes a scheduler and an output queue. Each ingress forwarding unit includes a Virtual Output Queue (VOQ) connected to the output queue and a VOQ manager. The scheduler receives time of arrival information for network packets stored in the VOQs, determines, based on the time of arrival information for each network packet, a device resident time for the network packets stored in the VOQs, and requests, from one of the VOQs and based on the device resident times, the network packet with the longest device resident time.