A variety of methods, systems, devices and arrangements are implemented for assessing and/or controlling call routing for VoIP/VioIP calls. According to one such method, endpoint devices are used to monitor and/or assess the call-quality. The assessment is sent to a centralized server arrangement and call-routing is controlled therefrom. Endpoint devices employ a decentralized testing mechanism to further monitor and assess call quality including the use of test connections. Aspects of call quality are analyzed and attributed to endpoint devices and/or local connections or networks to distinguish intermediate routing issues from local/endpoint issues.

This application discloses a computing system to perform a fast evaluation of a worst case eye diagram for a channel capable of communicating signals encoding data in more than two value levels. The computing system can identify multiple step responses of the channel, each corresponding to a transition between a plurality of the value levels. The computing system can determine distribution boundaries of the signals at each of the value levels based, at least in part, on the step responses of the channel. The computing system can utilize the distribution boundaries at the value levels to determine boundaries of eye openings between adjacent value levels or to build worst case input patterns used to generate the worst case eye diagram for the channel. The computing system can predict a signal integrity of the channel based on the distribution boundaries at each of the value levels.

Methods and apparatus for processing multichannel signals in a multichannel receiver are described. In one implementation, a plurality of demodulators may provide a plurality of outputs to a processor, with the processor then simultaneously estimating noise characteristics based on the plurality of outputs and generating a common noise estimate based on the plurality of outputs. This common noise estimate may then be provided back to the demodulators and used to adjust the demodulation of signals in the plurality of demodulators to improve phase noise performance.

According to at least one example embodiment, a method and corresponding apparatus for controlling power in a multi-core processor chip include: accumulating, at a controller within the multi-core processor chip, one or more power estimates associated with multiple core processors within the multi-core processor chip. A global power threshold is determined based on a cumulative power estimate, the cumulative power estimate being determined based at least in part on the one or more power estimates accumulated. The controller causes power consumption at each of the core processors to be controlled based on the determined global power threshold. The controller may directly control power consumption at the core processors or may command the core processors to do so.

According to at least one example embodiment, a method and corresponding apparatus for controlling power in a multi-core processor chip include: accumulating, at a controller within the multi-core processor chip, one or more power estimates associated with multiple core processors within the multi-core processor chip. A global power threshold is determined based on a cumulative power estimate, the cumulative power estimate being determined based at least in part on the one or more power estimates accumulated. The controller causes power consumption at each of the core processors to be controlled based on the determined global power threshold. The controller may directly control power consumption at the core processors or may command the core processors to do so.