One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for evaluating connections between nodes in a mesh network. The technique includes identifying a plurality of potential parent nodes for a first node included in the mesh network; computing, for each potential parent node, one or more accumulated message success rates associated with transmitting messages from the first node to a target destination within the mesh network via the potential parent node and with receiving messages from the target destination via the potential parent node; and selecting, from the plurality of potential parent nodes and based on the accumulated message success rates, a parent node for the first node.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to implement a virtual private network with probe for network connectivity are disclosed. An example non-transitory computer readable storage medium is disclosed comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least, in response to a first instruction from an operating system to establish a network tunnel, transmit a probe request to a server; and in response to not receiving, from the server, a probe response to the probe request, report that the network tunnel has been established to prevent the operating system from transmitting subsequent instructions to establish the network connection until a response to a probe request is received.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to implement a virtual private network with probe for network connectivity are disclosed. An example non-transitory computer readable storage medium is disclosed comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least, in response to a first instruction from an operating system to establish a network tunnel, transmit a probe request to a server; and in response to not receiving, from the server, a probe response to the probe request, report that the network tunnel has been established to prevent the operating system from transmitting subsequent instructions to establish the network connection until a response to a probe request is received.

A method includes: a first node monitors a status of a connection between the first node and a center system, and switches to the standby node working mode when the status of the connection between the first node and the center system is disconnected. The center system monitors a status of a connection between the center system and the first node, and sends a switch-to-master command to a second node when the status of the connection between the center system and the first node is disconnected. The second node switches to the master node working mode based on the switch-to-master command. Accordingly, whether a master node is switched to a standby node is determined through connectivity detection between the node and the center system, and whether a standby node is switched to a master node is determined based on an indication of the center system.

Rapid channel failure detection and recovery in wireless communication networks is needed in order to meet, among other things, carrier class Ethernet channel standards. Thus, resilient wireless packet communications is provided using a physical layer link aggregation protocol with a hardware-assisted rapid channel failure detection algorithm and load balancing, preferably in combination. This functionality may be implemented in a Gigabit Ethernet data access card with an engine configured accordingly. In networks with various topologies, these features may be provided in combination with their existing protocols.

Rapid channel failure detection and recovery in wireless communication networks is needed in order to meet, among other things, carrier class Ethernet channel standards. Thus, resilient wireless packet communications is provided using a physical layer link aggregation protocol with a hardware-assisted rapid channel failure detection algorithm and load balancing, preferably in combination. This functionality may be implemented in a Gigabit Ethernet data access card with an engine configured accordingly. In networks with various topologies, these features may be provided in combination with their existing protocols.

Example methods and apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area are disclosed. Disclosed example apparatus are to obtain a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member. Disclosed example apparatus are also to determine a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, determine a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, associate a geographic area with the media device in response to a determination that the geographic location corresponds to a location of an internet service provider, determine a demographic profile associated with the geographic area, and associate the demographic profile with the media device.

Example methods and apparatus for associating media devices with a demographic composition of a geographic area are disclosed. Disclosed example apparatus are to obtain a plurality of Internet Protocol addresses assigned to a media device associated with a panel member. Disclosed example apparatus are also to determine a most used Internet Protocol address from the plurality of Internet Protocol addresses, determine a geographic location corresponding to the most used Internet Protocol address, associate a geographic area with the media device in response to a determination that the geographic location corresponds to a location of an internet service provider, determine a demographic profile associated with the geographic area, and associate the demographic profile with the media device.

In one embodiment, a network flow sampling system includes packet processing circuitry to process data packets of multiple network flows, and an adaptive policer to, for each one network flow of the multiple network flows compute a quantity of flow-specific sampling credits to be assigned to the one network flow responsively to a quantity of the network flows currently being processed by the packet processing circuitry, assign the flow-specific sampling credits to the one network flow, sample at least one of the data packets of the one network flow responsively to availability of the flow-specific sampling credits of the one network flow yielding sampled data, while applying sampling fairness among the network flows, and remove at least one of the flow-specific sampling credits of the one network flow from availability responsively to sampling the at least one data packet of the one network flow.

In one embodiment, a network flow sampling system includes packet processing circuitry to process data packets of multiple network flows, and an adaptive policer to, for each one network flow of the multiple network flows compute a quantity of flow-specific sampling credits to be assigned to the one network flow responsively to a quantity of the network flows currently being processed by the packet processing circuitry, assign the flow-specific sampling credits to the one network flow, sample at least one of the data packets of the one network flow responsively to availability of the flow-specific sampling credits of the one network flow yielding sampled data, while applying sampling fairness among the network flows, and remove at least one of the flow-specific sampling credits of the one network flow from availability responsively to sampling the at least one data packet of the one network flow.