Method and apparatus for managing and facilitating communications in a distributed hetergeneous network

A method of communicating between communications managers of a distributed heterogeneous network, each communications manager being connected to a respective plurality of privileged and non-privileged end users, comprising;

• transferring information distribution units from an origin non-privileged end user to a corresponding communications manager, each said information distribution unit including a first priority designation and indicia of a destination non-privileged end user;
• transferring system management distribution units from a privileged end user to said corresponding communications manager, each said system management distribution unit including a second priority designation greater than or equal to said first priority designation and indicia of a destination privileged end user;
• segmenting each said information and system management distribution unit into information packets, each information packet including said indicia of a respective destination privileged or non-privileged end user and including said priority designation;
• for each of said information packets, determining respective adjacent communications managers along at least one path between respective origin privileged or non-privileged end users and respective destination privileged or non-privileged end users;
• configuring each of said information packets according to conventions of network protocol stacks between said corresponding communications manager and each said respective adjacent communications managers, at least two of said network protocol stacks capable of being different from one another;
• and
• transmitting said information packets to said respective adjacent communications managers according to said priority designations included in said information packets.

A method of communicating between communications managers of a distributed heterogeneous network, each communications manager being connected to a respective plurality of privileged and non-privileged end users, comprising:

• transferring information distribution units from an origin non-privileged end user to a corresponding origin communications manager, each said information distribution unit including a first priority designation and indicia of a destination communications manager to which a destination non-privileged end user is connected;
• transferring system management distribution units from a privileged end user to said corresponding origin communications manager, each said system management distribution unit including a second priority designation greater than or equal to said first priority designation and indicia of a destination communications manager to which a destination privileged end user is connected;
• for each of said information and system management distribution units, determining respective adjacent communications managers along at least one path between said origin communications manager and said destination communications managers;
• configuring each of said information and system management distribution units according to conventions of network protocol stacks between said corresponding origin communications manager and each said respective adjacent communications managers, at least two of said network protocol stacks capable of being different from one another;
• and
• transmitting said information and system management distribution units to said respective adjacent communications managers according to said priority designations.

An apparatus for use in a distributed heterogeneous communications network for communicating between communications managers of the network, each communications manager being connected to a respective plurality of privileged and non-privileged end users, comprising:

• a first interface for transferring information distribution units from an origin non-privileged end user to an origin communications manager connected to said non-privileged end user, each information distribution unit including a first priority designation and indicia of a destination non-privileged end user;
• a second interface for transferring system management distribution units from a privileged end user to said origin communications manager connected to said privileged end user, each system management distribution unit including a second priority designation greater than or equal to said first priority designation and indicia of a destination privileged end user;
• means, within said origin communications manager, for determining, for each of said information and system management distribution units, respective adjacent communications managers along communications paths between respective origin privileged or non-privileged end users and respective destination privileged or non-privileged end users;
• network protocol stack interface means for configuring each of said information and system management distribution units according to conventions of network protocol stacks between said origin communications manager and said respective adjacent communications managers, at least two of said network protocol stacks capable of being different from one another;
• and
• means for transmitting said information and system management distribution units from said origin communications manager to said respective adjacent communications managers in accordance with said conventions of said network protocol stacks and in accordance with priority designations included in said information and system management distribution units.