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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWarren D. Bailey, Erik L. Dixon, Michele M. Ferris, Henry M. Garrett, Gregory F. Paussa, Anthony D. Walker
Estimating the term…
A system (such as a multiprotocol LAN adapter) for use in a workstation or other processing machine automatically determines the type of network to which the workstation is connected and for automatically determines the type of physical medium to which the workstation is attached. The system has a plurality of different physical ports for supporting various available physical media over which network data may be transmitted. For example, the system may have a port for connecting to shielded twisted pair (STP) wiring, a port for connecting to unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wiring, a port for connecting to coaxial cable, and a port for supporting the Attachment Unit Interface (AUI). Connected to each of these physical ports are various network interface devices for supporting the various available networking protocols, e.g., token ring, Ethernet, etc. Logic circuitry and control software are connected to the network interface devices. In order to determine the valid network connections to the individual ports, a short interrogation frame is successively transmitted by each of the network interface devices to each of the ports. Depending upon the status of each transmission, the system determines what type of network (if any) is connected to and by which type of physical medium. Based upon these two determinations, the workstation can be automatically configured without user intervention.
A system for use with a processing machine for providing access to one or more networks via one or more ports, each of said networks conforming to a particular networking protocol of a set of networking protocols, said system comprising:
A system accessing one or more networks via one or more ports, each of said networks conforming to a particular networking protocol of a set of networking protocols, said system comprising:
For use in a system, said system configured for use with a processing machine for communicating over one or more networks, said system providing connectivity to said one or more networks via one or more ports, each network conforming to a protocol type of a set of protocol types, a method for automatically determining the connectivity of said one or more networks at each of said one or more ports comprising the steps of:
For use in a system for communicating over one or more networks via one or more ports in the system, each network being a protocol type of a set of protocol types, a method for automatically determining connectivity of said one or more networks at each of said one or more ports comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.