Abstract:
A method and system that processes voice and non-voice data is configured to insure that the processing of the voice data is given priority over the processing of the non-voice data, to ensure that callers experience smooth, uninterrupted conversations. An estimate of processing load dedicated to processing only non-voice data is calculated. A plurality of quota data objects are established to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load dedicated to processing only the non-voice data during a current quota period.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to the monitoring and control of data traffic in a telecommunications system. 
     2. Background Information 
     Cable-based IP telephony is a simplified and consolidated communication service that can be provided at a lower cost than consumers currently pay to separate Internet, television and telephony service providers. The use of the Internet for real-time voice applications is rapidly increasing. The goal of Internet Protocol (IP) telephony employing cable modem technology is to combine telephony, video, and data signals over a cable distribution infrastructure. 
     The Voice over IP (VoIP) gateway bridges the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or integrated services digital network (ISDN) with the packet-switched data network (TCP/IP Local Area Network). Such a VoIP gateway is configured to provide IP call control and IP data transport, which includes the compression and decompression of voice channels. VoIP is a relatively new service capable of being supported by Data Over Cable Systems Interface Specification (DOCSIS) cable networks. DOCSIS describes a standard for the cable modem interface between a cable TV operator and a computer. DOCSIS has been accepted as the standard for devices that handle incoming and outgoing data signals across this interface. DOCSIS 1.0 was ratified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in March 1998. Cable modems conforming to DOCSIS are available in many areas where cable operators operate. DOCSIS is an evolving standard which specifies modulation schemes and protocols for exchange of bi-directional signals over cable, allowing version  4  IP traffic to achieve transparent transfer between the Cable Modem Termination System-Network Side Interface (CMTS-NSI) and the Cable Modem to Customer Premise Equipment Interface (CMCI). Upgrades to existing cable modems and DSPs to maximize VoIP quality can be achieved by changing the programming in their EEPROM flash memory. 
     The DOCSIS 1.1 specification was enhanced with quality of service (QoS) features that are necessary for voice communication and enables the prioritization of packet traffic. This allows cable operators to give certain packets (e.g., voice) the right of way and allows other traffic to be sent with a “best effort” priority as determined by bandwidth availability. 
     Traditional methods of balancing the processing of voice and non-voice data implement multi-tasking algorithms based on priorities and low-overhead design. These methods have operated successfully under normal conditions. Under stressful or hostile conditions, these methods break down and fail to provide the robustness required for a quality telephony product. 
     A broadband telephony interface (BTI) can usually support multiple phone calls concurrently with web surfing and file transfer protocol (FTP) operations without any problems. The reported problems arise when the BTI is subjected to both heavy voice traffic and a large volume of data traffic. This traffic can come from the hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network, the Ethernet, the universal serial bus (USB), or a home network. It is most likely routed to the same set of interfaces. This traffic can impact voice in the following ways: 
     (1) It adds to the overall processing load of the processor; 
     (2) It consumes resources (such as queues and memory buffers) that are needed to support voice; 
     (3) It consumes transmission opportunities that could have been used by voice; 
     (4) It may block voice processing at critical sections by holding semaphores; 
     (5) It may add jitter and delay to voice processing timing when the interface hardware interrupts; and 
     (6) It may add jitter and delay to voice processing timing where data is processed by the same task. A common failure is when the BTI receives Ethernet traffic at a rate exceeding the data processing capability of the BTI. 
     Callers using a VoIP gateway send and receive voice packets to and from other VoIP gateways. These packets must be given priority over data packets to ensure that the callers experience smooth, uninterrupted conversations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention allows for the proper operation of voice under even the most hostile data environments. A basic premise of the present invention is that voice has priority over non-voice data. Further, data to support voice has priority over other data. As a result, non-voice data may be delayed or even lost, to protect the integrity of the voice stream. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the present invention allocates processing load of a communications system that receives and processes communication signals including voice data and non-voice data. An estimate of processing load of the communications system dedicated to processing only the non-voice data is calculated. A plurality of quota data objects is established. The data objects are used to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load dedicated to processing only the non-voice data during a current quota period. 
     The communications system may include a plurality of communication interfaces and at least one memory. For each of the communication interfaces, various quota values may be stored in the memory. A first quota value may represent an interface or system total bytes quota limit indicating a maximum number of bytes of non-voice data that can be processed during the current quota period. A second quota value may represent an interface or system total bytes quota balance indicating the number of bytes of non-voice data that can still be processed during the current quota period. A third quota value may represent an interface or system packet count quota limit indicating a maximum number of non-voice data packets that can be processed during the current quota period. A fourth quota value may represent an interface or system packet count quota balance indicating the number of non-voice data packets that can still be processed during the current quota period. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a non-voice data packet may be received including a message having an actual number of bytes of non-voice data. A predetermined number of bytes may be added to the actual number of bytes of non-voice data to obtain an adjusted number of bytes. The adjusted number of bytes may be subtracted from the total bytes quota balance to obtain a new second quota value. The non-voice data packet may be processed if the new second quota value is greater than or equal to zero. 
     An estimate of processing load dedicated to processing only the voice data may be calculated based on the current volume of voice data being received by the communications system. The estimate of processing load dedicated to processing only the voice data may be subtracted from a processing load that is made available for processing both the voice data and non-voice data, to obtain the estimate of processing load dedicated to processing only the non-voice data. 
     A number of active voice channels over which communication signals including voice data are received may be determined. A maximum processing load required to support a single one of the active voice channels may be estimated. The number of active voice channels may be multiplied by the estimated maximum processing load, to obtain the processing load dedicated to processing only the voice data for all of the active voice channels. The processor load actually required to support all of the active voice channels may be determined. The estimate of the maximum processing load may be reduced if the processing load actually required to support all of the actual voice channels is less than the estimated maximum processing load. 
     Another way that a number of active voice channels over which communication signals including voice data are received may be determined is by estimating, for each active voice channel, a maximum processing load required to support the active voice channel. The estimated maximum processing loads of each active voice channel may be added to determine a total processing load dedicated to processing only the voice data. 
     The communications system may receive a non-voice data packet including a message having an actual number of bytes of non-voice data. The actual number of bytes of non-voice data may be subtracted from the total bytes quota balance to obtain a new second quota value. The fourth quota value may be decremented by one to obtain a new fourth quota value. The non-voice data packet may be processed if the new second and fourth quota values are greater than or equal to zero. 
     When a quota limit is exceeded, the communications system may discard non-voice data that exceeds the established quota limit, disable interrupts, or temporarily reduce the flow of non-voice data packets. The communication interface may be a broadband telephony interface (BTI) or an embedded Media Terminal Adapter (eMTA) located in a voice-over-cable modem (VoCM). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention would be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. However, the present invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a communications system operating in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exemplary database structure used to store and process interface quota values in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exemplary database structure used to store and process system quota values in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a data flow diagram for processes implemented by the communications system of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIGS. 5–10  are high-level functional flowcharts including steps implemented by the communications system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention uses software to monitor the level of voice traffic and estimates the processing resources necessary to support the voice traffic. Based on the estimate, the software estimates what is leftover for the non-voice data traffic and develops a budget to limit the non-voice data. The budget is implemented as a series of quota values for each communication interface. Each time the status of a phone call changes, the estimate of the processing resources committed to voice transport are recalculated and a new budget for non-voice data is computed. 
       FIG. 1  shows a communications system  100  that receives and processes communication signals including voice data and non-voice data. The communications system  100  includes one or more communication interfaces  110 ,  120 ,  130 , which receive the communication signals, a processor  140  in communication with the communication interfaces  110 ,  120 ,  130 , and at least one memory  150  in communication with the processor. The processor  140  calculates an estimate of processing load of the communications system  100  dedicated to processing only the non-voice data. The memory  150  stores a plurality of quota data objects used to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load of the system dedicated to processing only the non-voice data during a current quota period. The communications system  100  can be a voice-over-cable modem (VoCM) having one or more broadband telephony interfaces (BTIs) or embedded Media Terminal Adapters (eMTAs) which enable cable operators to offer subscribers IP telephony and high-speed data services. 
     When a packet arrives on a communication interface  120 , it is processed based on the status of a non-voice data quota. If the communication interface  120  is determined to have enough capacity to handle the packet without impeding on processing load reserved for handling voice data (i.e., it does not exceed a constantly updated quota), the packet is processed. The packet is counted against all quota values that pertain to the communication interface  120 . If the communication interface  120  does not meet a quota, corrective action is taken as follows: 
     (1) One possible corrective action is for the communications system  100  to discard non-voice data that exceeds an established quota limit. 
     (2) Another possible corrective action is for the communications system  100  to disable interrupts received from the communication interface  120  or disable the capability of the communication interface  120  to receive messages. 
     (3) And yet another possible corrective action would be to contact a device on the inbound data side of the communication interface  120  and command the device to reduce the flow rate of data received from the device by communication interface  120 . 
     For example, the rate of downstream data traffic received on the HFC interface of the cable modem (CM) could be reduced by a Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) communications system using DOCSIS Mac messages. By using a Dynamic Service Change (DSC) message, the maximum data rate of the downstream data service flow can be dynamically limited during the entire period of a phone call or when the CM is overloaded. Statistics are maintained on how many packets and bytes are dropped, and how many times an interrupt is disabled. When voice traffic is terminated, the service flow for the non-voice data is restored to its initial parameters. 
     Periodically, the quotas are all reset to initial predetermined values for the next quota period. For example, if the quotas are reset 100 times a second, the quota values would limit data for only the quota period of one hundredth of a second. If the flow of non-voice data to communication interface  120  was discarded or temporarily reduced due to a quota being exceeded during a current quota period, the initiation of a new quota period would cause the quota values to be reset, and the communication interface  120  would again have adequate processing load to process received non-voice data. If an interrupt for a specific communication interface was disabled solely because that specific communication interface exceeded a quota limit, the interrupt is re-enabled when the new quota period is initiated. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary database structure located within memory  150  that is used to store and process interface quota values for each of communication interfaces  110 ,  120 ,  130  (hereafter, referred to as communication interfaces A, B, C). A plurality of quota data objects are established and used to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load dedicated to processing only non-voice data received and processed by the communication interfaces (A, B, C) of communications system  100  during a current quota period. 
     For each communication interface (A, B, C) of the communications system  100 , the following interface quota data objects are established: 
     (1) first interface quota values QV 1   A , QV 1   B , QV 1   C , stored in respective memory locations  205 ,  210 ,  215  of memory  150 , each first quota value representing an interface total bytes quota limit indicating a maximum number of bytes of non-voice data that can be processed by a respective communication interface (A, B, C) during the current quota period; and 
     (2) second interface quota values QV 2   A , QV 2   B , QV 2   C , stored in respective memory locations  220 ,  225 ,  230  of memory  150 , each second quota value representing an interface total bytes quota balance indicating the number of bytes of non-voice data that can still be processed by a respective communication interface (A, B, C) during the current quota period. 
     Optionally, for each communication interface (A, B, C) of the communications system  100 , the following additional interface quota data objects may be established: 
     (3) third interface quota values QV 3   A , QV 3   B , QV 3   C , stored in respective memory locations  235 ,  240 ,  245  of memory  150 , each third quota value representing an interface packet count quota limit indicating a maximum number of non-voice data packets that can be processed by a respective communication interface (A, B, C) during the current quota period; and 
     (4) fourth interface quota values QV 4   A , QV 4   B , QV 4   C , stored in respective memory locations  250 ,  255 ,  260  of memory  150 , each fourth quota value representing an interface packet count quota balance indicating the number of non-voice data packets that can be still be processed by a respective communication interface (A, B, C) during the current quota period. 
       FIG. 3  shows an exemplary database structure located within memory  150  that is used to store and process system quota values for communications system  100 , alone or in conjunction with the interface quota values. A plurality of quota data objects are established and used to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load dedicated to processing only non-voice data received and processed by communications system  100  during a current quota period. 
     For example, each of communication interfaces A, B and C has a byte quota that is set to 700 bytes and the communications system  100  has a byte quota that is set to 2000 bytes. If, during a quota period, the interface A receives 900 bytes of non-voice message traffic, interface B receives 300 bytes of non-voice message traffic and interface C receives 600 bytes of non-voice traffic, then all of the non-voice message traffic received by interfaces B and C is processed. However, the 200 bytes of message traffic received by interface A that exceeds the individual byte quota of interface A is not processed, even though the total number of bytes received by interfaces A, B and C does not exceed the byte quota of communications system  100 . 
     For communications system  100 , the following system quota data objects are established: 
     (1) first system quota value QV 1   s , stored in memory location  305  of 
     memory  150 , represents a system total bytes quota limit indicating a maximum number of bytes of non-voice data that can be processed by the communications system  100  during the current quota period; and 
     (2) second system quota value QV 2   s , stored in memory location  310  of memory  150 , represents a system total bytes quota balance indicating the number of bytes of non-voice data that can still be processed by the communications system  100  during the current quota period. 
     Optionally, for communications system  100 , the following additional system quota data objects may be established: 
     (3) third system quota value QV 3   s , stored in memory location  315  of memory  150 , represents a system packet count quota limit indicating a maximum number of non-voice data packets that can be processed by the communications system  100  during the current quota period; and 
     (4) fourth system quota value QV 4   s , stored in memory location  320  of memory  150 , representing a system packet count quota balance indicating the number of non-voice data packets that can be still be processed by the communications system  100  during the current quota period. 
       FIG. 4  shows a data flow diagram of functions  400  implemented by processor  140 . When inbound data is received by communications system  100 , an interface processing function  405  determines whether or not the inbound data should be processed. The quota data objects in memory  150  are constantly updated during a current quota period as more and more inbound data is received for processing. Once it is determined by the interface processing function  405  that the inbound data does not exceed an established quota, the inbound data is forwarded by the interface processing function  405  to data processing tasks function  410  for normal processing, such as routing or forwarding the inbound data to another interface. 
     The determination made by interface processing function  405  is implemented by querying memory  150 , accessing the quota data objects stored within memory  150 , and performing various algorithms on the quota data objects to determine whether there is adequate processing load available to process non-voice data without sacrificing processing load required to handle voice data. The determination process is implemented using one or more of the following functions: 
     (1) a quota period processing function  415  used to establish quota balance values by setting each quota balance to the current value of the corresponding quota limit; 
     (2) a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent function  420  that uses quota statistics to establish quota limits; 
     (3) a load estimator function  425  that is used to establish the quota limits based on voice connection data; and 
     (4) a phone call creation, deletion and modification processing function  430  that provides updated voice connection data, and commands the load estimator to re-calculate update quota limits based on the updated voice connection data. 
     The voice connection data, such as the estimated total cost of voice (T CV ), is recomputed whenever a connection is setup, torn down or modified, as determined by the phone call creation, deletion and modification function  430 . The estimated total cost of voice (T CV ) is computed by the load estimator function  425  summing the estimated cost per voice channel (E CVC ) for n voice connections. The term “cost” refers to the processing load that must be reserved to reliably support communications. The estimated cost per voice channel (E CVC ) is computed by the sum of the fixed cost per voice channel (F CVC ) and the product of the number of packets per second (N P ) times the cost per voice packet (C VP ) at a specified packet length (L P ). This is summarized by the following formulas:
 
 E   CVC   =F   CVC +( N   P   ×C   VP )
 
 T   CV   =ΣE   CVCn 
 
     where L P  and N P  are specified in the create/modify connection command, and F CVC  and C VP  are determined experimentally. Based on the updated T CV , new quota limits are selected. 
     Alternatively, the cost per voice packet (C VP ) is computed by the sum of the fixed cost per packet (F CP ) and the product of the cost per byte (C B ) times the packet length (L P ). This is summarized by the following formula:
 
 C   VP   =F   CP +( C   B   ×L   P ).
 
       FIG. 5  shows the steps implemented by a computer-implemented method that allocates processing load of a communications system  100  that receives and processes communication signals including voice data and non-voice data. In step  505 , a calculation is performed to estimate the processing load of the communications system  100  dedicated to processing only the non-voice data. In steps  510 ,  515 ,  520  and  525 , a plurality of quota data objects are established, on an individual interface and/or system basis, to monitor and control the allocation of the processing load dedicated to processing only the non-voice data during a current quota period. In step  510 , a total bytes quota limit is established. In step  515 , a packet count quota limit is established. In step  520 , a total byte quota balance is set to the total bytes quota limit established in step  510 . In step  525 , a packet count quota balance is set to the packet count quota limit established in step  515 . In step  530 , a data packet is received. In step  535 , the total byte quota balance and the packet count quota balance are updated in response to the received data packet. If, in step  540 , it is determined that the current quota period expired, the process returns to step  520 . If, in step  540 , it is determined that the current quota period did not expire, it is determined in step  545  whether a phone connection was setup, torn down or modified. If, in step  545 , it is determined that a phone connection was not setup, torn down or modified, the process returns to step  530  to process another received data packet. If, in step  545 , a phone connection was determined to be setup, torn down or modified, the process returns to step  505 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention used to process the quota data objects, on an individual interface and/or system basis. In step  605 , a non-voice data packet, including a message, is received at a specific one of the communication interfaces (A, B, C) of communications system  100 . The message includes an actual number of bytes (X) of non-voice data. In step  610 , a predetermined number of bytes (Y), constituting a fixed penalty, is added to the actual number of bytes (X) to obtain an adjusted number of bytes (X+Y). In step  615 , the adjusted number of bytes (the result of step  610 ) is subtracted from the second quota value (e.g., QV 2   A , QV 2   B , QV 2   C , QV 2   S ) to obtain a new second quota value. As previously mentioned, the second quota value represents a total bytes quota balance indicating the number of bytes of non-voice data that can still be processed by the specific communication interface (A, B, C) and/or the communications system  100  during the current quota period. In step  620 , the new second quota value is updated in memory  150 . If, in step  625 , it is determined that the new second quota value is greater than or equal to zero, the received non-voice data packet is processed by the specific communication interface (A, B, C) of communications system  100  (step  635 ). If, in step  625 , it is determined that the new second quota value is less than zero, corrective action is taken as previously described (step  630 ). 
       FIG. 7  shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention used to process the quota data objects, on an individual interface and/or system basis. In step  705 , a non-voice data packet, including a message, is received at a specific one of the communication interfaces (A, B, C) of communications system  100 . The message includes an actual number of bytes (X) of non-voice data. In step  710 , the actual number of bytes (X) is subtracted from the second quota value (e.g., QV 2   A , QV 2   B , QV 2   C , QV 2   S ) to obtain a new second quota value. In step  715 , the new second quota value is updated in memory  150 . In step  720 , the fourth quota value (e.g., QV 4   A , QV 4   B , QV 4   C , QV 4   S ) is decremented by one to obtain a new fourth quota value. As previously mentioned, the fourth quota value represents an interface packet count quota balance indicating the number of non-voice data packets that can be still be processed by the specific communication interface (A, B, C) of communications system  100  during the current quota period. In step  725 , the new fourth quota value is updated in memory  150 . If, in steps  730  and  740 , it is determined that the new second and fourth quota values are both greater than or equal to zero, the received non-voice data packet is processed by the specific communication interface (A, B, C) of communications system  100  (step  750 ). If, in step  730 , the new second quota value is determined to be less than zero, corrective action is taken as previously described (step  735 ). If, in step  740 , the new fourth quota value is determined to be less than zero, corrective action is taken as previously described (step  745 ). 
       FIG. 8  shows how an estimate of processing load dedicated to processing only non-voice data is determined. In step  805 , a predetermined processing load (R) reserved for overhead and housekeeping of the communications system  100  is subtracted from the total processing load capacity (T) of the communications system  100 , to obtain an estimate of the processing load (T−R) that is made available for processing both the voice data and non-voice data. In step  810 , a calculation is performed to estimate the processing load (V) dedicated to processing only the voice data based on the current volume of voice data being received by the communications system  100 . In step  815 , the estimate of processing load (V) dedicated to processing only the voice data is subtracted from the processing load (T−R) that is made available for processing both the voice data and non-voice data, to obtain the estimate of processing load (T−R−V) dedicated to processing only the non-voice data. 
     For example, processor  140  has a total processing load capacity (T) of 100 million instructions per second (MIPS). After subtracting 15 MIPS for overhead and housekeeping (R), there is 85 MIPS (T−R) left to use for processing voice data and non-voice data. It is also assumed that 20 millisecond voice packets are processed in communications system  100  at a cost per voice packet (C VP ) of 0.1 MIPS. If the fixed cost per voice channel (F CVC ) is 1 MIP and the packetization period is 20 milliseconds, the packet transmission rate (N P ) will be 100 packets per second (50 packets upstream and 50 packets downstream). The estimated cost per voice channel (E CVC ) is summarized by the following formula: 
     
       
         
           
             
               E 
               CVC 
             
             = 
             
               
                 
                   F 
                   CVC 
                 
                 + 
                 
                   ( 
                   
                     
                       N 
                       p 
                     
                     × 
                     
                       C 
                       VP 
                     
                   
                   ) 
                 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                 
 
               
               ⁢ 
               
                   
               
               = 
               
                 
                   1 
                   + 
                   
                     ( 
                     
                       100 
                       × 
                       0.1 
                     
                     ) 
                   
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   
 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 = 
                 
                   
                     1 
                     + 
                     10 
                   
                   ⁢ 
                   
                     
 
                   
                   ⁢ 
                   
                       
                   
                   = 
                   
                     11 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       MIPS 
                       . 
                     
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     If there were two active voice channels, the estimated total cost of voice (T CV ) would be 22 MIPS, leaving 63 MIPS for data. Thus, the resources available to process non-voice data is reduced by a 63/85 ratio. 
       FIG. 9  shows how estimated processing requirements for voice channels can be reduced when more reliable and up-to-date information is available, so that more processing resources can be allotted to the processing of non-voice data. For example, resources are typically reserved for processing larger G.711 packets at the beginning of a phone call. However, after negotiation, a low-rate vocoder may be selected that requires smaller packets. As a result, the excess processing resources can be released to support more data transport. When communication signals including voice data are received over a plurality of active voice channels, the number of active voice channels (N) is determined (step  905 ). In step  910 , a calculation is performed to estimate a maximum processing load (M) required to support a single one of the active voice channels. In step  915 , the number of active voice channels (N) is multiplied by the estimated maximum processing load (M), to obtain the processing load (V=N×M) dedicated to processing only the voice data for all of the active voice channels. In step  920 , the processing load actually required to support all of the active voice channels is determined, and the estimate of the maximum processing load (M) is reduced if the processing load actually required to support all of the active voice channels is less than the estimated maximum processing load (M). 
       FIG. 10  shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention for estimating processing requirements for voice channels. In step  1005 , a maximum processing load required to support each active voice channel is estimated. In step  1010 , the estimated maximum processing loads of each of the active voice channels are added together to determine a total processing load dedicated to processing only the voice data. 
     Instead of relying on a model of processor load, the communications system  100  could measure processor load and compute quota values based on the measured value. By measuring idle and sleep time either periodically or at key event times, an estimate of unused processor resources can be made. 
     Furthermore, a panic mode could be added in which stricter quota values are used to assist the communications system  100  in a catastrophic scenario. For instance, if a critical queue backs up too far, the stricter quota values could be implemented until traffic handled by the communications system  100  is alleviated. 
     The present invention may be implemented with any combination of hardware and software. If implemented as a computer-implemented apparatus, the present invention is implemented using means for performing all of the steps and functions described above. 
     The present invention can be included in an article of manufacture (e.g., one or more computer program products) having, for instance, computer useable media. The media has embodied therein, for instance, computer readable program code means for providing and facilitating the mechanisms of the present invention. The article of manufacture can be included as part of a computer system or sold separately. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.