1. An apparatus for addressing compatibility in a session protocol environment, comprising:
a communications platform operable to:
communicate with a first endpoint and a second endpoint seeking to communicate with each other in a communication session;
determine if there is a mismatch in signaling capabilities of the first and second endpoints such that one endpoint can support out-of-band messaging but the other endpoint cannot, the first endpoint being associated with a first protocol, the second endpoint being associated with a second protocol;
if there is a mismatch between the signaling compatibilities:
dynamically insert a media termination point (MTP) in a stream between the first and second endpoints;
receive an out-of-band digit from the first endpoint, the out-of-band digit received on a channel distinct from the stream between the first and second endpoints;
send the out-of-band digit to the MTP to inject a digit associated with the second protocol into the communication session to map the digits for the first and second protocols;
receive a digit converted to the first protocol by the MTP and send the converted digit to the first endpoint; and
if there is no mismatch between the signaling compatibilities, refrain from inserting the MTP if no MTP has been inserted.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint supports out-of-band DTMF and the second endpoint supports KPML.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint is subscribed to for notifications about digits, and advertisements are made to the second endpoint, the advertisements indicating the second endpoint can subscribe to the first endpoint for digits.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if an end user of the second endpoint presses a key, a NOTIFY message is generated and received and a corresponding digit is converted to a DTMF compatible digit.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if a call is made to a selected endpoint that does not need to receive digits for signaling compatibility, KPML is not advertised.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint supports out-of-band DTMF and the second endpoint supports an H.323 protocol.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the second endpoint supports an H.323 protocol; and
if a digit is pressed at the second endpoint supporting H.323, an H.245 message is generated.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein if a subscription exists from the first endpoint, a NOTIFY message is sent to the first endpoint in response to the digit being pressed.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications platform is operable to perform a dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP such that policy decisions associated with signaling compatibility between the endpoints are reevaluated.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP is based on a transferring of the communication session.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP is based on discovering new signaling capabilities of either of the endpoints.
12. A method for addressing compatibility in a session protocol environment, comprising:
communicating, by a communications platform, with a first endpoint and a second endpoint seeking to communicate with each other in a communication session;
determining if there is a mismatch in signaling capabilities of the first and second endpoints such that one endpoint can support out-of-band messaging but the other endpoint cannot, the first endpoint being associated with a first protocol, the second endpoint being associated with a second protocol;
if there is a mismatch between the signaling compatibilities:
dynamically inserting, by the communications platform, a media termination point (MTP) in a stream between the first and second endpoints;
receiving an out-of-band digit from the first endpoint, the out-of-band digit received on a channel distinct from the stream between the first and second endpoints;
sending, by the communications platform, the out-of-band digit to the MTP to inject a digit associated with the second protocol into the communication session to map the digits for the first and second protocols;
receiving a digit converted to the first protocol by the MTP and sending the converted digit to the first endpoint; and
if there is no mismatch between the signaling compatibilities, refraining from inserting the MTP.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
subscribing to the first endpoint for notifications about digits, wherein advertisements are made to the second endpoint, the advertisements indicating the second endpoint can subscribe to the first endpoint for digits.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein if an end user of the second endpoint presses a key, a NOTIFY message is generated and received and a corresponding digit is converted to a DTMF compatible digit.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein if a call is made to a selected endpoint that does not need to receive digits for signaling compatibility, KPML is not advertised.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein if a digit is pressed at the second endpoint supporting H.323, an H.245 message is generated.
17. The method of claim 12 wherein if a subscription exists from the first endpoint, a NOTIFY message is sent to the first endpoint in response to the digit being pressed.
18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
performing a dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP such that policy decisions associated with signaling compatibility between the endpoints are reevaluated.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP is based on a transferring of the communication session or based on discovering new signaling capabilities of either of the endpoints.
20. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing software for addressing compatibility in a session protocol environment, the software comprising computer code, such that when executed is operable to:
communicate, by a communications platform, with a first endpoint and a second endpoint seeking to communicate with each other in a communication session;
determine if there is a mismatch in signaling capabilities of the first and second endpoints such that one endpoint can support out-of-band messaging but the other endpoint cannot, the first endpoint being associated with a first protocol, the second endpoint being associated with a second protocol;
if there is a mismatch between the signaling compatibilities;
dynamically insert, by the communications platform, a media termination point (MTP) in a stream between the first and second endpoints;
receive an out-of-band digit from the first endpoint, the out-of-band digit received on a channel distinct from the stream between the first and second endpoints;
send, by the communications platform, the out-of-band digit to the MTP to inject a digit associated with the second protocol into the communication session to map the digits for the first and second protocols;
receive a digit converted to the first protocol by the MTP and send the converted digit to the first endpoint; and
if there is no mismatch between the signaling compatibilities, refrain from inserting the MTP.
21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the code is further operable to:
subscribe to the first endpoint for notifications about digits, wherein advertisements are made to the second endpoint, the advertisements indicating the second endpoint can subscribe to the first endpoint for digits.
22. The medium of claim 20, wherein if an end user of the second endpoint presses a key, a NOTIFY message is generated and received and a corresponding digit is converted to a DTMF compatible digit.
23. The medium of claim 20, wherein if a call is made to a selected endpoint that does not need to receive digits for signaling compatibility, KPML is not advertised.
24. The medium of claim 20, wherein if a digit is pressed at the second endpoint supporting H.323, an H.245 message is generated.
25. The medium of claim 20, wherein if a subscription exists from the first endpoint, a NOTIFY message is sent to the first endpoint in response to the digit being pressed.
26. The medium of claim 20, wherein the code is further operable to:
perform a dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP such that policy decisions associated with signaling compatibility between the endpoints are reevaluated.
27. The medium of claim 26, wherein the dynamic insertion and removal of the MTP is based on a transferring of the communication session or based on discovering new signaling capabilities of either of the endpoints.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A hard disk controller (HDC) chip comprising:
a HDC processor;
a first inputoutput (IO) port having at least two pairs of differential connector elements, the first port being electrically connected to the HDC processor for sending data to and receiving data from a host computer; and
a second IO port having at least two pairs of differential connector elements, the second port being electrically connected to the HDC processor for sending data to and receiving data from a host computer, the ports being minor images of each other.
2. The HDC chip of claim 1, wherein each pair of differential connector elements includes a first connector element having a first polarity and a second connector element having a second polarity opposite the first polarity.
3. The HDC chip of claim 2, wherein the chip defines an edge and wherein for each pair of differential connector elements one connector element is disposed closer to the edge than the other connector element, which is substantially inboard on the chip relative to its associated connector element.
4. The HDC chip of claim 3, wherein each first connector element is disposed closer to the edge than its associated second connector element.
5. The HDC chip of claim 1, wherein the connector elements are at least partially spherical.
6. The HDC chip of claim 1, in combination with at least one disk of a hard disk drive.
7. The HDC chip of claim 3, in combination with a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein each connector element is associated with an electrically conductive trace extending between it and a connector element on the PCB, the traces associated with a pair of connector elements extending generally parallel to and coplanar with each other.
8. The HDC chip of claim 7, wherein the PCB is configured to use a serial interface.
9. The HDC chip of claim 7, wherein the PCB is configured to use a fibre channel arbitrated loop (\u201cFCAL\u201d) interface.