Network link monitoring and testing

• US 10,103,851 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaghan, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A
• Application Number:
  US15/645,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20170310432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/244 test sequence generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

In some embodiments, a link monitoring system (“LMS”) is configured to obtain link status metrics and packet transmission metrics for network links forming a network channel between a first network device and a second network device. The LMS can obtain link status metrics from the first network device and the second network device and can also initiate the generation of packets on the network links to obtain the packet transmission metrics. Based on the status metrics and packet transmission metrics, the LMS can determine if the network links are malfunctioning.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a non-transitory data store configured to store computer-executable instructions; and

a hardware processor in communication with the data store, the hardware processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to at least;

isolate a first network link from a plurality of active network links of a network channel between a first computing asset and a second computing asset, wherein each network link of the plurality of active network links corresponds to a direct communication connection between the first computing asset and the second computing asset;

obtain one or more packet transmission metrics associated with the first network link, wherein the one or more packet transmission metrics correspond to packet traffic on the first network link;

obtain one or more historical packet transmission metrics associated with the first network link;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more packet transmission metrics associated with the first network link and the one or more historical packet transmission metrics associated with the first network link, a link health score of the first network link, wherein the link health score of the first network link corresponds to a probability of failure of the first network link; and

determine that the probability of failure of the first network link exceeds a threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more historical packet transmission metrics comprise one or more previous link health scores of the first network link.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network link is formed by at least one of a wired physical medium connecting the first computing asset and the second computing asset or a wireless physical medium connecting the first computing asset in the second computing asset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause generation of the packet traffic on the first network link.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more historical packet transmission metrics comprise one or more instances of failure of the first network link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the link health score of the first network link is determined based at least in part on a comparison of the one or more packet transmission metrics and the one or more historical packet transmission metrics.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a computing device configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

isolating a first network link from a plurality of active network links of a network channel between a first computing asset and a second computing asset, wherein each network link of the plurality of active network links corresponds to a direct communication connection between the first computing asset and the second computing asset;

obtaining active link information for the network channel, wherein the active link information corresponds to packet traffic on the first network link;

obtaining historical link information associated with the first network link;

determine, based at least in part on the active link information and the historical link information, a link health score of the first network link, the link health score of the first network link indicating a probability of failure of the first network link; and

determine that the probability of failure of the first network link exceeds a threshold.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

in response to the probability of failure of the first network link exceeding the threshold, causing a remediation action.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the remedial action comprises at least one of generating a trouble ticket in a ticketing system, generating an alarm, or sending a message.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the active link information includes at least one of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error counts, packet counts, payload correctness, or packet error counts.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the historical link information includes at least one of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error counts, packet counts, payload correctness, or packet error counts.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising determining the threshold.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the threshold is determined based at least in part on the historical link information.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising identifying, based at least in part on the historical link information, one or more acceptable ranges for the active link information.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the link health score is determined based at least in part on the one or more acceptable ranges for the active link information.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:

isolating a first network link from a plurality of active network links of a network channel between a first computing asset and a second computing asset, wherein each network link of the plurality of active network links corresponds to a direct communication connection between the first computing asset and the second computing asset;

obtaining active link information for the network channel, wherein the active link information corresponds to packet traffic on the first network link;

determining, based at least in part on the active link information and historical link information associated with the first network link, a link health score of the first network link, wherein the link health score of the first network link is associated with a probability of failure of the first network link; and

determine that the probability of failure of the first network link exceeds a threshold.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining the link health score of the first network link is further based, at least in part, on historical link information corresponding to another network link of the plurality of active network links.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the active link information for the network channel is obtained from at least one of the first computing asset or the second computing asset.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the historical link information comprises one or more historical link health scores.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on the one or more historical link health scores.