Dynamic middleware source selection for optimizing data retrieval from network nodes

• US 10,447,807 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Earl, Bryson, Naglee, Stefan B., Shelnutt, Seth T., Shinholster, Jr., Drew A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US15/711,958
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 709218, 709223, 709224, 709226, 707637, 707713, 707715, 707741, 370216, 370254, 714 26, 714 49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management

Abstract

A method for optimizing retrieval of node data from network nodes is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining, by a network server via a network, a node data set comprising node data from a plurality of middleware sources, where each of the plurality of middleware sources provides node data about the same network node. The network server is determining a fault in the node data received from one of the plurality of middleware sources, and identifying the middleware source associated with the fault. In response to determining the fault and middleware source, the network server is bypassing the middleware source associated with the fault and retrieving raw node data directly from an element management system associated with the network node.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing retrieval of data from network nodes, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a network server communicatively coupled with a network, a plurality of node data sets from a plurality of middleware sources, wherein each of the plurality of node data sets comprises node data pertaining to the same network node in the network;

determining, by the network server, a fault in node data of at least one node data set;

identifying, by the network server, the middleware source associated with the fault in the at least one node data set and identifying an element management system that provided raw node data to the middleware source;

based on the identifying, retrieving, by the network server, raw node data from the element management system associated with the network node while bypassing the middleware source associated with the fault; and

in response to retrieving the raw node data, redirecting, by the network server, an application to use at least one of the plurality of middleware sources as a primary conduit in analysis of node data sets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein node data in the plurality of node data sets comprises performance data and operational data corresponding to the same network node.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising rebooting, by the network server via the network, one of the plurality of middleware sources associated with the fault.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fault in the at least one node data set corresponds with at least one of:

a lack of data continuity about the node, indication of exceeding a time delay threshold for data being reported to the network server, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to retrieving the raw node data from the element management system, transforming, by the network server, the raw node data into node data;

based on the transformed node data sets, comparing, by the network server, time stamps of when node data arrives at a data store from the middleware sources with when raw node data was created by the element management system;

determining, by the network server, that the middleware source exceeds a time threshold for processing the node data sets which indicates that the middleware source is repeatedly delayed in reporting node data;

determining, by the network server, that the middleware source associated with the fault is repeatedly delayed in reporting node data to the network server compared to at least one of the plurality of middleware sources that also reports node data to the network server; and

selecting at least one of the plurality of middleware sources to be a primary conduit based on retrieving the raw node data.

6. A method for optimizing retrieval of node data from network nodes, the method comprising:

receiving, by a network server communicatively coupled with a network, a node data set comprising node data from a plurality of middleware sources;

determining, by the network server, a plurality of faults in the node data set;

identifying, by the network server, each middleware source associated with at least one of the plurality of faults;

determining, by the network server, a historical frequency of faults in node data provided by the middleware source;

detecting, by the network server, that a threshold for the historical frequency of faults has been exceeded;

in response to determining that the threshold for the historical frequency of faults has been exceeded,

bypassing, by the network server via the network, each middleware source associated with a fault and retrieving raw node data directly from an element management system associated with a network node; and

redirecting, by the network server, at least one of the plurality of middleware sources to be a primary conduit for the network server to use in analysis of node data sets.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each middleware source processes raw node data from the same element manage system and provides node data to the network server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one fault corresponds to at least one of:

a gap in data continuity about the node, indication of exceeding a time threshold for node data being processed and reported to the network server, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of middleware sources include computer servers that receive raw node data from a network node, process and transform the raw node data into node data, and transmit the node data to the network server.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the node data sets comprises time stamps corresponding to times at which an element management system created the raw node data, the time one of the plurality of middleware sources processes the raw node data, and the time node data is available for analysis by the network server.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

comparing, by the network server, time stamps of when each of the plurality of node data sets is available with when the raw node data was created; and

determining, by the network server, that the middleware source exceeds a time threshold for processing the raw node data and exceeds a discontinuity threshold corresponding to the amount of gaps in node data within the node data set.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising rebooting one of the plurality of middleware sources.

13. A method for optimizing retrieval of node data from network nodes that include cell sites, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a network server via a network, a node data set comprising node data from a plurality of middleware sources, wherein each of the plurality of middleware sources provides node data about the same network node;

determining, by the network server, a fault in the node data received from one of the plurality of middleware sources;

identifying, by the network server, the middleware source that is associated with the fault; and

in response to determining the fault and associated middleware source, bypassing, by the network server via the network, the middleware source associated with the fault and retrieving raw node data directly from an element management system associated with the network node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein bypassing one or more middleware sources is based on determining, by the network server, that each of the middleware sources produces a fault in the node data sets that pertain to the same network node.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the fault corresponds to at least one of a gap in data continuity about the network node, an indication of a middleware source exceeding a time threshold for processing and reporting node data to the network server, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the network server periodically updates the node data set with node data received from each middleware source.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing, by the network server, an arrival time of when node data arrives at the network server from the middleware sources with a sent time of when node data was sent to the middleware sources from the element management system;

determining, by the network server, that one or more of the middleware sources exceed a time threshold for processing node data; and

in response to determining the time threshold has been exceeded, generating, by the network server, a pull request for bypassing one or more middleware sources to retrieve raw node data.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying an element management system associated with the node data set;

generating a key to access the element management system; and

accessing the element management system to obtain raw node data based on the key.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transforming, by the network server, the raw node data retrieved directly from the element management system into a control node data set;

based on the control node data set, determining, by the network server, that one of the middleware sources produces less faults in the node data set than other middleware sources;

based on the determining, selecting, by the network server, at least one middleware source to be a primary conduit for the network server to use in analysis of node data sets; and

based on the selecting, redirecting, by the network server via the network, an application on the network server to use the at least one middleware source as the primary conduit for analyzing node data sets.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the network node comprises a cell site;

and wherein each middleware source includes a computer server that is transforming raw node data into node data that is loaded into the node data set for the network server.