Traffic data collection technique

• US 20010010717A1
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Published: 08/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Goto, Kenta, Sasamori, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,519,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/127.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

Abstract

A network management system allowing traffic data collection not to overload switching equipment is disclosed. A schedule table has a plurality of entries, in which traffic data collection events for respective ones of traffic counters are distributed at intervals. A traffic data collection processor sequentially accesses the entries of the schedule table and, when a traffic data collection event is registered in an accessed entry, a traffic data collection request is transmitted to a corresponding traffic counter.

Claims

1. A network management system having a function of collecting traffic data at predetermined intervals from a switch having a plurality of traffic detectors provided for respective ones of line ports of the switch, comprising:

a schedule table having a plurality of entries, in which traffic data collection events for respective ones of the traffic detectors are distributed at first predetermined intervals;

a scheduler for creating the schedule table at second predetermined intervals; and

a traffic data collection processor for sequentially accessing the plurality of entries of the schedule table to transmit traffic data collection requests to the traffic detectors depending on whether a traffic data collection event is registered in an accessed entry.

2. The network management system according to

claim 1

, wherein the entries in the schedule table are associated with lapses of Lime in sequence, respectively.

3. The network management system according to

claim 1

, wherein a number N of the entries in the schedule table is determined by multiplying M by T, where M is a maximum permissible number of traffic data collection requests that the switch can cope with per unit of time, and T is a second predetermined interval.

4. The network management system according to

claim 3

, wherein a first predetermined interval L is determined by dividing N by K, where K is a number of the traffic detectors provided in the switch.

5. The network management system according to

claim 1

, wherein the traffic data collection events are registered in equally spaced entries in the schedule table.

6. The network management system according to

claim 5

, wherein at least one interrupt event other than the traffic data collection events is registered in an available entry other than the equally spaced entries in the schedule table.

7. The network management system according to

claim 6

, wherein the scheduler deletes said at least one interrupt event from the schedule table when all the entries of the schedule table have been accessed.

8. The network management system according to

claim 5

, wherein each of the equally spaced entries in the schedule table stores an event type of traffic data collection and an identification identifying a corresponding traffic detector.

9. A method for collecting traffic data at predetermined intervals from a switch having a plurality of traffic detectors provided for respective ones of line ports of the switch, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of entries in a schedule table, in which traffic data collection events for respective ones of the traffic detectors are distributed at first predetermined intervals;

creating the schedule table at second predetermined intervals; and

sequentially accessing the plurality of entries of the schedule table; and

when a traffic data collection event is registered in an accessed entry, transmitting a traffic data collection request to a corresponding traffic detector.

10. The method according to

claim 9

, wherein the entries in the schedule table are associated with lapses of time in sequence, respectively.

11. The method according to

claim 9

, wherein a number N of the entries in the schedule table is determined by multiplying M by T, where M is a maximum permissible number of traffic data collection requests that the switch can cope with per unit of time, and T is a second predetermined interval.

12. The method according to

claim 11

, wherein a first predetermined interval L is determined by dividing N by K, where K is a number of the traffic detectors provided in the switch.

13. The method according to

claim 9

, wherein the traffic data collection events are registered in equally spaced entries in the schedule table.

14. The method according to

claim 13

, further comprising the step of:

registering at least one interrupt event other than the traffic data collection events in an available entry other than the equally spaced entries in the schedule table.

15. The method according to

claim 14

, further comprising the step of;

deleting said at least one interrupt event from the schedule table when all the entries of the schedule table have been accessed.

16. A network management system having a function of periodically collecting traffic data at predetermined intervals from a switch having a plurality of traffic counters provided for respective ones of line ports of the switch, comprising:

traffic counter processors provided for respective ones of the traffic counters, each of the traffic counter processors transmits a traffic data collection request to a designated one of the traffic counters and stores traffic data received from the designated traffic counter;

a schedule table for scheduling operations of the traffic counter processors;

a schedule table creation processor for providing a schedule time interval to each of the entries of the schedule table and assigning processor identifications of the traffic counter processors to entries equally spaced in the schedule table;

a collection cycle timer for activating schedule table creation processing of the schedule table creation processor in a predetermined period of time;

a schedule execution processor for activating the traffic counter processors depending on the processor identifications registered in the schedule table; and

a schedule execution timer for activating the schedule execution processor in a predetermined period of time,

wherein traffic counter collection requests are transmitted to the switch uniformly for a predetermined time period.