Network management of a performance enhancing proxy architecture

• US 20020013840A1
• Filed: 07/13/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Border, John, Arur, Deepak
• Application Number:
  US09/905,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/083 for increasing network speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 : Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 : at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 : for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 : Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/40 : using split connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 : Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 : Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 : using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9042 : Separate storage for different parts of the packet, e.g. header and payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9094 : Arrangements for simultaneous transmit and receive, e.g. simultaneous reading/writing from/to the storage element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 : Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 : Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 : Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 : Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 : Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 : Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 : Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system having a proxy architecture is disclosed. The system includes a platform that provides performance enhancing functions. The platform includes a management protocol agent that gathers information associated with the platform. The system also includes a network management system that communicates with the platform. The network management system receives information from the management protocol agent. The information provides at least one of event data and alarm data, wherein the platform has a profile that specifies configuration parameters. The network management system is configured to selectively modify the profile in response to the received information and to forward the modified profile to the platform. The above arrangement has particular applicability to a bandwidth constrained communication system, such as a satellite network.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a communication system that includes a platform configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to configuration parameters as specified in a profile of the platform;

selectively modifying the profile in response to the received information; and

forwarding the modified profile to the platform.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modified profile is forwarded as a single file.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication system is partitioned into a plurality of network management domains to control access network management information.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a default profile for the platform.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the profile in the receiving step includes at least one of a TCP spoofing kernel parameter, a backbone protocol kernel parameter, a prioritization kernel parameter, and a path selection parameter.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selectively storing the information at least within the platform and within a database that is separate from the platform.

7. A communication system comprising:

a platform configured to provide performance enhancing functions, the platform having a profile that specifies configuration parameters; and

a network management system communicating with the platform, the network management system being configured to receive information relating to the configuration parameters as specified in the profile, wherein the network management system is configured to selectively modify the profile in response to the received information and to forward the modified profile to the platform.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the modified profile is received as a single file by the network management system.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the communication system is partitioned into a plurality of network management domains to control access network management information.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the network management system maintains a default profile of the platform.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the profile includes at least one of a TCP spoofing kernel parameter, a backbone protocol kernel parameter, a prioritization kernel parameter, and a path selection parameter.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the platform includes a local disk configured to storing the information from the management agent.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein the network management system includes a database configured to storing the information from the management agent.

14. A network apparatus for monitoring a communication system that includes a platform configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving information relating to configuration parameters as specified in a profile of the platform;

means for selectively modifying the profile in response to the received information; and

means for forwarding the modified profile to the platform.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the modified profile is forwarded as a single file.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the communication system is partitioned into a plurality of network management domains to control access network management information.

17. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for maintaining a default profile for the platform.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the profile includes at least one of a TCP spoofing kernel parameter, a backbone protocol kernel parameter, a prioritization kernel parameter, and a path selection parameter.

19. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

means for selectively storing the information at least within the platform and within a database that is separate from the platform.

20. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for monitoring a communication system that includes a platform configured to perform a plurality of performance enhancing functions, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving information relating to configuration parameters as specified in a profile of the platform;

selectively modifying the profile in response to the received information; and

forwarding the modified profile to the platform.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the modified profile is forwarded as a single file.

22. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the communication system is partitioned into a plurality of network management domains to control access network management information.

23. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the one or more processors further perform the step of:

maintaining a default profile for the platform.

24. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the profile in the receiving step includes at least one of a TCP spoofing kernel parameter, a backbone protocol kernel parameter, a prioritization kernel parameter, and a path selection parameter.

25. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, wherein the one or more processors further perform the step of:

selectively storing the information at least within the platform and within a database that is separate from the platform.