Wireless network monitoring

• US 20020077786A1
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mspect, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Vogel, Andreas, Adams, Mark E., Brenner, Andrew S., Suojanen, Noah B. K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,807,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5093 wherein the managed service relates to messaging or chat services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring performance of a wireless network. A probe server controls posts to send and receive probes of the wireless network. These probes provide feedback information, which indicates how the wireless network is performing.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a wireless network, comprising:

generating a plurality of probes, each probe having an identifier and a destination;

sending each of the plurality of probes from an originator to the wireless network;

receiving the plurality of probes at the destination from the wireless network; and

recording feedback information generated in response to each of the plurality of probes, the feedback information indicative of the performance of the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the probes is sent to the wireless network from a wireless device at a post.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the post records feedback information generated in response to the plurality of probes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the post sends the recorded feedback information to a server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the post sends the probe identifier associated with the recorded feedback information to the server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination records feedback information generated in response to the plurality of probes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the destination sends the recorded feedback information to a server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the destination sends the probe identifier associated with the recorded feedback information to the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of probes, a server receives the feedback information associated with the probe identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of probes is sent to the wireless network from a server via a network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback information for each of the plurality of probes comprises a time of a first event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the feedback information for each of the plurality of probes comprises a time of a second event.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, for each of the plurality of probes, from the probe identifier, the time of the first event, and the time of the second event, the time between the first event and the second event.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first event is the time the probe is sent from the originator.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second event is the time the probe is received at the destination.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first event is the time the probe is received at a local mail server.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first event is the time the probe is received at a carrier gateway.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first event is the time the probe is received at a processing sender.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first event is the time the probe is sent to the destination from the processing sender.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of probes is an SMS message.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of probes is an SMTP mail message.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded feedback information is received at a server.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the recorded feedback information from each of the plurality of probes to a user interface.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a graphical representation of the recorded feedback information.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an alert in response to a specified performance level of the wireless network.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein each source is a wireless device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein each wireless device is at a post.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the post records feedback information generated in response to the plurality of probes.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising sending, for each of the plurality of probes, the recorded feedback information to a server.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the feedback information for each of the plurality of probes comprises a time of a first event.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the feedback information for each of the plurality of probes comprises a time of a second event.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising determining, for each of the plurality of probes, from the time of the first event and the time of the second event, the time between the first event and the second event.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time the probe is sent from the source.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the second event is the time the target information is received at the source.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time a carrier acknowledges a call from the source as an authenticated data call.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time a browser starts up.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time a browser authentication is completed.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time the source begins to receive the target information.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time the source begins to receive a homedeck.

41. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time the source completes reception of a homedeck.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time the source establishes a TCP/IP connection with an HTTP server.

43. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time a DNS server begins to translate a URL into an IP address.

44. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event is the time a DNS server completes a translation of a URL into an IP address.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of the probes is a WAP pull probe.

46. The method of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of the probes is an HTTP pull probe.

47. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving, for each of the plurality of probes, the recorded feedback information at a server.

48. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending the recorded feedback information from each of the plurality of probes to a user interface.

49. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating a graphical representation of the recorded feedback information.

50. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending an alert in response to a specified performance level of the wireless network.

26. A method for monitoring a wireless network, comprising:

generating a plurality of probes, each probe having a target with information;

sending each of the plurality of probes from a source to the wireless network; and

for each probe, recording feedback information indicative of the performance of the wireless network.

51. A system for monitoring a wireless network, comprising:

a probe server for receiving instructions on how to monitor the wireless network; and

a plurality of posts, each of the posts being connected to the probe server for receiving commands from the probe server to send a plurality of probes to the wireless network and for receiving feedback information from the wireless network.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein each of the plurality of posts comprises:

a post controller connected to the probe server for receiving the commands from the probe server; and

a plurality of wireless devices for sending probes to the wireless network and receiving feedback information from the wireless network.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein each of the plurality of posts further comprises a plurality of device controllers connected to the post controller for receiving instructions from the post controller, and each connected to one of the plurality of wireless devices for controlling the wireless device.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein the probe server comprises:

a user interface server connected to a user interface for receiving monitoring parameters describing how to probe the wireless network;

an application server connected to the user interface server for receiving the monitoring parameters, causing a plurality of probes to be sent to the wireless network, and receiving feedback information in response to the plurality of probes; and

storage connected to the application server for storing feedback information received from the wireless network.

56. The system of claim 54, further comprising a scheduler connected to the application server for notifying the application server when each of the plurality of probes should be send to the wireless network.

55. A system for monitoring a wireless network, comprising:

a user interface server for receiving monitoring parameters describing how to probe the wireless network;

an application server connected to the user interface server for receiving the monitoring parameters, causing a plurality of probes to be sent to the wireless network, and receiving feedback information in response to the plurality of probes; and

storage connected to the application server for storing feedback information received from the wireless network.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a spike pattern, the spike indicative of short system down time.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a spike pattern, the spike indicative of a failed probe delivery.

60. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a shark fin pattern, the shark fm indicative of a single point of failure.

61. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a decaying shark fin pattern, the decaying shark fin indicative of a single point of failure.

62. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a decaying shark fin pattern, the decaying shark fin indicative of a failed SMSC in a load-balance SMSC cluster.

63. The method of claim 57, wherein the graph shows a pig in a python pattern, the pig in a python indicative of overall system congestion.

64. The method of claim 57, comprising:

presenting some feedback information, from a first geographical location, in graphical form;

presenting other feedback information, from a second geographical location, in graphical form, wherein the comparative shapes of the graphs of the feedback information from the first and second geographical location indicative of the functioning of the wireless network.

65. The method of claim 57, comprising:

presenting some feedback information, from a first segment of the wireless network, in graphical form;

presenting other feedback information, from a second segment of the wireless network, in graphical form, wherein the comparative shapes of the graphs of the feedback information from the first and second segments of the wireless networks indicative of the finctioning of the wireless network.

57. A method for determining the performance of a wireless network, comprising:

receiving feedback information from the wireless network in response to a plurality of probes; and

presenting the feedback information in graphical form, the shape of the graph indicative of the finctioning of the wireless network.