System and method for determining the location of remote devices

• US 20030046022A1
• Filed: 05/16/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Silverman, Robert M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,804,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A system and method for determining the physical location of a target device. Using communications network trace route and pinging commands, the distances of three test devices of known locations to the target device are determined; and responsive to those distances, the location of the target device is determined by triangulation. Based upon location, the target device may be blocked from a communications network or connected to a particular server.

Claims

1. A method for determining the physical location of a target device, comprising:

using network commands, determining the distances of three test devices of known locations to said target device; and

responsive to said distances, determining by triangulation the location of said target device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said network commands comprise pinging and trace route commands.

3. The method of claim 2, said distance from a first test device to said target device being determined by:

using said trace route command to determine the number of routers in said network between said first test device and said target device;

using long and short ping transmissions, determining one-way device latency between said first test device and said target device;

responsive to said one-way device latency, determining the network discrete speed of a connection from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network discrete speed, deriving network total latency from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network total latency, determining network propagation delay between said first test device and said target device; and

responsive to said network propagation delay, calculating said distance form said first test device to said target device.

4. The method of claim 3, said network speed being derived by:

transmitting long packets of lb bits and short echo packets of sb bits, with lb>

sb, each said packet less than or equal to network maximum transmission unit size (MTU);

for each packet, determining round trip network time;

determining lowest detected round trip time (BLT) for said long echo packets;

determining lowest detected round trip time (BST) for said short echo packets; and

responsive to said lowest detected round trip time, calculating said network speed (NS).

5. The method of claim 4, said network speed NS being determined as equal to 2*[Lb−

Sb]/[BLT−

BST].

6. The method of claim 4, said distance being derived by:

determining network latency (NL) as equal to said network device latency (DL) plus said network propagation delay (PD);

responsive to said network device latency (DL) and said number of routers, determining round trip time across said network connection;

deriving network connection propagation delay (PD) as the difference between said network latency (NL) and said device latency (DL);

responsive to said network connection propagation delay and network quality factor (NQF), deriving said distance as equal to PD*speed of light/[2*NQF].

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to said location of said target device, selectively inhibiting access to a network by said target device.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to said location of said target device, connecting said target device to one of a plurality of server systems within a network.

7. A system for determining the physical location of a target device, comprising:

first, second, and third test devices for issuing pinging and trace route commands;

each said test device including a distance calculator and a triangulation calculator;

said distance calculator for determining from execution of said pinging and trace route commands a distance from said test device to said target device; and

said triangulation calculator for determining a physical location of said target device at an intersection of said distances from known locations of said test devices.

8. A system for determining the distance from a test device to a target device in a network, comprising:

a network command for issuing pinging and trace route commands; and

a distance calculator for determining from execution of said pinging and trace route commands a distance from said test device to said target device.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

said distance calculator determining distance from a first test device to said target device by;

determining number of routers in said network between said first test device and said target device using said trace route command;

determining one-way device latency between said first test device and said target device using long and short ping transmissions;

responsive to said one-way device latency, determining network discrete speed of a connection from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network discrete speed, deriving network total latency from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network total latency, determining network propagation delay between said first test device and said target device; and

responsive to said network propagation delay, calculating said distance form said first test device to said target device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

said distance calculator deriving network speed by;

transmitting long packets of lb bits and short echo packets of sb bits, with lb>

sb, each said packet less than or equal to network maximum transmission unit size (MTU);

for each packet, determining round trip network time;

determining lowest detected round trip time (BLT) for said long echo packets;

determining lowest detected round trip time (BST) for said short echo packets; and

responsive to said lowest detected round trip time, calculating said network speed (NS).

11. The system of claim 10, said network speed NS being determined as equal to 2*[Lb−

Sb]/[BLT−

BST].

12. The system of claim 10, said distance being derived by:

determining network latency (NL) as equal to said network device latency (DL) plus said network propagation delay (PD);

responsive to said network device latency (DL) and said number of routers, determining round trip time across said network connection;

deriving network connection propagation delay (PD) as the difference between said network latency (NL) and said device latency (DL);

responsive to said network connection propagation delay and network quality factor (NQF), deriving said distance as equal to PD*speed of light/[2*NQF].

13. A system for determining the distance from a test device to a target device in a network, comprising:

means for issuing pinging and trace route commands; and

means for determining from execution of said pinging and trace route commands a distance from said test device to said target device.

14. A management station for determining the location of a target station already coupled to or in the process of coupling to a network, comprising:

a communications module for communicating with three test stations at known locations; and

a triangulation calculator responsive to distances to said target station from said three test stations for determining said location of said target station at an intersection of said distances from said known locations.

15. A management station for determining the location of a target station already coupled to or in the process of coupling to a network, comprising:

means for communicating with three test stations at known locations; and

means responsive to distances to said target station from said three test stations for determining said location of said target station at an intersection of said distances from said known locations.

16. A method for determining the distance from a test device to a target device, comprising:

executing a trace route command to determine the number of routers in a network link between said test device and said target device;

executing long and short ping transmissions to determine one-way device latency between said test device and said target device;

responsive to said one-way device latency, determining network discrete speed of said network link;

responsive to said network discrete speed, deriving network total latency of said network link;

responsive to said network total latency, determining network propagation delay of said network link; and

responsive to said network propagation delay, calculating said distance.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine for determining the physical location of a target device according to a method comprising:

using pinging and trace route network commands, determining distances of three test devices of known locations to said target device; and

responsive to said distances, determining by triangulation the location of said target device.

18. The program storage device of claim 17, said method further comprising:

using said trace route command to determine the number of routers in said network between said first test device and said target device;

using long and short ping transmissions, determining one-way device latency between said first test device and said target device;

responsive to said one-way device latency, determining the network discrete speed of a connection from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network discrete speed, deriving network total latency from said first test device to said target device;

responsive to said network total latency, determining network propagation delay between said first test device and said target device; and

responsive to said network propagation delay, calculating said distance form said first test device to said target device.

19. A computer program product or computer program element for locating a target device according to a method comprising:

using pinging and trace route communications network commands, determining distances of three test devices of known locations to said target device; and

responsive to said distances, determining by triangulation the location of said target device.