System and method for monitoring noise associated with a communication link

• US 20040193964A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, Walter L., Bose, Sumita, Beal, Peter D., Blankenship, Dennis N., Matuszczak, Bohdan
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A method for monitoring noise associated with a communication link is provided that includes monitoring a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows and determining whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold. An alert message may then be communicated to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring noise associated with a communication link, comprising:

a cell site element operable to facilitate a data exchange, wherein the cell site element includes a link noise monitoring element operable to monitor a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows and to determine whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold, the link noise monitoring element being further operable to communicate an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the error parameter is a selected one of a group of parameters consisting of:

a time interval associated with a selected one or more of the communication links;

an amount of errors associated with a selected one or more of the communication links;

a percentage of errors associated with a selected one or more of the communication links; and

a number of errors associated with a selected one or more of the communication links.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an administration module operable to receive the alert message and to respond by executing one or more actions that address an error condition.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the link noise monitoring element generates a logging message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the logging message being communicated to the next destination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the link noise monitoring element is further operable to monitor one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein if the additional predefined threshold is exceeded, the link noise monitoring element responds by removing one or more of the communication links associated with exceeding the additional predefined threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein if a communication link associated with the removal protocol is a last link in a multi-link bundle, it is not removed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the link noise monitoring element is operable to restore a selected one of the plurality of links when error conditions improve, the link noise monitoring element generating a message to be communicated to the next destination that indicates that the selected link has been restored.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the link noise monitoring element detects when one or more error conditions subside and return to a stable traffic pattern, and wherein the link noise monitoring element is further operable to generate a message to be communicated to the next destination that indicates a stability condition associated with the stable traffic pattern.

10. An apparatus for monitoring noise associated with a communication aggregation node link, comprising:

an aggregation node operable to facilitate a data exchange, wherein the aggregation node includes a link noise monitoring element operable to monitor a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows and to determine whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold, the link noise monitoring element being further operable to communicate an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the error parameter is a selected one of a group of parameters consisting of:

a time interval associated with a selected one or more of the communication links;

an amount of error associated with a selected one or more of the communication links;

a percentage of error associated with a selected one or more of the communication links; and

a number of errors associated with a selected one or more of the communication links.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the link noise monitoring element generates a logging message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the logging message being communicated to the next destination.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the link noise monitoring element is further operable to monitor one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein if the additional predefined threshold is exceeded, the link noise monitoring element responds by removing one or more of the communication links associated with exceeding the additional predefined threshold.

15. A method for monitoring noise associated with a communication link, comprising:

monitoring a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows;

determining whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold; and

communicating an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the alert message; and

responding to the alert message by executing one or more actions that address an error condition associated with exceeding the predefined threshold.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a SYSLOG message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the SYSLOG message being communicated to the next destination.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

monitoring one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein if the additional predefined threshold is exceeded, one or more of the communication links associated with exceeding the additional predefined threshold is removed.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

restoring a selected one of the plurality of links when error conditions improve; and

generating a message to be communicated to the next destination that indicates that the selected link has been restored.

21. A system for monitoring noise associated with a communication link, comprising:

means for monitoring a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows;

means for determining whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold; and

means for communicating an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving the alert message; and

means for responding to the alert message by executing one or more actions that address an error condition associated with exceeding the predefined threshold.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for generating a logging message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the logging message being communicated to the next destination.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for monitoring one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein if the additional predefined threshold is exceeded, one or more of the communication links associated with exceeding the additional predefined threshold is removed.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

means for restoring a selected one of the plurality of links when error conditions improve; and

means for generating a message to be communicated to the next destination that indicates that the selected link has been restored.

27. Software embodied in a computer readable medium, the medium comprising code such that when executed is operable to:

monitor a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows;

determine whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold; and

communicate an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded.

28. The software of claim 27, wherein the code is further operable to:

receive the alert message; and

respond to the alert message by executing one or more actions that address an error condition associated with exceeding the predefined threshold.

29. The software of claim 27, wherein the code is further operable to:

generate a logging message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the logging message being communicated to the next destination.

30. The software of claim 27, wherein the code is further operable to:

monitor one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol.

31. The software of claim 30, wherein the code is further operable to:

restore a selected one of the plurality of links when error conditions improve; and

generate a message to be communicated to the next destination that indicates that the selected link has been restored.

32. An apparatus for monitoring noise associated with a communication link, comprising:

a cell site element operable to facilitate a data exchange, wherein the cell site element includes a link noise monitoring element operable to monitor a plurality of communication links that facilitate a plurality of communication flows and to determine whether an error parameter associated with a selected one or more of the communication links has exceeded a predefined threshold, the link noise monitoring element being further operable to communicate an alert message to a next destination when the predefined threshold has been exceeded; and

an administration module operable to receive the alert message and to respond by executing one or more actions that address an error condition, the link noise monitoring element generating a logging message as a result of the predefined threshold being exceeded, the logging message being communicated to the next destination, wherein the link noise monitoring element is further operable to monitor one or more of the plurality of communication links in order to determine if an additional predefined threshold has been exceeded, the additional predefined threshold being associated with a removal protocol, and wherein if the additional predefined threshold is exceeded, the link noise monitoring element responds by removing one or more of the communication links associated with exceeding the additional predefined threshold.