Method and apparatus for monitoring and displaying routing metrics of a network

• US 20050036487A1
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Limited
• Original Assignee: Tropos Networks Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Srikrishna, Devabhaktuni
• Granted Patent: US 7,376,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• 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 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08

Abstract

The invention includes an apparatus and method for displaying path metrics associate with nodes and links within a network. The method includes determining path metric values associated with the network. The method further includes displaying only the path metric values that fall within a predetermined set. The predetermined set can be adjustable by a network manager. The predetermined set can include an initial default value and be additionally adjusted by a network manager. The predetermined set associated with a particular node can be based upon a redundancy of paths available to the particular node.

Claims

1. A method of displaying path metrics associate with nodes and links within a network, comprising:

determining path metric values associated with the network;

displaying only the path metric values that fall within a predetermined set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined set comprises values greater than a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined set is adjustable by a network manager.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the network manager is a human operator.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the network manager is a software program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined set comprises an initial default value, wherein the predetermined set can be additionally adjusted by a network manager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined set associated with a particular node is based upon a redundancy of paths available to the particular node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the redundancy of paths of a node is determined by a number of paths associated with the node that have path metric values that fall within the predetermined set.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each node of the network includes a node predetermined set that can be individually adjusted for each node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a network manager can adjust each of the node predetermined sets.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each node predetermined set is at least partially dependent upon a use of a corresponding node.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying representation of a redundancy of paths associated each node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein only nodes having a threshold number of redundant paths are distinguishably displayed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path metric values associated with the network comprises determining a success ratio of a number routing packets successfully received at a node, versus a number of transmitted routing packets over a period of time T1, for each wireless route to each node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the routing packets are beacons.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the beacons are initially transmitted by at least one gateway.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the beacons are transmitted according to an 802.11 protocol.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a predetermined number of routing packets are transmitted from at least one gateway over a unit of time.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein determining path metric values associated with the network further comprises determining a success long ratio of a number of routing packets successfully received by a node versus a number of transmitted routing packets over a period of time T2, wherein T2 is substantially greater than T1, for each node.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path metric values associated with each node of the network comprises determining a throughput, for each node.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining a throughput comprises determining a number of wireless hops for each node.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein determining path metric values associated with each node of the network further comprises determining a throughput, for each node.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining a throughput comprises determining a number of wireless hops for each node.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path metric values comprises determining a variability of each path.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein determining path metric values comprises a determining at least one of SNR, BER, PER of signals transmitted between nodes of the network.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying default routing paths.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the default routing path is a previously determined optimal route.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising displaying paths having path metric values that do not fall within the predetermined set

29. The method of claim 28, wherein paths having path metric values that exceed the threshold, default routing paths and paths having metric values not within the predetermined sets, are displayed so that each of path type is distinguishable from the other.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each of path type is distinguishable from the other by color.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing suggestions to a network manager of better locations of the nodes to improve performance of the network.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein providing suggestions to the network manager of better locations of the nodes to improve performance of the network comprises recommending nodes that include a poor link be moved closer to each other.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing suggestions to a network manager of new locations of additional nodes to improve performance of the network.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein providing suggestions to the network manager of new locations of additional nodes to improve performance of the network comprises recommending additional nodes between nodes that include a poor link.

35. A network manager system, the network manager system displaying path metrics associate with nodes and links within a network, the network manager system operable to:

determining path metric values associated with the network; and

displaying only the path metric values that fall within a predetermined set.

36. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein the predetermined set comprises values greater than a threshold value.

37. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein the predetermined set is adjustable by a network manager.

38. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein the predetermined set associated with a particular node is based upon a redundancy of paths available to the particular node.

39. The network manager system of claim 38, wherein the redundancy of paths of a node is determined by a number of paths associated with the node that have path metric values that fall within the predetermined set.

40. The network manager system of claim 35, further comprising displaying representation of a redundancy of paths associated each node.

41. The network manager system of claim 40, wherein only nodes having a threshold number of redundant paths are distinguishably displayed.

42. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein determining path metric values associated with the network comprises determining a success ratio of a number routing packets successfully received at a node, versus a number of transmitted routing packets over a period of time T1, for each wireless route to each node.

43. The network manager system of claim 42, wherein determining path metric values associated with the network further comprises determining a success long ratio of a number of routing packets successfully received by a node versus a number of transmitted routing packets over a period of time T2, wherein T2 is substantially greater than T1, for each node.

44. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein determining path metric values associated with each node of the network comprises determining a throughput, for each node.

45. The network manager system of claim 44, wherein determining a throughput comprises determining a number of wireless hops for each node.

46. The network manager system of claim 35, wherein determining path metric values associated with the network comprises:

receiving the path metric values from the network.