Propagation of signals between devices for triggering capture of network data
First Claim
1. In a protocol analyzer system in a computer network, a method for capturing network data of interest, the method comprising:
- receiving communications traffic through a domain of ports on a protocol analyzer, wherein the domain of ports is distributed over a plurality of chassis;
monitoring the communications traffic through one or more analyzer modules to identify data of interest, each analyzer module being in communication with and receiving the communications traffic through at least one of the ports in the domain of ports; and
delivering one or more control signals between the plurality of chassis using a serial protocol, wherein the control signals coordinate the operation of each port in the domain of ports.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Protocol analyzers systems and methods coordinate the capture of network data of interest across multiple chassis. Each chassis has individual blades with accompanying ports and is serially connected to other chassis in the system. Selected ports from each chassis are configured in domains that can be spread across the serially connected chassis and used in coordination to capture network data of interest. A serial protocol containing control signals is used to transmit run, stop, and trigger data between the serially connected chassis and thereby coordinate the activity of ports within each domain. Through the use of the serial protocol the number of wires connecting adjacent chassis is minimized and each of the blades in the multi-chassis systems can be synchronously started, stopped, and triggered at the same time to synchronously capture the network data of interest.
167 Citations
30 Claims
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1. In a protocol analyzer system in a computer network, a method for capturing network data of interest, the method comprising:
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receiving communications traffic through a domain of ports on a protocol analyzer, wherein the domain of ports is distributed over a plurality of chassis;
monitoring the communications traffic through one or more analyzer modules to identify data of interest, each analyzer module being in communication with and receiving the communications traffic through at least one of the ports in the domain of ports; and
delivering one or more control signals between the plurality of chassis using a serial protocol, wherein the control signals coordinate the operation of each port in the domain of ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. In a multi-chassis protocol analyzer system in a computer network, a method for capturing network data of interest in coordination across the multiple chassis, the method comprising:
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configuring a domain of ports located over one or more blades on one or more chassis, each port in the domain being in communication with a respective analyzer module and a respective capture buffer;
at each analyzer module, monitoring data transmitted via the communications network in order to identify network data of interest; and
in response to an analyzer module attached to one of the ports in the domain identifying the network data of interest, triggering each capture buffer in communication with each port in the domain to capture a desired portion of the data transmitted via the communications network. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. In a protocol analyzer system in a computer network, a method for capturing network data of interest, the method comprising:
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providing a multi-chassis protocol analyzer system, each chassis comprising first and second cable receptacles for inter-chassis communications and housing at least one blade, each blade comprising at least one port for connecting to a computer network, each port further being in communication with both a capture buffer and an analyzer module;
configuring a plurality of the ports into a domain located over at least two of the chassis;
transmitting, through at least one of the first and second cable receptacles, a serial protocol containing a run signal to place the domain of ports in a run mode whereby;
communications traffic is received through the domain of ports; and
the communications traffic is monitored by the analyzer modules in communication with the domain of ports to identify data of interest; and
transmitting, through at least one of the first and second cable receptacles, a serial protocol containing a trigger signal for propagation to each of the ports in the domain, the trigger signal operable to trigger the capture buffer in communication with each port in the domain to capture a selected portion of the communications traffic. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A protocol analyzer system for identifying and capturing network data of interest, comprising:
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a first chassis and a second chassis, each chassis comprising;
at least one blade, each blade comprising;
a capture buffer for capturing network data of interest;
an analyzer for monitoring network traffic, identifying network data of interest, and triggering the capture of the network data of interest in the capture buffer;
at least one port for receiving network traffic and routing it to the capture buffer and/or the analyzer, wherein the at least one port in the first chassis and the at least one port in the second chassis comprise a domain of ports; and
a field programmable gate array capable of analyzing a serial protocol, which comprises one or more control signals, communicated between the first chassis and the second chassis to identify which of one or more control signals in the serial protocol is applicable to the ports located on each chassis. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification