Methods and apparatus for monitoring a communication network

• US 20060142001A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moisan, Kevin James, Tisiker, Michael, Rele, Amit, Khan, Dick, Martinez, Juan Carlos
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• 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 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for monitoring a communication network are disclosed. A disclosed method of monitoring a communication network periodically collects data from a plurality of network elements within the communication network. The disclosed method analyzes the collected data in accordance with a rule that corresponds to a characteristic of performance or capacity of the plurality of network elements to form performance or capacity data representative of a user experience of the communication network. The disclosed method then presents the performance or capacity data via a web browser using a plurality of view levels and types.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a communication network, comprising:

periodically collecting data from a plurality of network elements within the communication network;

analyzing the collected data to form performance or capacity data representative of a user experience of a user-initiated communication within the communication network involving the plurality of network elements; and

presenting the performance or capacity data.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein periodically collecting the data from the plurality of network elements includes automatically discovering the presence of at least one of the network elements.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein periodically collecting the data from the plurality of network elements includes collecting portions of the data at different rates.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein periodically collecting the data from the plurality of network elements includes storing the data in a common database.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing the collected data includes comparing at least some of the collected data to a threshold value representative of a level of service within the communication network.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising generating an alert based on the comparison of the at least some of the collected data to the threshold value.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing the collected data includes interrelating data associated with multiple ones of the network elements.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein analyzing the collected data includes using a presentation or business rule to analyze the collected data.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the performance or capacity data representative of the user experience of the communication network is associated with an end-to-end performance characteristic of the communication network.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein presenting the performance or capacity data includes presenting the performance or capacity data via a plurality of hierarchically interrelated views.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein presenting the performance or capacity data includes providing a plurality of graphical views, each of which corresponds to a different level of the communication network.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of network elements includes network elements from different vendors, each of which provides a different communication service via the communication network.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication network is an Internet protocol-based integrated voice and electronic mail system.

14. An apparatus for monitoring a communication network, comprising:

a data collector configured to periodically collect data from a plurality of network elements within the communication network;

a data analyzer coupled- to the data collector and configured to analyze the collected data to form performance or capacity data representative of a user experience of a user-initiated communication within the communication network involving the plurality of network elements; and

a data presentation generator coupled to the data analyzer and configured to generate one or more presentations containing the performance or capacity data.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the data collector is configured to periodically collect the data from the plurality of network elements by discovering the presence of at least one of the network elements.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the data collector is configured to periodically collect the data from the plurality of network elements by collecting portions of the data at different rates.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the data analyzer is configured to analyze the collected data by comparing at least some of the collected data to a threshold value representative of a level of service within the communication network.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the data analyzer is configured to analyze the collected data by interrelating data associated with multiple ones of the network elements.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the performance or capacity data representative of the user experience of the communication network is associated with an end-to-end performance characteristic of the communication network.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the data presentation generator is configured to present the performance or capacity data via a plurality of hierarchically interrelated views.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the communication network is an Internet protocol-based integrated voice and electronic mail system.

22. A machine accessible medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to:

periodically collect data from a plurality of network elements within a communication network;

analyze the collected data to form performance or capacity data representative of a user experience of a user-initiated communication within the communication network involving the plurality of network elements; and

present the performance or capacity data.

23. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to periodically collect the data from the plurality of network elements by discovering the presence of at least one of the network elements.

24. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to periodically collect the data from the plurality of network elements by collecting portions of the data at different rates.

25. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to periodically collect the data from the plurality of network elements by storing the data in a common database.

26. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to analyze the collected data by comparing at least some of the collected data to a threshold value representative of a level of service within the communication network.

27. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 26 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to generate an alert based on the comparison of the at least some of the collected data to the threshold value.

28. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to analyze the collected data by interrelating data associated with multiple ones of the network elements.

29. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to analyze the collected data by using a presentation or business rule to analyze the collected data.

30. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22, wherein the performance or capacity data representative of the user experience of the communication network is associated with an end-to-end performance characteristic of the communication network.

31. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to present the performance or capacity data via a plurality of hierarchically interrelated views.

32. A machine accessible medium as defined in claim 22 having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the machine to present the performance or capacity data by providing a plurality of graphical views, each of which corresponds to a different level of the communication network.