METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR IMPLEMENTING NETWORK VISUALIZATION SERVICES

• US 20070206507A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reichman, Andrew, Hill, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• 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 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for monitoring performance of a network providing content to an Internet Protocol device are provided. The method includes assigning an Internet Protocol address to a network monitoring system to establish a communication between the network monitoring system and an Internet Protocol device associated with the Internet Protocol address. The method also includes gathering performance data corresponding to the network and providing the Internet Protocol device with access to the performance data corresponding to the network via the Internet Protocol address.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring performance of a network providing content to an Internet Protocol device, comprising:

assigning an Internet Protocol address to a network monitoring system to establish a communication between the network monitoring system and an Internet Protocol device associated with the Internet Protocol address;

gathering performance data corresponding to the network; and

providing the Internet Protocol device with access to the performance data corresponding to the network via the Internet Protocol address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data is presented in a graphical format at the Internet Protocol device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the gathered performance data to parameter values established for the Internet Protocol device and the network;

analyzing external sources of data when the performance data reflects values that are outside of the parameter values established, the external sources determined to impact performance of the Internet Protocol device and the network; and

recording results of the analyzing in a storage location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the external sources of data include at least one of:

other network monitoring systems servicing area network locations or sharing resources with the Internet Protocol device;

a communications device that shares resources with the Internet Protocol device over a local area network;

a power supplier entity;

an emergency information service; and

a weather provider service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data includes at least one of:

picture quality data;

data transmission rates; and

network resource consumption data.

6. A system for monitoring performance of a network providing content to an Internet Protocol device, comprising:

a computer processing device; and

a network visualization application executing on the computer processing device, the network visualization application implementing a method, comprising;

assigning an Internet Protocol address to a network monitoring system to establish a communication between the network monitoring system and an Internet Protocol device associated with the Internet Protocol address;

gathering performance data corresponding to the network; and

providing the Internet Protocol device with access to the performance data corresponding to the network via the Internet Protocol address.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the performance data is presented in a graphical format at the Internet Protocol device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the network visualization application further performs:

comparing the gathered performance data to parameter values established for the Internet Protocol device and the network;

analyzing external sources of data when the performance data reflects values that are outside of the parameter values established, the external sources determined to impact performance of the Internet Protocol device and the network; and

recording results of the analyzing in a storage location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the external sources of data include at least one of:

other network monitoring systems servicing area network locations or sharing resources with the Internet Protocol device;

a communications device that shares resources with the Internet Protocol device over a local area network;

a power supplier entity;

an emergency information service; and

a weather provider service.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the performance data includes at least one of:

picture quality data;

data transmission rates; and

network resource consumption data.

11. A computer program product for monitoring performance of a network providing content to an Internet Protocol device, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

assigning an Internet Protocol address to a network monitoring system to establish a communication between the network monitoring system and an Internet Protocol device associated with the Internet Protocol address;

gathering performance data corresponding to the network; and

providing the Internet Protocol device with access to the performance data corresponding to the network via the Internet Protocol address.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the performance data is presented in a graphical format at the Internet Protocol device.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions for performing:

comparing the gathered performance data to parameter values established for the Internet Protocol device and the network;

analyzing external sources of data when the performance data reflects values that are outside of the parameter values established, the external sources determined to impact performance of the Internet Protocol device and the network; and

recording results of the analyzing in a storage location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the external sources of data include at least one of:

other network monitoring systems servicing area network locations or sharing resources with the Internet Protocol device;

a communications device that shares resources with the Internet Protocol device over a local area network;

a power supplier entity;

an emergency information service; and

a weather provider service.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the performance data includes at least one of:

picture quality data;

data transmission rates; and

network resource consumption data.