Media segment monitoring

• US 20070280127A1
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Connor, Kevin Joseph, Shaikh, Mohammed Taher, Umansky, Ilya, Padmanabhan, Radhika, Xu, Xiaode
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0835 One way packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A device and method provides a means for monitoring a media segment of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream without interfering with end-to-end monitoring of the RTP media stream. The device includes a media segment monitor to generate segment control messages associated with a selected segment of the RTP media stream transmitted between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint in a packet network. The device further includes an interface to transmit and receive the segment control messages; and a processor to process the segment control messages, the segment control messages including call quality metrics related to the selected segment of the RTP media stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream from a source endpoint to a destination endpoint in a packet network;

monitoring a selected segment of the RTP media stream between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint, wherein monitoring the selected segment does not interfere with monitoring the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint; and

transmitting and receiving control messages associated with the selected RTP media stream segment, the control messages including a set of call quality metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected RTP media stream segment corresponds to a selected network node pair located between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint in the packet network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected network node pair corresponds to adjacent network nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of call quality metrics includes delay, jitter, and packet loss.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting and receiving an end-to-end Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) control message, the end-to-end RTCP control message including a set of call quality metrics related to the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a control message associated with the transmitted RTP media stream at a network node located between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

identifying the received control message according to a packet type identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

processing the received control message at the network node if the control message is associated with the selected RTP stream segment; and

forwarding the received control message out of the network node if the control message is associated with the end-to-end RTCP control message.

9. A device, comprising:

a media segment monitor to generate segment control messages associated with a selected segment of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream transmitted between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint in a packet network;

an interface to transmit and receive the segment control messages; and

a processor to process the segment control messages, the segment control messages including call quality metrics related to the selected segment of the RTP media stream.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the interface further transmits and receives end-to-end Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) control messages, the end-to-end control messages including a set of call quality metrics related to the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the interface further identifies the control messages received according to a packet type identifier.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the interface further identifies and forwards the end-to-end RTCP control messages to the destination endpoint.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the interface further includes a plurality of ports to transmit and receive packets.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the segment control messages and the end-to-end RTCP control messages share a port.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a switch to select which of the control messages has priority to use the shared port.

16. A device, comprising:

means for generating segment control messages associated with a selected segment of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream transmitted between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint in a packet network;

means for transmitting and receiving the segment control messages; and

means for processing the segment control messages, the segment control messages including call quality metrics related to the selected segment of the RTP media stream.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

means for transmitting and receiving end-to-end Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) control messages, the end-to-end control messages including a set of call quality metrics related to the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

means for identifying the control messages received according to a packet type identifier.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

means for identifying and forwarding the end-to-end RTCP control messages to the destination endpoint.

20. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

means for prioritizing transmission of the control messages received according to the packet type identifier.

21. An article of computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

generate segment control messages associated with a selected segment of a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream transmitted between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint in a packet network;

transmit and receive the segment control messages; and

process the segment control messages, the segment control messages including call quality metrics related to the selected segment of the RTP media stream.

22. The article of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

transmit and receive end-to-end Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) control messages, the end-to-end control messages including a set of call quality metrics related to the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint.

23. The article of claim 22, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

identify the control messages received according to a packet type identifier.

24. The article of claim 22, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

identify and forward the end-to-end RTCP control messages to the destination endpoint.

25. The article of claim 22, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to:

prioritize transmission of the control messages received according to the packet type identifier.

26. A system, comprising:

a plurality of network nodes to transmit a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) media stream from a source endpoint to a destination endpoint in a packet network; and

a media segment monitor to monitor a selected segment of the RTP media stream between the source endpoint and the destination endpoint, the selected segment including a pair of network nodes selected from the plurality of network nodes.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the media segment monitor transmits and receives control messages associated with the selected RTP media stream segment, the control messages including a set of call quality metrics.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the media segment monitor transmits and receives control messages associated with an end-to-end Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) control message, the end-to-end RTCP control message including a set of call quality metrics related to the RTP media stream from the source endpoint to the destination endpoint.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the media segment monitor further identifies the received control message according to a packet type identifier.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the media segment monitor processes the received control message if the control message is associated with the selected RTP stream segment or forwards the received control message to the destination endpoint if the control message is associated with the end-to-end RTCP control message.