Service-centric communication network monitoring

• US 20070294395A1
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Strub, Lyle, McBride, Brian, Serghi, Laura Mihaela
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• 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 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring

Abstract

Service-centric communication network monitoring apparatus and methods are provided. Service traffic, associated with a third-party service provided by an external service provider that is controlled independently of a communication network, is identified in communication traffic that is being transferred through that communication network. The identified service traffic is monitored, for example, to compile service usage statistics, to police usage of the service, to generate billing records for usage of the service, and/or to mirror the identified service traffic. A registry in which the service is registered may interact with a monitoring system of the communication network so as to establish monitoring for the service traffic.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a service traffic identification module operable to identify, in communication traffic being transferred through a communication network, service traffic associated with a service that is accessible through the communication network and provided by a service provider that is controlled independently of the communication network; and

a traffic monitor operatively coupled to the service traffic identification module and operable to perform monitoring of the identified service traffic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service traffic identification module is operable to identify service traffic based on content of received communication traffic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service comprises a service registered with a services registry in the communication network, and wherein the apparatus further comprises:

an interface operatively coupled to the service traffic identification module for receiving from the services registry information associated with the service.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the information associated with the service comprises control information that causes the service traffic identification module to establish a monitoring session for monitoring use of the service by a user system that accesses the service through the services registry.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises at least one of:

compiling service usage statistics;

policing usage of the service;

generating billing records for usage of the service; and

mirroring the identified service traffic.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface operatively coupled to the traffic monitor, the traffic monitor being further operable to provide, through the interface, an indication of a result of the monitoring.

7. A communication network element comprising:

the apparatus of claim 1.

8. The communication network element of claim 7, further comprising:

a traffic routing module operatively coupled to the service traffic identification module and operable to route the identified service traffic between the service provider and a user of the service.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service is a web service.

10. A method comprising:

identifying, in communication traffic being transferred through a communication network, service traffic associated with a service that is accessible through the communication network and provided by a service provider that is controlled independently of the communication network; and

monitoring the identified service traffic.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying comprises:

accessing content of received communication traffic; and

determining whether the received communication traffic comprises service traffic based on its content.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying comprises:

receiving, from a services registry in which the service is registered, information associated with the service; and

determining whether received communication traffic comprises service traffic based on the received information.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving information associated with expected usage of the service by a user system; and

creating a monitoring session for monitoring the usage of the service by the user system, responsive to receiving the information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring comprises at least one of:

compiling service usage statistics;

policing usage of the service;

generating billing records for usage of the service; and

mirroring the identified service traffic.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing an indication of a result of the monitoring.

16. A machine-readable medium storing instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 10.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a services registry for storing a record associated with a service that is accessible through a communication network; and

a services portal module operatively coupled to the services registry and operable to control access to the service by a user system that is configured for communications in the communication network, and to exchange monitoring control information with a monitoring system of the communication network where a user system is allowed to access the service, the monitoring system being operable to monitor service traffic associated with usage of the service by the user system.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the monitoring control information causes the monitoring system to monitor service traffic associated with usage of the service by the user system.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the services portal module is operable to control access to the service by a user system by transmitting information associated with the service to the user system, and is further operable to transmit monitoring control information to the monitoring system after the information associated with the service is transmitted to the user system.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the services portal module is further operable to restrict access to the service in accordance with a service access control rule.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the monitoring control information comprises information associated with the service and information associated with the user system.