System and method for monitoring interlayer devices and optimizing network performance

• US 20080049631A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrill, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,238,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/250
• 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 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices

Abstract

A method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance including generating network performance information data indicative of network transmission characteristics from one of a data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device; including the network performance information data in a data packet; communicating the network performance information data in the data packet from one of the data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device to a data link layer device; and in response to receiving the network performance information data, optimizing network performance by performing a function by the data link layer device. A system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance is also included.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance comprising:

generating network performance information data indicative of network transmission characteristics from one of a data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device;

including said network performance information data in a data packet;

communicating said network performance information data in said data packet from one of said data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device to a data link layer device; and

in response to receiving said network performance information data, optimizing network performance by performing a function by said data link layer device.

2. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said data link layer device is a device that codes and decodes data into bits.

3. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said data link layer device includes a device that performs one of furnishing transmission protocol knowledge and management, handling errors in the physical layer device, controlling data flow, synchronizing data frames, and conducting a Multi-Protocol Label Switching re-route.

4. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 3, wherein said synchronizing data frames includes a protocol selected from the group consisting of Ethernet, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, and Multi-Protocol Label Switching.

5. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said physical layer device is a hardware device capable of sending and receiving data.

6. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said physical layer device is a device selected from the group consisting of defining cables, cards, physical aspects, data coding, and medium

7. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 5, wherein said optimizing includes one of routing the data transmission to an alternative physical link, reducing the number of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation windows, and changing alternative transmission schema.

8. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said network layer device transmits data from one network node to another network node within a packet network by performing one of switching logical paths, routing logical paths, creating logical paths, and moving a session from a first network operator to a second network operator.

9. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said transport layer device performs at least one of transferring of data between end systems in said network, providing end-to-end error recovery, and providing end-to-end flow control.

10. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said session layer device performs at least one of establishing connections between applications at the end of a network path, managing connections between applications at the end of a network path, terminating connections between applications at the end of a network path, managing session and connection coordination, modifying schedulers, modifying shapers, modifying network element functions that contain QoS parameters, and adjusting the quantity of packets in a session.

11. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said presentation layer device transforms data into a form acceptable by said application layer device.

12. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said presentation layer device includes one of data compression, text compression, voice compression, and video compression.

13. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said application layer device supports application and end-user processes.

14. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, wherein said application layer device performs one of informing a user of the status of said network, disconnecting said user from said network suggesting to said user to attempt re-connecting to said network, controlling communications to manage multiple real-time sessions when said user exceeds available communications resources, communicating statistics to said user reflecting their real-time data usage versus total bandwidth, communicating statistics to said user reflecting their session usage of real-time bandwidth, and presenting one of CODEC and sessions selections to said user for their selection.

15. The method for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 1, further comprising:

concatenating indicia of the bandwidth of the data packets including real-time content and total data packets into said data packet.

16. A system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance comprising:

at least one of a first data link layer device, a physical layer device, a network layer device, a transport layer device, a session layer device, a presentation layer device, and an application layer device configured to;

determine network performance information data indicative of network transmission characteristics;

include said network performance information data in a data packet;

a second data link layer device in communication with one of said first data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device to receive said network performance information data in said data packet from said first data link layer device, physical layer device, network layer device, transport layer device, session layer device, presentation layer device, and application layer device, wherein said second data link layer device performs a function to optimize said network based on said network performance data.

17. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said data link layer device is a device that codes and decodes data into bits.

18. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said data link layer device is configured to one of furnish transmission protocol knowledge and management, handle errors in the physical layer device, control data flow, synchronize data frames, and conduct a Multi-Protocol Label Switching re-route.

19. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 18, wherein said synchronizes data frames includes a protocol selected from the group consisting of Ethernet, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, and Multi-Protocol Label Switching.

20. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said physical layer device is a hardware device capable of sending and receiving data.

21. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said physical layer device is a device selected from the group consisting of defining cables, cards, physical aspects, data coding, and medium.

22. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 20, wherein said function of said physical layer device is configured to one of route the data transmission to an alternative physical links, reduce the number of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation windows, and changing alternative transmission schema.

23. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said network layer device is configured to one of transmit data from one network node to another network node within a packet network by performing one of switching logical paths, route logical paths, create logical paths, and move a session from a first network operator to a second network operator.

24. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said transport layer device is configured to one of transfer data between end systems in said network provide end-to-end error recovery, and provide end-to-end flow control.

25. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said session layer device is configured to one of establish connections between applications at the end of a network path, manage connections between applications at the end of a network path, terminate connections between applications at the end of a network path, manage session and connection coordination, modify schedulers, modify shapers, modify network element functions that contain QoS parameters, and adjust the quantity of packets in a session.

26. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said presentation layer device is configured to transform data into a form acceptable by said application layer device.

27. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said presentation layer device is configured to compress the signals of one of data, text, voice, and video.

28. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said application layer device supports application and end-user processes.

29. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said application layer device is configured to one of inform a user of the status of said network, disconnect said user from said network suggest to said user to attempt re-connecting to said network control communications to manage multiple real-time sessions when said user exceeds available communications resources, communicate statistics to said user reflecting their real-time data usage versus total bandwidth, communicate statistics to said user reflecting their session usage of real-time bandwidth, and present one of CODEC and sessions selections to said user for their selection.

30. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said data packets are IEEE standard 802.1AG data packets.

31. The system for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance of claim 16, wherein said data link layer device includes an ITU-T Y.1731 module configured to separately count total data packets and data packets including real-time content.