System and method for monitoring and optimizing network performance with vector performance tables and engines

• US 20080049775A1
• 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., Coppage, Carl M., Ray, Amar N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/149 for prediction of maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• 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 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables including a network element including an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate data packets with at least one other network element on the packet network the data packets including network performance information; a processing unit configured to receive the data packets from the at least one other network element; and a memory in communication with the processing unit and configured to store a vector performance table including a compilation of the network performance information contained in the data packets, the processor configured to process the data packets to store the network performance information in the vector performance table. A method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables is also included.

Claims

1. A network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables comprising:

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate data packets with at least one other network element on said packet network, said data packets including network performance information;

a processing unit configured to receive said data packets from said at least one other network element; and

a memory in communication with said processing unit and configured to store a vector performance table including a compilation of said network performance information contained in said data packets, said processor configured to process said data packets to store said network performance information in said vector performance table.

2. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said vector performance tables include bins for storing one of delay values, jitter data, packet loss, line number, time stamp, latency, time intervals, levels of access, link number, real-time bandwidth usage, total bandwidth usage, and operator identifiers.

3. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said bins are ITU-T Y.1731 bins

4. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said vector performance tables store said network performance data in a chronologically relevant order.

5. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said data packets flow is one of full-duplex, bi-directional, and unidirectional.

6. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said vector performance tables store network performance information from one of physical layer devices, data link layer devices, network layer devices, transport layer devices, session layer devices, presentation layer devices, and application layer devices of said packet network.

7. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said vector performance tables are transmitted to inter-operator packet network devices.

8. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said network element is further configured to:

responsive to said network performance information in said vector performance table, route said data packets to a second network element to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

9. The network element for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network with vector performance tables of claim 1 wherein said network element is configured to:

responsive to said network performance information in said vector performance table, pre-establish a link between said first network element and a second network element to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

10. A vector performance correlation engine comprising:

at least one input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate vector performance tables from at least one network element;

a processing unit configured to receive said data packets from said at least one other network element; and

a memory in communication with said processing unit and configured to store a vector performance table including a compilation of said network performance information contained in said data packets, said processor configured to process said data packets to store said network performance information in said vector performance table.

11. The vector performance correlation engine of claim 10 wherein said vector performance tables are communicated via one of in-band and out-of-band communication links between said vector performance correlation engine and said at least one network elements.

12. The vector performance correlation engine of claim 10 wherein said at least one network element is configured to:

transmit said vector performance table to said vector performance correlation engine based on an event.

13. The vector performance correlation engine of claim 10 wherein said vector performance correlation engine polls said vector performance correlation engines from said at least one network elements.

14. The vector performance correlation engine of claim 10 wherein said vector performance correlation engine is configured to:

responsive to said network performance information in said vector performance table, pre-establish a link between said at least one network elements to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

15. The vector performance correlation engine of claim 10 wherein said vector performance correlation engine is further configured to:

responsive to said network performance information in said vector performance table, route said data packets to one of said at least one network elements to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

16. A method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network comprising:

communicating data packets to at least one network element, said data packets containing network performance information;

processing said data packets to provide said network performance information contained in said data packets; and

storing said vector performance table including compilation of said network performance information contained in said data packets.

17. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 16 wherein said storing vector performance table further comprises:

storing network performance information from one of physical layer devices, data link layer devices, network layer devices, transport layer devices, session layer devices, presentation layer devices, and application layer devices of said packet network.

18. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 16 further comprising:

routing said data packets to one of said at least one network elements to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

19. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 16 further comprising:

pre-establishing a link between said first network element and a second network element to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

20. A method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network comprising:

communicating vector performance tables from to at least one network element to a vector performance correlation engine, said vector performance tables containing network performance information;

storing said vector performance tables including compilation of network performance information contained in said data packets; and

performing a network function to optimize said packet network based on said vector performance tables.

21. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 20 wherein said storing vector performance tables further comprises:

storing network performance information from one of physical layer devices, data link layer devices, network layer devices, transport layer devices, session layer devices, presentation layer devices, and application layer devices of said packet network.

22. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 20 wherein said performing a network function includes routing said data packets to one of said at least one network elements to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

23. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 20 wherein said performing a network function includes pre-establishing a link between said first network element and a second network element to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

24. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 20 further comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface indicia to a user depicting the status of said packet network based on said vector performance tables.

25. The method for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 20 further comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface indicia to a user depicting the status of said packet network based on said vector performance tables.

26. A system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network comprising:

means for communicating vector performance tables from to at least one network element to a vector performance correlation engine, said vector performance tables containing network performance information;

means for storing said vector performance tables including compilation of network performance information contained in said data packets; and

means for performing a network function to optimize said packet network based on said vector performance tables.

27. The system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 26 wherein said means for storing vector performance tables further comprises:

means for storing network performance information from one of physical layer devices, data link layer devices, network layer devices, transport layer devices, session layer devices, presentation layer devices, and application layer devices of said packet network.

28. The system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 26 wherein said means for performing a network function includes routing said data packets to one of said at least one network elements to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

29. The system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 26 wherein said means for performing a network function includes pre-establishing a link between said first network element and a second network element to avoid historical traffic congestion events.

30. The system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 26 further comprising:

means for displaying a graphical user interface indicia to a user depicting the status of said packet network based on said vector performance tables.

31. The system for monitoring and optimizing performance on a packet network of claim 26 further comprising:

means for displaying a graphical user interface indicia to a user depicting the status of said packet network based on said vector performance tables.