System and method for restricting access to network performance information tables

• US 20080052784A1
• 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: Bugenhagen, Michael K., Wiley, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

A system and method for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network. A request may be received from a user to access network performance information associated with communications of data packets over a packet network. A determination as to whether the user has permission to access the network performance information may be made. In response to determining that the user has permission to access the network performance information, the user may be enabled to access the network performance information; otherwise, the user may be prevented from accessing the network performance information. The network performance information may include information associated with communications of data packets including real-time content and non-real-time content.

Claims

1. A method for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network, said method comprising:

receiving a request from a user to access network performance information associated with communications of data packets over a packet network;

determining whether the user has permission to access the network performance information; and

in response to determining that the user has permission to access the network performance information, enabling the user to access the network performance information,

otherwise, preventing the user from accessing the network performance information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining includes:

determining network segments to which the user has access;

accessing network performance information associated with the network segments; and

presenting the network performance information associated with the network segments to which the user has access.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining includes determining a user type of the user.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein enabling the user to access the network performance information includes enabling the user to access a table containing the network performance information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining whether the user has permission to access the network includes:

determining a level of a user; and

determining if the level of the user enables the user to have access to the network performance information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the request from the user includes receiving the request at a central location on the packet network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving a request from a user to access the network performance information includes receiving a request to access network performance information associated with communications of data packets including real-time content.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a second user to access the network performance information;

determining whether the second user has permission to access network performance information;

in response to determining that the second user has permission to access the network performance information, enabling the second user to access the network performance information;

otherwise, preventing the second user from accessing the network performance information.

9. A system for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network, said system comprising:

a storage unit configured to store network performance information associated with communications of data packets over a packet network;

an input/output (I/O) unit configured to communicate with the packet network;

a processing unit in communication with said storage unit and said I/O unit, said processing unit configured to;

receive a request from a user to access network performance information associated with communications of data packets over a packet network;

determine whether the user has permission to access the network performance information; and

enable the user to access the network performance information in response to determining that the user has permission to access the network performance information,

prevent the user from accessing the network performance information if the user does not have permission to access the network performance information.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit, in determining whether the user has permission to access the network performance information, is further configured to:

determine network segments to which the user has access;

access network performance information associated with the network segments; and

present the network performance information associated with the network segments to which the user has access.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit, in determining whether the user has permission to access the network performance information, is further configured to determine a user type of the user.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit, in enabling the user to access the network performance information, is further configured to enable the user to access a table stored in said processing unit containing the network performance information.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit, in determining whether the user has permission to access the network, is further configured to:

determine a level of a user; and

determine if the level of the user enables the user to have access to the network performance information.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit is operating at a central location on the packet network.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the network performance information stored in said processing unit includes information associated with communications of data packets including real-time content, and wherein said processing unit, in receiving a request from a user to access the network performance information, is configured to receive a request to access the network performance information associated with communications of data packets including real-time content.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit is further configured to:

receive a request from a second user to access the network performance information;

determine whether the second user has permission to access network performance information;

enable the second user to access the network performance information in response to a determination that the second user has permission to access the network performance information;

prevent the second user from accessing the network performance information if the second user does not have permission to access the network performance information.

17. A method for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network, said method comprising:

receiving network performance information being communicated over a packet network in a data packet;

storing the network performance information at a network node that receives the data packet;

determining if an operator of the network node has permission to access the network performance information from other network nodes; and

if the operator has permission to access the network performance information, enabling the operator of the network node to access the network performance information.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein determining if the operator of the network node has permission includes:

determining a level of a user attempting to access the network performance information received in the data packet from other nodes; and

enabling the user to access the network performance information if the level is the same or higher than a predetermined level predetermined to enable a user to access the network performance information.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein further comprising:

receiving a request from another network node to access the network performance information; and

determining whether the request is from a network operator or network node operator.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein if the operator has permission to access the network performance information from other nodes, determining which network performance information the operator has permission to access.

21. A system for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network, said method comprising:

a network node in communication with a packet network;

a storage unit in communication with said network node and configured to store network performance information;

said network node configured to receive network performance information being communicated over the packet network in a data packet and store the network performance information in said storage unit, said network node further configured to determine if an operator of the network node has permission to access the network performance information from other network nodes and, if the operator has permission to access the network performance information, enable the operator of the network node to access the network performance information.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein said network node, in determining if the operator of the network node has permission to access the network performance information is further configured to:

determine a level of a user attempting to access the network performance information received in the data packet from other nodes; and

enable the user to access the network performance information if the level of the user is the same or higher than a predetermined level established to enable a user to access the network performance information.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein said network node is further configured to:

receive a request from another network node to access the network performance information; and

determine whether the request is from a network operator or network node operator.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein if the operator has permission to access the network performance information from other nodes, said network node is further configured to determine which network performance information the operator has permission to access.