SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF PROTOCOL-LAYER INFORMATION

• US 20080144618A1
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Frishberg, Leo David
• Granted Patent: US 8,085,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A method of displaying protocol-specific data includes receiving data, extracting protocol-specific information from the data, converting protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation, and presenting the symbolic representation. A dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

A test and measurement instrument for displaying data includes an acquisition system configured to receive an input signal, a processor coupled to the acquisition system and configured to generate a symbolic representation of protocol-specific information within the input signal, and a user interface coupled to the processor and configured to present the symbolic representation. A dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

Claims

1. A method of displaying protocol-specific data, comprising:

receiving data;

extracting protocol-specific information from the data;

converting protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation; and

presenting the symbolic representation;

wherein a dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

2. The method for claim 1, wherein each protocol layer is represented by a different distance along the dimension.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising for a packet in the protocol specific information:

creating a packet symbol for the packet, the packet symbol having a distance in a second dimension according to a length of the packet.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising for the packet:

creating the packet symbol having a distance in the dimension differentiating protocol layers, the distance corresponding to a highest protocol layer in the packet.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the distance represents a length from a start of the packet to a start of a related packet.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for a packet in the protocol specific information:

identifying protocol layer specific portions of the packet;

for each protocol layer specific portion, creating a symbol having a distance along the dimension, the distance corresponding to the associated protocol layer; and

arranging the symbols into a packet symbol.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information; and

arranging the packet symbols in the symbolic representation along an axis representing time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

offsetting packet symbols for related packets from packet symbols for unrelated packets.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information;

arranging packet symbols associated with a first direction of a link along a first side of an axis; and

arranging packet symbols associated with a second direction of the link along a second side of the axis.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reducing a distance along a time axis in the symbolic representation corresponding to interstitial data of the protocol specific information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reducing a first distance along a time axis in the symbolic representation corresponding to interstitial data in a first direction of a link and a second distance along the time axis in the symbolic representation corresponding to interstitial data in a second direction of the link where the first distance overlaps the second distance.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information; and

aligning packet symbols associated with a first link with packet symbols associated with a second link such that substantially similar times represented in both packet symbols of the first link and packet symbols of the second link correspond to a same point along an axis in the symbolic representation.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a packet; and

aligning symbols such that a common point along an axis between a plurality of links corresponds to substantially the same time in response to the selection.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting only symbols in the symbolic representation corresponding to a subset of all protocol layers of the protocol-specific information.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

annotating symbols of the symbolic representation with layer-specific information.

17. The test and measurement instrument of claim 13, further comprising:

a symbol manipulation interface configured to adjust the symbolic representation in response to a user input.

18. The test and measurement instrument of claim 13, further comprising:

a zoom interface configured to adjust a second dimension of the symbolic representation in response to a user input.

19. The test and measurement instrument of claim 13, further comprising:

a compression interface configured to adjust distances representing interstitial data of the protocol-specific information in response to a user input.

20. The test and measurement instrument of claim 13, further comprising:

an alignment interface configured to align packet symbols of the symbolic representation along an axis in response to a user input.

22. The test and measurement instrument of claim 18, further comprising:

means for identifying protocol layer specific portions of a packet in the protocol specific information;

means for creating a symbol for each protocol layer specific portion, a distance corresponding to the associated protocol layer; and

means for arranging the symbols into a packet symbol.

23. The test and measurement instrument of claim 18, further comprising:

means for creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information;

means for arranging packet symbols associated with a first direction of a link along a first side of an axis; and

means for arranging packet symbols associated with a second direction of the link along a second side of the axis.

24. The test and measurement instrument of claim 18, further comprising:

means for reducing a distance representing interstitial data of the protocol specific information.

16. A test and measurement instrument for displaying data, comprising:

an acquisition system configured to receive an input signal;

a processor coupled to the acquisition system and configured to generate a symbolic representation of protocol-specific information within the input signal; and

a user interface coupled to the processor and configured to present the symbolic representation;

wherein a dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

21. A test and measurement instrument for displaying protocol-specific data, comprising:

means for receiving data;

means for extracting protocol-specific information from the data;

means for converting protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation; and

means for presenting the symbolic representation;

wherein a dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

25. A display layout for displaying data on a test and measurement instrument, comprising:

a plurality of packet symbols, each packet symbol corresponding to a packet in the data and including at least one symbol having a dimension representing a protocol layer of the packet; and

an axis along which the packet symbols are sequentially arranged.

26. The display layout of claim 25, each packet symbol comprising:

at least one symbol, each symbol having a distance along the dimension representing a protocol layer corresponding to a portion of the associated packet.

27. The display layout of claim 25, wherein the packet symbols are referred to first packet symbols, the display layout further comprising:

a plurality of second packet symbols, each second packet symbol corresponding to a packet in the data and including at least one symbol having a dimension representing a protocol layer of the packet;

wherein the second packet symbols are sequentially arranged along the axis on an opposite side of the axis from the first packet symbols.

28. The display layout of claim 25, each packet symbol comprising:

at least one symbol, each symbol having a length in a direction substantially parallel to the axis corresponding to a length of an associated portion of the associated packet.