PACKET SNIFFER NODE AND SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME TO ASSESS WIRELESS COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE

• US 20080151762A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Rentel, Carlos H., Pereira, Luis R., Armstrong, Brian S. R., Das, Sujit R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,697,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A wireless system includes a plurality of wireless nodes structured to participate in a system test of the wireless nodes. The system test includes a plurality of test packets. A packet sniffer node includes a wireless receiver, a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of the test packets by the wireless nodes, and a processor cooperating with the wireless receiver and the memory to receive at least some of the test packets responsive to the schedule, and to output data corresponding to the received test packets of the system test. A monitoring computer receives the output data from the processor of the packet sniffer node. Operation of the packet sniffer node, which does not transmit, does interfere with or alter execution of the system test.

Claims

1. A packet sniffer comprising:

a wireless radio structured to receive but not to transmit;

a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of a plurality of test packets by a plurality of wireless nodes; and

a processor cooperating with said wireless radio and said memory to receive at least some of said test packets responsive to said schedule.

2. The packet sniffer of claim 1 wherein said processor is structured to determine whether some of said wireless nodes are synchronized with another one of said wireless nodes.

3. The packet sniffer of claim 1 wherein each of said test packets includes a number of bits for each of some of said wireless nodes, said number of bits indicating whether said each of some of said wireless nodes has received one of said test packets from a corresponding one of said wireless nodes in a predetermined interval;

and wherein said processor is structured to output a plurality of bits for each of said wireless nodes in order to indicate whether each of said wireless nodes has received at least some of said test packets.

4. The packet sniffer of claim 1 wherein said processor comprises an output including an output data stream structured to be input by a monitoring computer.

5. The packet sniffer of claim 1 wherein said wireless radio is a transceiver including a receiver and a transmitter;

and wherein said processor enables said receiver and disables said transmitter.

6. The packet sniffer of claim 1 wherein said schedule includes a plurality of entries;

wherein each of said entries controls transmission of a corresponding test packet of said test packets;

wherein each of said entries includes an identification of one of said wireless nodes that will transmit the corresponding test packet; and

wherein none of said entries indicates said packet sniffer.

7. A wireless system comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes structured to participate in a system test of said wireless nodes, said system test including a plurality of test packets;

a packet sniffer node comprising;

a wireless receiver,

a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of said test packets by said wireless nodes, and

a processor cooperating with said wireless receiver and said memory to receive at least some of said test packets responsive to said schedule, and to output data corresponding to said received at least some of said test packets of said system test; and

a monitoring mechanism structured to receive the output data from the processor of said packet sniffer node,

wherein operation of said packet sniffer node does interfere with or alter execution of said system test.

8. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein each of said wireless nodes comprises a corresponding schedule defining transmission and reception of said test packets by said each of said wireless nodes;

wherein one of said wireless nodes cooperates with the other ones of said wireless nodes to synchronize each of said other ones of said wireless nodes to the corresponding schedule; and

wherein said packet sniffer node is structured to monitor whether said other ones of said wireless nodes are synchronized.

9. The wireless system of claim 8 wherein each of said wireless nodes comprises a Sync Rank value indicating whether a corresponding one of said other ones of said wireless nodes was directly synchronized by said one of said wireless nodes or by another one of said other ones of said wireless nodes;

and wherein said monitoring mechanism comprises a status display screen including at least one of;

the Sync Rank value of each of said wireless nodes, and a history indicating whether each of said wireless nodes has received one of the test packets from each of the other ones of said wireless nodes in a predetermined interval.

10. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein each of said wireless nodes comprises a battery having a status;

and wherein said processor is structured to monitor the status of the battery of said each of said wireless nodes.

11. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein said processor is structured to determine whether one of said wireless nodes is receiving at least some of said test packets.

12. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein said monitoring mechanism comprises a number of display screens.

13. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein said monitoring mechanism comprises a status display screen showing a packet success rate for each pair of said wireless nodes.

14. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein when each of said wireless nodes transmits one of said test packets, said one of said test packets includes a number of bits for each of the other ones of said wireless nodes in said system test, said number of bits indicating whether said each of said wireless nodes has received one of said test packets from a corresponding one of said each of the other ones of said wireless nodes in a predetermined interval.

15. The wireless system of claim 7 wherein said monitoring mechanism comprises a ring buffer including a plurality of records, said ring buffer being continuously filled with said output data from said packet sniffer node at one of the records pointed to by a first pointer;

and wherein a second pointer and a third pointer define some of said records corresponding to an interval of interest, said some of said records being available for display by said monitoring mechanism.

16. A wireless system comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes structured to participate in a system test of said wireless nodes, said system test including a plurality of test packets;

a packet sniffer node comprising;

a wireless receiver,

a memory storing a schedule defining transmission and reception of said test packets by said wireless nodes, and

a processor cooperating with said wireless receiver and said memory to receive at least some of said test packets responsive to said schedule, and to output data corresponding to said received at least some of said test packets of said system test;

a data network cooperating with said packet sniffer node to send said output data to a remote location; and

a remote monitoring mechanism structured to receive the output data from the processor of said packet sniffer node through said data network,

wherein operation of said packet sniffer node does interfere with or alter execution of said system test.

17. The wireless system of claim 16 wherein said data network comprises a wireless cellular modem.

18. The wireless system of claim 16 wherein said remote monitoring mechanism comprises a database;

wherein said test packets include a plurality of bytes;

wherein said output data is the bytes of said test packets; and

wherein the bytes of said test packets are sent to said database by said data network.

19. The wireless system of claim 16 wherein said processor is structured to prepare summary information from said received at least some of said test packets of said system test;

wherein said remote monitoring mechanism comprises a monitor;

wherein said output data is said summary information; and

wherein said summary information is sent to the monitor of said remote monitoring mechanism by said data network.