SHOW OOB AND SPEED NEGOTIATION DATA GRAPHICALLY IN A NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENT

• US 20080189641A1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kotturu, Venkata Rama Mohana Rao, Vedanabhatla, Kiranmai
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers

Abstract

A network diagnostic component that is placed in-line between two nodes in a network. The network diagnostic component receives a low speed signal pattern from the first node for communication with the second node; records the low speed signal pattern in a memory writes one or more markers specifying information about the low speed signal pattern in the memory interprets the one or more markers to ascertain the type and duration of the low speed signal pattern; and displays a graphical representation of the low speed signal pattern based on the interpretation of the one or more markers.

Claims

1. A method for a network diagnostic component that is placed in-line between first and second nodes in a network to graphically display received low speed signal patterns, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a low speed signal pattern from the first node for communication with the second node;

an act of recording the low speed signal pattern in a memory;

an act of writing one or more markers specifying information about the low speed signal pattern in the memory;

an act of interpreting the one or more markers to ascertain the type and duration of the low speed signal pattern; and

an act of displaying a graphical representation of the low speed signal pattern based on the interpretation of the one or more markers.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the graphical representation is displayed as a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation window configured to display a summary view of the recorded low speed signal pattern and the time duration of the recorded low speed signal pattern.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation window configured to display a zoomed view of a subset of the recorded low speed signal pattern that has been selected by a user.

5. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation first window configured to display a summary view of the recorded low speed signal pattern and the time duration of the recorded low speed signal pattern and a second navigation window configured to display a zoomed view of a subset of the recorded low speed signal pattern shown in the first navigation window that has been selected by a user.

6. The method in accordance claim 1, wherein the one or markers mark the start of the low speed signal pattern, the end of the low speed signal pattern, the duration of the low speed signal pattern, or any combination thereof.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the low speed signal pattern comprises an Out-Of-Band (OOB) data sequence and/or a speed negotiation sequence.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the Out-Of-Band (OOB) data sequence and the speed negotiation sequence comprise Data Bursts or DC-Idle.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the network diagnostic component is a SAS/SATA network diagnostic component.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first and second nodes are SAS/SATA nodes.

11. A network diagnostic component placed in-line between first and second nodes in a network comprising:

a first module configured for receiving a low speed signal pattern from the first node for communication with the second node;

a second module configured to record the low speed signal pattern in a memory;

a third module configured to write the one or more markers specifying information about the low speed signal pattern in the memory;

a fourth module configured to interpret the one or more markers to ascertain the type and duration of the low speed signal pattern; and

a fifth module configured to display a graphical representation of the low speed signal pattern based on the interpretation of the one or more markers.

12. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 11, wherein the graphical representation is displayed as a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

13. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 12, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation window configured to display a summary view of the recorded low speed signal pattern and the time duration of the recorded low speed signal pattern.

14. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 12, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation window configured to display a zoomed view of a subset of the recorded low speed signal pattern that has been selected by a user.

15. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 12, wherein the GUI comprises a navigation first window configured to display a summary view of the recorded low speed signal pattern and the time duration of the recorded low speed signal pattern and a second navigation window configured to display a zoomed view of a subset of the recorded low speed signal pattern shown in the first navigation window that has been selected by a user.

16. The network diagnostic component in accordance claim 11, wherein the one or markers mark the start of the low speed signal pattern, the end of the low speed signal pattern, the duration of the low speed signal pattern, or any combination thereof.

17. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 11, wherein the low speed signal pattern comprises an Out-Of-Band (OOB) data sequence and/or a speed negotiation sequence.

18. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a sixth module configured to receive user input specifying a portion of the low speed signal pattern and configured to cause the fourth and fifth modules to find and display the specified portion.

19. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a sixth module configured to receive user input specifying a portion of the low speed signal pattern to be displayed as a zoomed in view or a zoomed out view and configured to cause the specified portion to be displayed in the zoomed in view or a zoomed out view.

20. The network diagnostic component in accordance with claim 11, wherein the first and second nodes are SAS/SATA nodes and the network diagnostic device is a SAS/SATA network component.