Remote Multimedia Monitoring with Embedded Metrics

• US 20080284909A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smethurst, Adrian C., Keohane, Michael F., Clark, James A.
• Application Number:
  US11/749,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20080284909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• 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 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a copy of a multimedia flow from a point along the path of the multimedia flow through a communication network of nodes, receiving metric information associated with the multimedia flow from one or more probes coupled to the flow path and combining the copy of the multimedia flow and at least a portion of the metric information to provide a combined signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a copy of a multimedia flow from a point along the path of the multimedia flow through a communication network of nodes;

receiving metric information associated with the multimedia flow from one or more probes coupled to the flow path; and

combining the copy of the multimedia flow and at least a portion of the metric information to provide a combined signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending the combined signal to one or more endpoints.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein combining comprises encoding the metric information as a closed caption signal and inserting the closed caption signal with the multimedia flow.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein combining comprises encoding the metric information as a text-to-audio stream and inserting the text-to-audio stream as an audio program with the multimedia flow.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein combining comprises encoding the metric information as a scrolling message signal and inserting the scrolling message signal with the multimedia flow.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the scrolling message signal is inserted as an element in an elementary program stream of the multimedia flow.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the scrolling message signal is inserted as an overlay graphic to a program stream of the multimedia flow.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein combining comprises encoding the metric information as a picture-in-picture signal and inserting the picture-in-picture signal with the multimedia flow.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the metric information comprises any of diagnostic information, network configuration information, video measurement information and data measurement information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a copy of the multimedia flow comprises opening a connection to a node along the path of the multimedia flow and pulling the copy of the multimedia flow into the connection.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving metric information associated with the multimedia flow comprises querying the one or more probes using simple network management protocol and receiving the metric information from the one or more probes in response to querying.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving metric information associated with the multimedia flow comprises using simple network management protocol trap messages to receive the metric information from the one or more probes.

13. An entity in a communication network of nodes, the entity comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a copy of a multimedia flow from a point along the path of a multimedia flow through the network of nodes and to receive metric information associated with the multimedia flow from one or more probes coupled to the flow path; and

processing circuitry configured to combine the copy of the multimedia flow and at least a portion of the metric information to provide a combined signal.

14. The entity of claim 13 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to send the combined signal to one or more endpoints.

15. The entity of claim 13 further comprising an encoder for encoding the metric information as a closed caption signal and inserting the closed caption signal with the multimedia flow.

16. The entity of claim 13 further comprising an encoder for encoding the metric information as a text-to-audio stream and inserting the text-to-audio stream as an audio program with the multimedia flow.

17. The entity of claim 13 further comprising an encoder for encoding the metric information as a scrolling message signal and inserting the scrolling message signal with the multimedia flow.

18. The entity of claim 17 wherein the scrolling message signal is inserted as an element in an elementary program stream of the multimedia flow.

19. The entity of claim 17 wherein the scrolling message signal is inserted as an overlay graphic to a program stream of the multimedia flow.

20. The entity of claim 13 further comprising an encoder for encoding the metric information as a picture-in-picture signal and inserting the picture-in-picture signal with the multimedia flow.

21. The entity of claim 13 wherein the metric information comprises any of diagnostic information, network configuration information, video measurement information and data measurement information.

22. The entity of claim 13 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to open a connection to a node along the path of the multimedia flow and pull the copy of the multimedia flow into the connection.

23. The entity of claim 13 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to query the one or more probes using simple network management protocol and receive the metric information from the one or more probes in response to querying.

24. The entity of claim 13 wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to use simple network management protocol trap messages to receive the metric information from the one or more probes.