METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND INSTANTLY IDENTIFYING FAULTS IN DATA COMMUNICATION CABLES

• US 20090063674A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dawson, Christopher James, Brillhart, David Clark, Kendzierski, Michael David
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72

Abstract

A method and an associated system for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable are disclosed. A fault monitoring program learns a reference data traffic pattern communicated through the data communication cable by reading inputs from a sensor. The reference data traffic pattern is stored and is used for determining normalcy of data traffic through the data communication cable. The fault monitoring program monitors for a fault in a data traffic, and, if a fault is detected, activates a fault indicator sending out fault signals to notify users of the fault. If the fault is not recovered within a predefined recovery period, the fault monitoring program deactivates the fault indicator and shuts down a power source for later use of the data communication cable.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable within a computer network comprising a cable medium, a cable insulation, and a fault monitoring system, wherein the fault monitoring system comprises a sensor, a fault monitoring program, a reference data traffic pattern storage, a fault indicator, and a power source, the method comprising:

establishing a reference data traffic pattern by storing data signals into the reference data traffic pattern storage for a predefined sampling period, wherein data signals are input from the sensor;

monitoring for a fault in a data traffic communicated through the cable medium;

activating the fault indicator to notify users that the fault has been detected in response to said monitoring;

checking for a recovery of the data traffic subsequent to said activating for a predefined recovery period; and

iteratively looping back to said monitoring, said activating, and said checking,

wherein said establishing, said monitoring, said activating, said checking and said iterative looping are performed by the fault monitoring program that runs on a computer system,

wherein the sensor of the fault monitoring system transmits data signals communicated through the cable medium to the fault monitoring program,

wherein the fault indicator emits audio, visual, or data signals outside of the cable insulation only when the fault indicator is activated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined sampling period is functionally determined to a time value long enough to identify normalcy of communication through the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

3. The method of claim 1, said monitoring comprising:

acquiring the data traffic by reading data signals from the sensor;

comparing the data traffic from said acquiring with the reference data traffic pattern stored in the reference data traffic pattern storage;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

determining that the fault has been detected in response to said ascertaining.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined tolerance is functionally determined to a data rate value that demonstrates normalcy of the data traffic relative to a data traffic rate of the reference data traffic pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined recovery period is functionally determined to a time period that is long enough to notify users of the fault and that is short enough to save the power source for a later user of the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

6. The method of claim 1, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic does not deviate from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining.

7. The method of claim 1, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance;

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining;

resetting the reference data traffic pattern in response to said ascertaining;

terminating said iterative looping in response to said ascertaining; and

turning off the power source of the fault monitoring system in response to said ascertaining, subsequent to said deactivating, said resetting, and said terminating.

8. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code containing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system implement a method for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable within a computer network comprising a cable medium, a cable insulation, and a fault monitoring system, wherein the fault monitoring system comprises a sensor, a fault monitoring program, a reference data traffic pattern storage, a fault indicator, and a power source, the method comprising:

establishing a reference data traffic pattern by storing data signals into the reference data traffic pattern storage for a predefined sampling period, wherein data signals are input from the sensor;

monitoring for a fault in a data traffic communicated through the cable medium;

activating the fault indicator to notify users that the fault has been detected in response to said monitoring;

checking for a recovery of the data traffic subsequent to said activating for a predefined recovery period; and

iteratively looping back to said monitoring, said activating, and said checking,

wherein said establishing, said monitoring, said activating, said checking and said iterative looping are performed by the fault monitoring program that runs on a computer system,

wherein the sensor of the fault monitoring system transmits data signals communicated through the cable medium to the fault monitoring program,

wherein the fault indicator emits audio, visual, or data signals outside of the cable insulation only when the fault indicator is activated.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the predefined sampling period is functionally determined to a time value long enough to identify normalcy of communication through the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, said monitoring comprising:

acquiring the data traffic by reading data signals from the sensor;

comparing the data traffic from said acquiring with the reference data traffic pattern stored in the reference data traffic pattern storage;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

determining that the fault has been detected in response to said ascertaining.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the predefined tolerance is functionally determined to a data rate value that demonstrates normalcy of the data traffic relative to a data traffic rate of the reference data traffic pattern.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the predefined recovery period is functionally determined to a time period that is long enough to notify users of the fault and that is short enough to save the power source for a later user of the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic does not deviate from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance;

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining;

resetting the reference data traffic pattern in response to said ascertaining;

terminating said iterative looping in response to said ascertaining; and

turning off the power source of the fault monitoring system in response to said ascertaining, subsequent to said deactivating, said resetting, and said terminating.

15. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable within a computer network comprising a cable medium, a cable insulation, and a fault monitoring system, wherein the fault monitoring system comprises a sensor, a fault monitoring program, a reference data traffic pattern storage, a fault indicator, and a power source, the method comprising:

establishing a reference data traffic pattern by storing data signals into the reference data traffic pattern storage for a predefined sampling period, wherein data signals are input from the sensor;

monitoring for a fault in a data traffic communicated through the cable medium;

activating the fault indicator to notify users that the fault has been detected in response to said monitoring;

checking for a recovery of the data traffic subsequent to said activating for a predefined recovery period; and

iteratively looping back to said monitoring, said activating, and said checking,

wherein said establishing, said monitoring, said activating, said checking and said iterative looping are performed by the fault monitoring program that runs on a computer system,

wherein the sensor of the fault monitoring system transmits data signals communicated through the cable medium to the fault monitoring program,

wherein the fault indicator emits audio, visual, or data signals outside of the cable insulation only when the fault indicator is activated.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the predefined sampling period is functionally determined to a time value long enough to identify normalcy of communication through the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

17. The computer system of claim 15, said monitoring comprising:

acquiring the data traffic by reading data signals from the sensor;

comparing the data traffic from said acquiring with the reference data traffic pattern stored in the reference data traffic pattern storage;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

determining that the fault has been detected in response to said ascertaining.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the predefined tolerance is functionally determined to a data rate value that demonstrates normalcy of the data traffic relative to a data traffic rate of the reference data traffic pattern.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the predefined recovery period is functionally determined to a time period that is long enough to notify users of the fault and that is short enough to save the power source for a later user of the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

20. The computer system of claim 15, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic does not deviate from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining.

21. The computer system of claim 15, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance;

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining;

resetting the reference data traffic pattern in response to said ascertaining;

terminating said iterative looping in response to said ascertaining; and

turning off the power source of the fault monitoring system in response to said ascertaining, subsequent to said deactivating, said resetting, and said terminating.

22. A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable within a computer network comprising a cable medium, a cable insulation, and a fault monitoring system, wherein the fault monitoring system comprises a sensor, a fault monitoring program, a reference data traffic pattern storage, a fault indicator, and a power source, the method comprising:

establishing a reference data traffic pattern by storing data signals into the reference data traffic pattern storage for a predefined sampling period, wherein data signals are input from the sensor;

monitoring for a fault in a data traffic communicated through the cable medium;

activating the fault indicator to notify users that the fault has been detected in response to said monitoring;

checking for a recovery of the data traffic subsequent to said activating for a predefined recovery period; and

iteratively looping back to said monitoring, said activating, and said checking,

wherein said establishing, said monitoring, said activating, said checking and said iterative looping are performed by the fault monitoring program that runs on a computer system,

wherein the sensor of the fault monitoring system transmits data signals communicated through the cable medium to the fault monitoring program,

wherein the fault indicator emits audio, visual, or data signals outside of the cable insulation only when the fault indicator is activated.

23. The process of claim 22, wherein the predefined sampling period is functionally determined to a time value long enough to identify normalcy of communication through the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

24. The process of claim 22, said monitoring comprising:

acquiring the data traffic by reading data signals from the sensor;

comparing the data traffic from said acquiring with the reference data traffic pattern stored in the reference data traffic pattern storage;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

determining that the fault has been detected in response to said ascertaining.

25. The process of claim 24, wherein the predefined tolerance is functionally determined to a data rate value that demonstrates normalcy of the data traffic relative to a data traffic rate of the reference data traffic pattern.

26. The process of claim 22, wherein the predefined recovery period is functionally determined to a time period that is long enough to notify users of the fault and that is short enough to save the power source for a later user of the data communication cable, pursuant to characteristics of the computer network.

27. The process of claim 22, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic does not deviate from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance; and

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining.

28. The process of claim 22, said checking comprising:

comparing the data traffic to the reference data traffic pattern for a predefined sampling period during or after the predefined recovery period;

after said comparing, ascertaining that the data traffic deviates from the reference data traffic pattern by more than a predefined tolerance;

deactivating the fault indicator in response to said ascertaining;

resetting the reference data traffic pattern in response to said ascertaining;

terminating said iterative looping in response to said ascertaining; and

turning off the power source of the fault monitoring system in response to said ascertaining, subsequent to said deactivating, said resetting, and said terminating.