SYSTEM, TOOL AND METHOD FOR NETWORK MONITORING AND CORRESPONDING NETWORK

• US 20090086649A1
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Van Der Burg, Johannes Cornelis, Scheers, Harry Wilhelmus
• Application Number:
  US12/245,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086649A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2254 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A system, method and tool for monitoring switching events in a network with at least two nodes, and a corresponding network, the system, method and tool including means for representing the events originated from different nodes as data in a uniform format, and means for counting the occurrence of events in a node of the network wherein switching events being represented as the same data are counted as the same event.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring switching events in a network, wherein the network comprises a first mobile switching centre (MSC), a first mobile communication device and a second mobile communication device, wherein the first MSC defines a plurality of switching events associated with calls between the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device, the method comprising:

defining, in the first MSC, a subset of the plurality of switching events, wherein each switching event in the plurality of switching events influences subscriber perception of network quality;

setting a counter in the first MSC for each event in the subset of switching events;

the first mobile communication device calling a phone number of the second mobile communication device via the first MSC, thereby generating a first series of switching events in the first MSC; and

in the counters in the first MSC, counting events from the first series of switching events, thereby collecting data values that represent subscriber perception of network quality.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at a switching centre management system (SCMS) coupled to the first MSC, retrieving the collected data values from the first MSC; and

at the SCMS, storing the collected data values in a traffic database file.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

defining, in a second MSC, the subset of switching events;

setting a counter in the second MSC for each of the subset of switching events;

a third mobile communication device calling a phone number of a fourth mobile communication device via the second MSC, thereby generating a second series of switching events in the second MSC;

in the counters set in the second MSC, counting events from the second series of switching events, thereby collecting data values that represent subscriber perception of network quality;

at the SCMS, wherein the SCMS is coupled to the second MSC, retrieving the collected data values from the second MSC; and

at the SCMS, storing the collected data values in the traffic database file.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising

the SCMS combines (i) the collected data value from the first MSC for a given switching event of the subset of switching events and (ii) the collected data value from the second MSC for the given switching event, into an aggregate collected data value;

and

the SCMS stores the aggregate collected data value in the traffic database file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining one or more switching events of the subset of switching events corresponding to a traffic destination, thereby representing subscriber perception of network quality associated with the traffic destination.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining one or more switching events of the subset of switching events as a class of switching events, thereby representing subscriber perception of network quality associated with the class of switching events.

7. A method for detecting malfunctions in a network comprising:

maintaining a threshold number of switching events for a given class of switching events;

collecting switching events from a plurality of nodes in the network, wherein each switching event is of the given class;

counting the collected switching events, thereby determining a number of occurrences of switching events of the given class;

determining that the number of occurrences of switching events of the given class is out of range in comparison to the threshold number of switching events for the given class;

storing the number of occurrences of switching events of the given class in an alert database file;

generating, from the alert database file, an output alert file;

transmitting the output alert file to at least one information management system; and

the at least one information management system displaying an indication of the contents of the output alert file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the given class of switching events comprises a switching event related to a traffic destination.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic destination is geographical location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic destination is a network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic destination is a network service.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the given class of switching events comprises a switching event related to a signaling event.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the given class of switching events comprises a switching event related to a processor loading.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the given class of switching events comprises a switching event related to a route through the network.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein collecting switching events is performed at a regular interval.

16. A method for monitoring switching events in a network, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of classified switching events from one or more mobile switching centers (MSCs), wherein the plurality of classified switching events relate to the establishment of a communication session between a first device and a second device;

accumulating the received plurality of classified switching events in at least one event counter in the form of a value;

reading the value of the at least one event counter;

storing the read value of the at least one event counter in a database file;

comparing the stored value in the database file with at least one threshold value to determine if the stored value in the database file is within a normal operating range;

upon determining that the stored value is not within the normal operating range, writing the stored value to an output alert file; and

transmitting the output alert file.

17. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

receiving the output alert file at an information management system; and

the information management system displaying information from the output alert file.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the displayed information comprises a geographical map showing locations of the MSCs.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information management systems are wireless Internet devices.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of classified switching events also relate to subscriber perception of network quality.