WIRELESS NETWORK FACILITATOR AND MONITOR

• US 20090319642A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rover, Jeremy, Sistla, Amber, Keddy, Asha
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Techniques are presented for facilitating and monitoring wireless network connections. Clients and intermediate nodes are configured to interact with one another via network connections. Initially, the clients wirelessly connect to a select one of the intermediate nodes. Tests may be periodically issued to the clients and to the intermediate nodes to measure and track performance and quality of the network connections. Billing records may also be recorded and billing policies verified for client activities occurring during the network connections.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a network node having;

a plug-and-play module adapted to processing on the network node;

a device configuration module adapted to process on the network node; and

tests adapted to reside in memory or storage associated with the network node;

wherein the plug-and-play module is adapted to interact with the device configuration module to configure a client device and one or more intermediate nodes to interact with one another in network transactions, and wherein the plug-and-play module is further adapted to acquire and to selectively submit a number of the tests to the client device and to the one or more intermediate nodes, and wherein the client device initially wirelessly connects to a select one of the intermediate nodes to establish the network transactions; and

a network interface device adapted to communicate the network node with a network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network node further includes a network sniffer adapted to monitor the network transactions between the client device and the one or more intermediate nodes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network node further includes a traffic generator adapted to interact with the plug-and-play module to generate the tests on the client device and the one or more intermediate nodes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the network node further includes network tools adapted to collect and analyze metrics generated with the network transactions occurring between the client device and the one or more intermediate nodes.

5. A system, comprising:

a network node having;

a plug-and-play module adapted to processing on the network node;

a device configuration module adapted to process on the network node; and

tests adapted to reside in memory or storage associated with the network node;

wherein the plug-an-play module is adapted to interact with the device configuration module to configure a client device and one or more intermediate nodes to interact with one another in network transactions, and wherein the plug-an-play module is further adapted to acquire and to selectively submit a number of the tests to the client device and to the one or more intermediate nodes and wherein the client device initially wirelessly connects to a select one of the intermediate nodes to establish the network transactions;

a network interface device adapted to communicate the node with a network; and

a printer adapted to print metrics generated by traffic that occurs between the client device and the one of more intermediate nodes.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the network node further includes, a plurality of network protocol mappings residing in the memory of the storage of the network node and adapted to identify supported protocols for the client device and each of the one or more intermediate nodes.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the network node further includes a billing monitor adapted to process within the network node and further adapted to enforce billing policies for traffic associated with the client device and the one or more intermediate nodes.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the client device is at least one of a phone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, and an intelligent appliance.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a device plugin adapted to be executed on a device of a network;

wherein the device plugin is adapted to configure a client device and one or more intermediate nodes to interact with one another in network transactions, and wherein the device plugin is further adapted to acquire and to selectively submit a number of the tests to the client device and to the one or more intermediate nodes and wherein the client device initially wirelessly connects to a select one of the intermediate nodes to establish the network transactions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is further adapted to monitor and collect billing records generated by each of the intermediate nodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to track metrics generated and maintained by each of the intermediate nodes.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device plugin is adapted to collect log files from each of the intermediate nodes where the metrics are maintained by each of the intermediate nodes.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to periodically submit the test to track performance of each of the intermediate nodes in handling the network transactions.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the device plugin is adapted to score the performance of each of the intermediate nodes in response to the handing the network transactions.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to define a recordation policy communicated to each of the intermediate nodes, the recordation policy defining types of information that each of the intermediate nodes is to capture and report back on to the device plugin.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to define at least one test provided to the intermediate nodes as a bandwidth performance test.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to define at least one test provided to the intermediate nodes as end-to-end authentication performance testing.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to define at least one test provided to the intermediate nodes as a data quality metric test.

19. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to provide the tests to each of the intermediate nodes in response to a detected event raised to the device plugin.

20. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device plugin is adapted to provide one of the tests as a billing record test that passes a billing record through the intermediate nodes to a billing service.