SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING ALARMS BASED ON BURSTING TRAFFIC

• US 20100061261A1
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/74 measures in reaction to resource unavailability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/808 User-type aware

Abstract

A system and method for generating alarms based on traffic bursting. Marked packets are received. A determination is made whether the marked packet conforms with a bandwidth profile. The packet is remarked in response to determining the marked packet does not comply with a CIR threshold and an EIR threshold. An alarm is generated in response to remarking the packet.

Claims

1. A method for generating alarms based on traffic bursting, the method comprising:

receiving a marked packet;

determining whether the marked packet conforms with a bandwidth profile;

remarking the packet in response to determining the marked packet does not comply with a CIR threshold and an EIR threshold; and

generating an alarm in response to remarking the packet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bandwidth profile is specified by an service level agreement.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining is performed by analyzing a marking of the packet.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the packet is marked as green, yellow, or red.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the packets are remarked utilizing the bandwidth profile, thresholds and a previous packet marking.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remarking further comprises:

determining whether the CIR threshold and the EIR threshold are exceeded.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the packets are communicated in response to determining the packets are marked properly.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the type of alarm corresponds to the remarking performed, wherein remarking packets as red results in a critical alarm, remarking packets from green to yellow results in a minor alarm.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

counting a number of packets discarded as each packet is marked as red;

recording network conditions at the time the packets are marked as red, wherein the network conditions include a number of packets discarded, long term and short term CIR and EIR bandwidth measurements.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the bandwidth profile utilizing a maximum port speed minus a number of frames present per time period multiplied by a percentage representing inter-frame gap and non payload bits.

11. The method according to claim 1, where receiving further comprises:

counting all colored frames received during a time period including, green frames, yellow frames, and red frames; and

wherein the determining further comprises;

counting a number of green frames, yellow frames, and comparing a difference between a sending and receiving device, wherein a difference indicates the bandwidth profile was exceeded.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises;

determining whether the offered frames exceeds the bandwidth profile;

wherein the alarm indicates a burst violation has occurred in response to determining the offered frames did not exceed the bandwidth profile.

13. A policer for processing packets, the policer comprising:

a receiver operable to receive frames from a shaper;

a monitor in communication with the receiver, the monitor being operable to determine throughput for the frames including offered, received, and accepted frames;

a packet marker in communication with the policer, the packet marker being operable to determine whether the frames correspond with a bandwidth profile, and remark frames in response to determining the marked frames do not comply with a CIR threshold and an EIR threshold of the bandwidth profile; and

alarm logic in communication with the packet marker, the alarm logic being operable to generate an alarm in response to the policer determining the offered frames exceed the bandwidth profile.

14. The policer according to claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of counters operable to count a number of green frames, yellow frames, and comparing a difference between the shaper and the policer, wherein a difference indicates the bandwidth profile was exceeded.

15. The system according to claim 13, further comprising:

inserting network conditions in the alarm at the time the frames are marked as red, wherein the network conditions include a number of packets discarded, long term and short term CIR and EIR bandwidth measurements.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the packet marker remarks the frames utilizing the bandwidth profile, thresholds and a previous packet marking.

17. A policer comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory for storing the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions are executed to receive frames from a shaper, determine throughput for the frames including offered, received, and accepted frames, determine whether the frames correspond with a bandwidth profile, and remark frames in response to determining the marked frames do not comply with a CIR threshold and an EIR threshold of the bandwidth profile, and generate an alarm in response to determining the offered frames exceed the bandwidth profile.

18. The policer according to claim 17, wherein the set of instructions is further executed to inserting network conditions in the alarm at the time the frames are marked as red, wherein the network conditions include a number of packets discarded, long term and short term CIR and EIR bandwidth measurements.

19. The policer according to claim 17, wherein a type of the alarm corresponds to the remarking performed, wherein remarking packets as red results in a critical alarm, and remarking packets from green to yellow results in a minor alarm.

20. The policer according to claim 17, wherein the alarm indicates a burst violation has occurred in response to determining the offered frames did not exceed the bandwidth profile.