Silent Probes in a Communication Network

• US 20100094995A1
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Entropic Communications, LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Entropic Communications Incorporated (Maxlinear Incorporated)
• Inventors: BARR, David
• Application Number:
  US12/579,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20100094995A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A system, device and process to enable a “silent probe” on a network to facilitate network analysis by nodes within a network. A network node requests the silent probe. During the silent probe, all nodes remain silent so that all nodes can listen, hear, and/or analyze the spectrum of the communications medium.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

scheduling a silent probe as a time and duration in which network nodes may not transmit; and

communicating the schedule to all nodes on the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving analysis reports from network nodes, the reports having been compiled during the silent probe and containing analysis of the communication medium.

3. The method of claim 1, further wherein the scheduling of the silent probe is done in response to a request from at least one network node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule specifies the duration of the silent probe as a number of symbols.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule for the silent probe is communicated in a MAP Message.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the analysis reports contain information attained by performing spectral analysis during the silent probe.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

logging the analysis reports on to a computer readable storage medium.

8. A network coordinator, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request for a silent probe from a node on a network;

a processor coupled to the receiver, the processor configured to schedule the silent probe at a time and duration, during which the nodes may not transmit; and

a transmitter, coupled to the processor, configured to broadcast to all nodes on the network the schedule for the silent probe.

9. The network coordinator of claim 8, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive analysis reports about a communication medium, such reports being compiled from measurement made during the silent probe from at least one network node.

10. The network coordinator of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the network during the silent probe.

11. The network coordinator of claim 8, wherein the schedule for the silent probe specifies the duration of the silent probe as a number of symbols.

12. The network node of claim 8, wherein the schedule for the silent probe is included within a MAP message.

13. The network coordinator of claim 10, wherein the analysis is a spectral analysis.

14. The network node of claim 9, further comprising:

a computer readable storage medium, coupled to the processor, configured to log the analysis reports.

15. A computer readable storage medium encoded with data and instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to:

receive from a node on a network, a request for a silent probe;

schedule the silent probe at a start time and duration during which network nodes coupled to the device over the network may not transmit data; and

communicate to all nodes on the network the schedule for the silent probe.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, when executed by the device further causes the device to:

receive analysis reports about the silent probe from at least one network node.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the schedule for the silent probe specifies the duration of the silent probe as a number of symbols.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the schedule for the silent probe is included in a MAP message.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 which, when the data and instructions are executed by the device, further causes the device to:

analyze the network during the silent probe.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the analysis of the network is a spectral analysis.