Representing and Searching Network Multicast Trees

• US 20110134918A1
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Cox, Brice, Field, Brian E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for receiving data from each of a plurality of components in a network, the components being arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, the data from each of the components indicating a structure of a portion of the network and at least one attribute associated with the respective component. The disclosure further provides for determining, based on the data, a structure of at least some of the multicast trees, receiving search criteria, and determining which of the multicast trees meet the search criteria.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of components in a network, the components being arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, the data from the plurality of components indicating a structure of at least a portion of the network and attributes associated with the components;

receiving search criteria; and

determining, based on the data, which of the plurality of multicast trees meet the search criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the attributes is an attribute chosen from the following attributes:

a data rate as measured at one of the components, an error rate as measured at one of the components, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the search criteria specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a packet rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular one or more of the attributes associated with a particular one or more of the components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular quantitative difference between attributes associated with different ones of the components.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises comparing at least a portion of the search criteria with one or more of the attributes and comparing at least another portion of the search criteria with information not represented by any of the attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining, based on the data, a structure of at least some of the plurality of multicast trees, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular path structure, and wherein said determining which of the plurality of multicast trees meets the search criteria comprises determining which of the plurality of multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data from each of the components represents a local view of the structure of the network from a point of view of the respective component, and wherein determining the structure of at least some of the multicast trees comprises combining the local views.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

determining, based on a plurality of data messages, a structure of a plurality of multicast trees in a network that comprises a plurality of components, the data messages indicating attributes associated with the components of the network; and

determining which of the multicast trees meet search criteria, based on the determined structure.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the attributes is an attribute chosen from the following attributes:

a data rate as measured at one of the components, an error rate as measured at one of the components, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the search criteria specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a packet rate.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular one or more of the attributes associated with a particular one or more of the components.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular quantitative difference between attributes associated with different ones of the components.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein determining comprises comparing at least a portion of the search criteria with one or more of the attributes and comparing at least another portion of the search criteria with information not represented by any of the attributes.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular path structure, and wherein said determining which of the multicast trees meets the search criteria comprises determining which of the multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.

14. A system, comprising:

a computer configured to receive a plurality of data messages from a network, the network comprising a plurality of components arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, each of the data messages indicating a structure of at least a portion of the network and at least one attribute associated with at least one of the components of the network; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, upon execution, are configured to cause the computer to;

store, in the non-transitory computer-readable medium, a logical representation of a structure of the at least some of the multicast trees, and

determine which of the multicast trees meet search criteria, based on the attributes and the stored logical representation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the attributes is an attribute chosen from the following attributes:

a data rate as measured at one of the components, an error rate as measured at one of the components, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the search criteria specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a packet rate.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular one or more of the attributes associated with a particular one or more of the components.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular quantitative difference between attributes associated with different ones of the components.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein determining comprises comparing at least a portion of the search criteria with one or more of the attributes and comparing at least another portion of the search criteria with information not represented by any of the attributes.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprises a memory.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the search criteria specifies a particular path structure, and wherein said determining which of the multicast trees meets the search criteria comprises determining which of the multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.