ZONE-BASED NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS

• US 20120239796A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Narasappa, Sumanth
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/03 by updating link state protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/033 by updating distance vector protocols

Abstract

Network discovery is performed to detect routers and to collect discovery data from them. The discovery data is analyzed to identify zones, i.e., autonomous routing domains and subdomain areas. Network traffic is monitored at border router ports to obtain zone traffic data. The zone traffic data is analyzed to evaluate per-zone or inter-zone traffic parameters.

Claims

1. A process comprising:

performing discovery on a network to detect and collect discovery data from routers;

a computer analyzing discovery data to identify zones including autonomous routing domains and subdomain areas;

monitoring traffic at border router ports to obtain zone traffic data; and

said computer analyzing said zone traffic data to evaluate per-zone or inter-zone traffic parameters.

2. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said discovery involves identifying protocols used by said routers.

3. A process as recited in claim 2 wherein said protocols include at least one routing protocol selected from a set consisting of an OSPF protocol and an IS-IS protocol, said zones including subdomain areas defined by the selected routing protocol.

4. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said analyzing discovery data involves distinguishing internal routers internal to an area, border routers arranged for inter-area communications, and border routers arranged for communications between routing domains.

5. A process as recited in claim 4 wherein said border routers employ an eBGP routing protocol.

6. A network management system comprising:

a network manager configured to collect discovery data from network nodes including routers;

a zone modeler configured to analyze said discovery data to identify zones including routing domains and subdomain areas; and

a zone traffic analyzer configured to analyze zone traffic data between said zones to evaluate per-zone or inter-zone traffic parameters.

7. A network management system as recited in claim 6 wherein said discovery data includes data indicating routing protocols enabled at ports of said routers.

8. A network management system as recited in claim 7 wherein said zone modeler is configured to identify those of said router ports that are border ports, said border router ports including routing-domain border ports and subdomain area border router ports of said routers.

9. A network management system as recited in claim 8 wherein said network manager is configured to configure said border router ports to monitor traffic flow therethrough.

10. A network management system as recited in claim 7 wherein said network manager is configured to identify router ports having at least one enabled routing protocol selected from a set consisting of OSPF and IS-IS.

11. A system comprising computer-readable storage media encoded with code configured to, when executed by a processor:

perform network discovery so as to detect routers and the routing protocols enabled at each of router'"'"'s network interface ports; and

analyze results of said network discovery to identify zones, said zones including routing domains and subdomain areas.

12. A system as recited in claim 11 further comprising said processor.

13. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said subdomain areas are defined by router ports enabled for at least one routing protocol selected from a set consisting of OSPF and IS-IS.

14. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said routing domains are defined by routing ports enabled for an eBGP routing protocol.

15. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said code is further configured to, when executed by said processor,

selectively set up traffic monitoring at area bounder and routing domain border router ports to so that zone traffic data can be captured;

and

analyze said zone traffic data to evaluate per-zone or inter-zone traffic parameters.