Multiple Protocol Session Record Mapper

• US 20140080447A1
• Filed: 09/18/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetScout Systems Texas, LLC (NetScout Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Janakiraman, Vignesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A mapper for use in processing messages captured from a telecommunications network is disclosed. In one embodiment, one or more LTE messages are received from a LTE network, and one or more CDMA messages are received from a CDMA network. An LTE/CDMA mapper entry associated with the LTE and CDMA messages is identified. The LTE/CDMA mapper is associated with UE that is capable of operating on both the LTE and CDMA networks. The LTE and CDMA messages are processed using the LTE/CDMA mapper. The processing of the LTE and CDMA messages may comprise extracting parameters from the LTE or CDMA messages and storing the parameters to the LTE/CDMA mapper. The content in the LTE or CDMA messages may be deciphered using authentication parameters stored in the LTE/CDMA mapper. A generic client library may be used, for example, to access the LTE/CDMA mapper.

Claims

1. A method for associating information relevant to user equipment (UE) in an overlapping CDMA/LTE network having multiple protocols so that an external monitoring system using a plurality of monitoring probes can access and process data from the overlapping CDMA/LTE network, the method comprising:

receiving from the external monitoring system, one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) messages from a LTE network, wherein the LTE messages are from a first monitoring probe coupled to the LTE network;

receiving from the external monitoring system, one or more Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) messages from a CDMA network, wherein the CDMA messages are from a second monitoring probe coupled to the CDMA network;

identifying a LTE/CDMA mapper associated with the LTE and CDMA messages, wherein the LTE/CDMA mapper is associated with a user equipment (UE) that is capable of operating on both the LTE and CDMA networks;

processing, at the external monitoring system, the LTE and CDMA messages using the LTE/CDMA mapper, wherein the LTE/CDMA mapper includes a generic database using a key-value scheme for associating together all information relevant to a session for a particular UE based on the LTE messages and the CDMA messages from the first and second monitoring probes even if no single data field is carried by all the messages by selecting a first key based upon a first parameter of the LTE messages, selecting a second key based upon a second parameter of the CDMA messages, storing the first and second keys with associated data for each LTE and CDMA message in the generic database; and

associating all of the information related to a session for the UE based upon the first and second keys.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the LTE and CDMA messages further comprises:

extracting parameters from the LTE or CDMA messages; and

storing the parameters to the LTE/CDMA mapper.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the LTE and CDMA messages further comprises:

deciphering content in the LTE or CDMA messages using authentication parameters stored in the LTE/CDMA mapper.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that no LTE/CDMA mapping information is available in a local cache; and

retrieving an LTE/CDMA mapping information associated with the LTE and CDMA messages from a central database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

serializing a data value and indexing with a key at a plurality of clients; and

sending from the clients the key-value to the LTE/CDMA mapper, wherein the serializing is performed differently according to a network type.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a generic client library to access the LTE/CDMA mapper.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more evolved High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD) messages from an eHRPD network; and

using the LTE/CDMA mapper to process the eHRPD messages.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. A monitoring probe system, comprising:

an all-G multiple protocol mapper having a generic database storing a generic client library for providing an interface to the all-G multiple protocol mapper, wherein;

the generic database is configured to store UE data using a key-value storage without pre-defining an index, a size or a structure of the data so that any parameter can be selected as an index key that is stored with other information as values of the data; and

the generic client library receives a definition of structure data, serializes the UE data, selects a parameter used in a network protocol as the index key, indexes the UE data with the index key selected, and stores a pair consisting of the index key and associated UE data in the generic database; and

a plurality of monitoring probes, each monitoring probe including;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to cause the monitoring probe to;

receive messages from a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network;

communicate with the all-G multiple protocol mapper, wherein the all-G multiple protocol mapper is associated with the LTE and CDMA messages, and wherein the all-G multiple protocol mapper is associated with a user equipment (UE) that is capable of operating on both the LTE and CDMA networks; and

process the LTE and CDMA messages using the all-G multiple protocol mapper so that all information relevant to a particular UE session is identified in the generic database.

10. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the monitoring probe to:

extract parameters from the LTE or CDMA messages; and

storing the parameters to the LTE/CDMA mapper.

11. The monitoring probe system of claim 10, wherein processing the LTE and CDMA messages further comprises:

deciphering content in the LTE or CDMA messages using authentication parameters stored in the LTE/CDMA mapper.

12. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the monitoring probe to:

determine that no LTE/CDMA mapping information is available in a local cache; and

retrieve an LTE/CDMA mapping information associated with the LTE and CDMA messages from a central database.

14. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the monitoring probe to:

serialize a data value and indexing with a key; and

store the key-value to the LTE/CDMA mapper.

15. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, the program instructions executable by the processor to cause the monitoring probe to:

use a generic client library to access the LTE/CDMA mapper.

16. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, wherein identifying a LTE/CDMA mapper associated with the LTE and CDMA messages further comprises:

retrieving an LTE/CDMA mapper created by another monitoring probe from a central database.

23. The monitoring probe system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of monitoring probes are provided by different service providers.

13. (canceled)

18. A method for correlating information related to an unique session that is collected from different types of network interfaces by different monitoring probes, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a mapper to identify which UE and session record is associated with captured messages, wherein the mapper has a generic database and a generic client library that provides an interface to the mapper, and the mapper uses key-value storage without pre-defining an index, size or structure of data to be stored;

receiving at the mapper a first and second plurality of key-value pairs from clients, wherein the first key-value pairs include first structured data that is serialized and indexed with a key by the respective clients, the second key-value pairs include second structured data that is serialized and indexed with a key by the respective clients, and the first structured data is structured differently than the second structured data; and

storing in the generic database at least a portion of the first and second key-value pairs with the same key as related to the unique session.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of determining a data structure at each client and running source code at each client to read the associated key-value pairs from storage at the mapper.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the generic database is configured to store the key-value pairs without pre-defining an index, a size or a structure of the data so that any parameter can be selected as the key; and

the generic client library receives a definition of structure data, serializes UE data, selects a parameter used in a network protocol as the key, and indexes the UE data with the key selected.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of using a temporary identifier (GUTI) in messages to associate messages with a session record by mapping the GUTI to a mobile subscriber identity;

and filtering the messages using the mobile subscriber identity.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of mapping a CDMA international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) to an LTE IMSI and filtering CDMA and LTE messages based upon the CDMA IMSI to receive results of the CDMA and LTE messages for a session record.