METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR VISUALIZING AND ANALYZING A FIELD AREA NETWORK

• US 20140204799A1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perspecta Labs Inc. (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TT Government Solutions, Inc. (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: PIETROWICZ, Stanley, YOUZWAK, Jason, HALUSKA, John, BROMBERGER, Seth
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A method for visualizing and analyzing a field area network, which includes obtaining, network, traffic data that includes atomic communications and packet detail from a packet intercept system on a field area. This field area network includes a number of network nodes. The method also includes a processor extracting connectivity and routing information from the traffic data, where the connectivity and routing information includes packet information and node information, determining network characteristics based on the extracted connectivity and routing information, retaining the network characteristics in a data structure, and importing the data structure into a computer readable storage medium that is accessible to the processor.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing and analyzing a field area network, the method comprising:

obtaining, from a packet intercept system on a field area network, traffic data comprising atomic communications and packet detail, wherein the field area network comprises a plurality of network nodes;

extracting, by a processor, connectivity and routing information from the traffic data, wherein the connectivity and routing information comprises packet information and node information;

determining network characteristics based on the extracted connectivity and routing information;

retaining the network characteristics in a data structure; and

importing the data structure into a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet intercept system is comprised of a plurality of probes interspersed along the field area network, and wherein the plurality of probes intercept one of:

a pre-determined percentage of network traffic by sampling channels in the field area network over a time interval, or all network traffic by sampling channels in the field area network over a time interval.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of probes comprise one or more of:

a probe with a fixed location, a mobile probe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic data from the packet intercept system comprises a physical frame, a link layer, a mesh routing layer, a packet encapsulation layer, and an application layer, and wherein the extracting comprises extracting connectivity and routing information from at least one of the group consisting of:

the physical frame, the link layer, the mesh routing layer, the packet encapsulation layer, and the application layer.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, a portion of the data structure from the computer readable storage medium and generating, by the processor, a visual representation of the field area network viewable on a client communicatively coupled to the processor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the data structure obtained for generating the visual representation is defined by a filter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the packet intercept system is comprised of a plurality of probes interspersed along the field area network, and wherein the filter is configured to select network characteristics associated with the atomic communications and packet detail intercepted by one or more probes of the plurality of probes based on parameters associated with the network characteristics.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of:

a time interval, a start time, a number of packets, a packet source address, a packet destination address, a packet type, a source node device type, a destination node device type, a minimum hop count, a maximum hop count, a geographic position, a radius of inclusion, and a node model type.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the visual representation comprises at least one of a predictive routing map, a node connectivity map, a mesh connectivity map, or a timeline chart.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the visual representation comprises at least one of:

communications flows, traffic characteristics, or predictive time-based visualizations, backoffice network nodes, communication flows between a backoffice and at least one of the plurality of network nodes, a chart comprising a distribution of packets along at least a portion of the field area network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the visual representation comprises a predictive routing map, the method further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, an indication of a new source route comprising a change in next hop information;

determining, by the processor, at least one node of the plurality of nodes affected by the new source route; and

updating the visual representation to reflect the at least one node.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

retaining the filter in the computer readable storage medium.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the packet intercept system is comprised of a plurality of probes interspersed along the field area network, the method further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, terrestrial information related to locations of the plurality of network nodes and the locations of the plurality of probes; and

concurrently displaying the terrestrial information with the visual representation, such that the terrestrial information is superimposed on the visual representation.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the portion of the data structure comprises connectivity and routing information related to packets intercepted during a predefined interval, and the visual representation comprises simulating network traffic during the predefined interval.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic data comprises a physical frame, a link layer, a mesh routing layer, a packet encapsulation layer, and an application layer, and wherein the extracting comprises extracting connectivity and routing information from the physical frame, the link layer, the mesh routing layer, the packet encapsulation layer, and the application layer,

wherein the network characteristics determined based on the physical frame comprise frequency channel, and virtual network ID,

wherein the network characteristics determined based on the link layer provides comprise sources and destination of direct node-to-node communication, type of packet, and timing information regarding future node activity,

wherein the network characteristics determined based on the mesh routing layer comprise information on source routed packets, relaying of packets through one or more nodes to reach a destination within a mesh, and routing information for a next hope for a node,

wherein the network characteristics determined based on the packet encapsulation layer comprise communication between the mesh into backend networks, and

wherein the network characteristics determined based on the application layer comprise information about node configuration, key network server addresses, and events.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information about at least one network node of the plurality of network nodes and storing the information in a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor, wherein the information comprises at least one of;

geographic coordinates, MAC address, or node type.

17. A computer system for visualizing and analyzing a field area network, the computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communications with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method, said method comprising;

obtaining, from a packet intercept system on a field area network, traffic data comprising atomic communications and packet detail, wherein the field area network comprises a plurality of network nodes;

extracting, by a processor, connectivity and routing information from the traffic data, wherein the connectivity and routing information comprises packet information and node information;

determining network characteristics based on the extracted connectivity and routing information;

retaining the network characteristics in a data structure; and

importing the data structure into a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the packet intercept system is comprised of a plurality of probes interspersed along the field area network, and wherein the plurality of probes intercept one of:

a pre-determined percentage of network traffic by sampling channels in the field area network over a time interval, or all network traffic by sampling channels in the field area network over a time interval.

19. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor, a portion of the data structure from the computer readable storage medium and generating, by the processor, a visual representation of the field area network viewable on a client communicatively coupled to the processor.

20. A computer program product for visualizing and analyzing a field area network, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

obtaining, from a packet intercept system on a field area network, traffic data comprising atomic communications and packet detail, wherein the field area network comprises a plurality of network nodes;

extracting, by a processor, connectivity and routing information from the traffic data, wherein the connectivity and routing information comprises packet information and node information;

determining network characteristics based on the extracted connectivity and routing information;

retaining the network characteristics in a data structure;

importing the data structure into a computer readable storage medium accessible to the processor; and

obtaining, by the processor, a portion of the data structure from the computer readable storage medium and generating, by the processor, a visual representation of the field area network viewable on a client communicatively coupled to the processor.