Computer network availability system

• US 5,913,035 A
• Filed: 09/29/1995
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chrysler Corporation (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Chrysler Corporation (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Baker, John D., Hardy, Michael B., Waters, Chris R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/536,596
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.11, 395/200.54
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and apparatus for determining the availability of a computer network includes a computer program which receives outage signals that are representative of outages of network devices and network device interfaces, in the event that a particular device has more than one network interface. Also, the program receives online signals on a periodic basis and based on the online signals, determines the average number of online interface-minutes during a subset of a preselected period. Then, the number of outage minutes is divided by the average number of online interface-minutes and substracted from one, to generate an availability signal which can be output as an indication of network availability during the preselected period.

Claims

1. A computer network system, comprising:

a computer network including a plurality of network devices, each device having one or more interfaces, at least one device having plural interfaces, each interface being characterized during a preselected period by at least one of;

outage periods and online period; and

a computer including;

computer readable code means for receiving signals representative of the online periods and outage periods;

computer readable codes means for generating a device down signal representative of the product of the number of interfaces of a first device and the minutes the first device is unavailable when all interfaces of first device are unavailable;

computer readable code means for generating an interface down signal representative of the number of minutes a first interface in a second device is unavailable;

computer readable code means for generating an online signal representative of interfaces that are online;

computer readable code means for generating a signal representative of network availability during the preselected period based upon the device down signal, interface down signal, and the online signal; and

computer readable code means for determining an average online quotient based on the online periods and the length of the preselected period.

2. The computer network system of claim 1, further comprising:

computer readable code means for determining the sum of the device down signal and interface down signal and generating an outage time signal in response thereto, wherein the availability signal is generated by subtracting from one the ratio of the outage time signal to the average online quotient.

3. A computer-implemented method for performing method steps for generating a signal representative of the availability of a network including a plurality of devices, each device having one or more interfaces, the method steps comprising:

receiving a plurality of outage signals, including at least a first outage signal and a second outage signal, representative of an outage of one or more of the interfaces of the first device;

generating a device down signal representative of the product of the number of interfaces of a first device and the minutes the first device is unavailable when the first outage signal indicates the unavailability of all interfaces of the first device;

generating an interface down signal representative of the number of minutes a first interface in a second device is unavailable, the second outage signal indicates the unavailability of the first interface and the availability of other interfaces of the second device;

receiving online signals representative of interfaces that are online during a preselected period;

generating an availability signal representative of the availability of the network during the preselected period based upon the online signals, the device down signal and the interface down signal;

causing an output device to indicate the availability of the network based upon the availability signal;

determining an average online quotient based on the online signals and the length of the preselected period;

generating a device down signal representative of the product of the number of interfaces of a first device and the minutes the first device is unavailable, when the outage signal indicates the unavailability of all interfaces of the first device;

generating an interface down signal representative of the number of minutes a first interface in a second device is unavailable, when the outage signal indicates the unavailability of the first interface and the availability of other interfaces of the second device; and

determining the sum of the device down signal and interface down signal and generating an outage time signal in response thereto, wherein the availability signal is based upon the outage time signal and the average online quotient.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the availability signal is determined by subtracting from unity the ratio of the outage time signal and the average online quotient.

5. A computer program device comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing system; and

a computer program on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing system for performing method steps for generating a signal representative of the availability of a network including a plurality of devices, each device having one or more interfaces, the method steps comprising;

receiving at least first and second outage signals representative of outages of one or more of the interfaces;

generating a device down signal representative of the product of the number of interfaces of a first device and the minutes the first device is unavailable, when the outage signal indicates the unavailability of all interfaces of the first device;

generating an interface down signal representative of the number of minutes a first interface in a second device is unavailable, when the outage signal indicates the unavailability of the first interface and the availability of other interfaces of the second device;

receiving online signals representative of interfaces that are online during a preselected period;

generating an availability signal representative of the availability of the network during the preselected period based upon the online signals and the interface down and device down signals; and

causing an output device to indicate in human readable form the availability of the network based upon the availability signal.

6. The computer program device of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

determining an average online quotient based on the online signals and the length of the preselected period.

7. The computer program device of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

determining the sum of the device down signal and interface down signal and generating an outage time signal in response thereto, wherein the availability signal is based upon the outage time signal and the average online quotient.

8. The computer program device of claim 7, wherein the availability signal is determined by subtracting from unity the ratio of the outage time signal and the average online quotient.