Method and system for computer network link with undefined termination condition

• US 6,324,168 B1
• Filed: 09/22/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vigilant Networks, LLC
• Inventors: Richardson, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HANH N
• Application Number:
  US09/401,674
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/247, 370/248, 370/250-253, 375/224, 375/227, 375/228, 379/1, 379/5, 379/20, 702/79, 702/28, 709/64-67, 709/97, 709/108, 709/118, 340/561, 340/562, 340/566, 340/552
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/11 using pulse reflection methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2201/802 in data transmission systems

Abstract

The location of a termination in a properly terminated LAN can be remotely detected. The cable'"'"'s skin effect produces a detectable signature at the sending-end when a step function, for example, reaches the termination. Accordingly, a network analysis device is connected to the network to inject the step function onto the network cabling. The voltage response of the cabling to this is first digitally sampled and then analyzed in a system controller. The system controller reviews the sampled data for an inflection point and then locates the termination by reference to the delay between when the signal was placed on the cable and the detection of the inflection point.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a network link in a computer network, comprising:

generating a predetermined signal on the network link;

detecting a response of the link to the predetermined signal;

analyzing the response for an influence of a termination of the link, in which the step of analyzing comprises;

applying a short circuit threshold to the response of the link,

applying an open circuit threshold to the response of the link, and

searching the response of the link for a matched terminator;

locating the termination of the link in response to the application of the short circuit threshold, open circuit threshold, and search for the matched terminator, wherein the search for the matched terminator comprises;

calculating at least a first-order differential of the response as a function of delay from the generation of the predetermined signal,

determining where the first-order differential indicates an inflection, and

identifying the inflection as the terminator; and

determining a time delay between the generation of the predetermined signal and the located termination.

2. The method described in claim 1, wherein the step of searching for the response of the matched terminator comprises determining a change in the influence of skin effects on the response resulting from the predetermined signal reaching the terminator.

3. The method described in claim 1, wherein generating the predetermined signal comprises generating a current step function on the network link.

4. The method described in claim 1, wherein the step of searching for the response of the matched terminator comprises detecting an inflection point in induced voltage on the network link.

5. The method described in claim 1, further comprising calculating the length of the network link to the terminator in response to the time delay.

6. The method described in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises low pass filtering the response of the link and then detecting an inflection point in filtered response of the network link.

7. The method described in claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises low pass filtering the response of the link and then applying the thresholds to the filtered response.

8. A network termination analysis device for a digital data network, comprising:

a function generator that injects a predetermined signal onto cabling of the network;

a digitizer that digitally samples the network'"'"'s response to the predetermined signal; and

a system processor that downloads data from the digitizer to analyze the network'"'"'s response to the predetermined signal and identify a time between the generation of the predetermined signal and a change in the network'"'"'s response due to a termination of the network, in which the analysis comprises applying a short circuit threshold to the response, applying an open circuit threshold to the response, and searching the response for a matched terminator, wherein the system processor searches the response for the matched terminator by searching for an inflection point in induced voltage on the network cabling by calculating at least a first-order differential of the response as a function of delay from the generation of the predetermined signal.

9. A device as described in claim 8, wherein the function generator injects a step function.

10. The device described in claim 8, wherein the system processor calculates lengths of the cabling based on the time between the generation of the predetermined signal and a change in the network'"'"'s response exceeding any one of the short or open circuit thresholds or the detection of the matched terminator.

11. The device described in claim 10, further comprising a monitor for displaying at least one of the calculated lengths of the cabling.

12. The device described in claim 11, wherein the display further indicates a maximum protocol-determined length for the cabling.