Traffic track measurements for analysis of network troubles

• US 6,411,681 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tekla PEHR LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Nolting, Thomas A., LaPearl, Richard, Dion, Karen, Gillis, Raymond, Snow, Carol
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/189,082
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/133, 379/134, 379/137, 379/139, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/115, 379/116
• US Class Current: 379/1.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls

Abstract

A monitoring system captures and processes messages from SS7 links, to compile call detail records (CDRs) for all interoffice call attempts. The CDRs are uploaded into a relational database. A data preparation operation utilizes external information to enhance the records for further processing, for example, to translate release cause codes in the records to textual indications of reasons for the releases. The enhanced records are loaded into a multi-dimensional database. The multi-dimensional database software facilitates analysis of the records to identify a variety of network traffic patterns and related troubles. In particular, the processing of the enhanced CDR data can provide a variety of analytical tools and reports, using the release cause codes. For example, the analysis can indicate the number of calls to a destination that did not get through and identify by major categories the principle reasons that calls did not go through, e.g. user busy, no trunk available, etc. The analysis also can identify the element that generated the cause of the release code. For example, if there were no trunk available through a particular tandem, as indicated by the release code, the CDRs and analytical report would identify the tandem.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

capturing a plurality of management data messages generated by a telecommunication network during processing of each of a plurality of calls through the telecommunication network, wherein at least one of the management data messages generated during the processing of each of the calls specifies a release cause;

compiling a detailed record of each of the calls from the captured management data messages, each record including a specified release cause; and

processing the specified release causes in the detailed records, to form aggregate data, wherein said processing step comprises identifying the detailed records having release causes that are indicative of troubles encountered in processing call traffic through the telecommunication network, and segregating the identified detailed records by release cause to distinguish trouble call traffic patterns.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of capturing comprises trapping signaling messages exchanged between offices of the telecommunication network.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the signaling messages comprise common channel interoffice signaling messages.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein one of the offices of the telecommunication network comprises an office of a first carrier'"'"'s network and another of the offices comprises an office of a second carrier'"'"'s network.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the first carrier'"'"'s network comprises a local exchange carrier'"'"'s network.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of processing further comprises:

loading the detailed records into a table in a database; and

processing the detailed records in the database table to form the aggregate data.

19. A method as in claim 1, wherein the telecommunication network comprises at least a portion of the public switching telephone network.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

capturing a plurality of management data messages generated by a telecommunication network during processing of each of a plurality of calls through the telecommunication network, wherein at least one of the management data messages generated during the processing of each of the calls specifies a release cause;

compiling a detailed record of each of the calls from the captured management data messages, each record including a specified release cause; and

processing the specified release causes in the detailed records to form aggregate data indicative of troubles encountered in processing of patterns of call traffic through the telecommunication network;

wherein the step of processing comprises;

loading the detailed records into a table in a database; and

processing the detailed records in the database table to form the aggregate data; and

wherein the step of processing the detailed records in the database table to form the aggregate data comprises;

enhancing the detail records in the database table;

loading the enhanced detail records into an on-line analytical processing system; and

running a pre-defined study application in the on-line analytical processing system to present specified analytical study results based on the enhanced detail records.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the step of enhancing comprises translating at least one item of information from the detail records in the database table into descriptive information using external reference data.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein:

the at least one item of information comprises a code representing the specified release cause, and

the descriptive information identifies a release cause corresponding to the code.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein the step of enhancing comprises spreading usage data contained in the detail records in the database table of calls extending over a plurality of predetermined intervals into bins associated with the predetermined intervals.

11. A method as in claim 8, wherein the step of enhancing comprises compiling a predefined summary table from data in the detail records in the database table.

12. A method as in claim 8, wherein:

the database comprises a relational database; and

the on-line analytical processing system comprises a multi-dimensional database.

13. A method comprising the steps of:

capturing a plurality of management data messages generated by a telecommunication network during processing of each of a plurality of calls through the telecommunication network, wherein at least one of the management data messages generated during processing of each call specifies a release cause and a location of the release cause;

compiling a detailed record of each of the calls from the captured management data messages, each record including a specified release cause and the location of the specified release cause; and

processing the specified release causes and locations in the detailed records, to form aggregate data, wherein said processing step comprises identifying the detailed records having release causes that are indicative of troubles encountered in processing call traffic through the telecommunication network and the locations of release causes, and segregating the identified detailed records by release cause to distinguish trouble call traffic patterns.

14. A method as in claim 13, where in the at least one of the management data messages generated during processing of each call comprises a location code specify ing a location relevant to the release cause.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the location code comprises a signaling point code of an office of the telecommunication network involved in call processing.

16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the location code comprises at least a portion of a telephone number associated with a party to a call processed by the telecommunication network.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein the location code comprises a release cause location code specified by a protocol for interoffice signaling used in the telecommunication network.

18. A method as in claim 14, further comprising the step of translating the location code into descriptive information identifying location in the telecommunication network.

20. A system comprising:

a monitoring system, for association with a switched telecommunication network, for monitoring management data messages communicated during processing of calls by the switched telecommunication network, wherein at least one of the management data messages generated during the processing of each of the calls specifics a release cause;

a processor for compiling detailed records of processed calls from the monitored messages;

a database for storing the detailed records in a table; and

an on-line processing system for aggregating data from the database table, said on-line processing system comprising a structure for identifying the detailed records having release causes that are indicative of troubles encountered in processing call traffic through the telecommunication network, and segregating the identified detailed records by release cause to distinguish trouble call traffic patterns.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein:

the database comprises a relational database; and

the on-line processing system comprises a multi-dimensional database.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein:

the on-line processing system further comprises a study application running on the multi-dimensional database, for aggregating data indicative of a predetermined characteristic of the call traffic processed in the telecommunication network; and

the study application facilitates presentation of statistics regarding the troubles based on the specified release causes.

23. A system as in claim 20, wherein the monitoring system comprises monitors coupled to interoffice signaling links between telephone switching offices of the network.

24. A system as in claim 23, wherein the monitor capture signaling system 7 protocol messages.

25. A method of analyzing troubles encountered by call traffic processed through a telephone network, the method comprising:

monitoring interoffice signaling messages communicated between offices of the telephone network during processing of each of a plurality of calls through the offices, wherein at least one of the messages communicated during the processing of each of the calls comprises a release cause code;

compiling detailed records for a predetermined set of calls processed through the telephone network from the monitored messages, each of a plurality of the detailed records including a release cause code specifying a reason that the telephone network did not complete a call;

translating the release cause codes into corresponding descriptions of release causes to form a plurality of enhanced detailed records; and

processing the release cause codes in the plurality of enhanced detailed records, to form aggregate data indicative of troubles preventing the telephone network from completing calls.

26. A method of analyzing troubles encountered by call traffic processed through a telephone network, the method comprising:

monitoring interoffice signaling messages communicated between offices of the telephone network during processing of each of a plurality of calls through the offices, wherein at least one of the messages communicated during the processing of each of the calls comprises a release cause code;

compiling detailed records for a predetermined set of calls processed through the telephone network from the monitored messages, each of a plurality of the detailed records including a release cause code specifying a reason that the telephone network did not complete a call;

processing the release cause codes in the plurality of detailed records, to form aggregate data indicative of troubles preventing the telephone network from completing calls; and

translating at least one item of information in each of the plurality of call detail records into an identifier of a telephone switching office generating a release code.