Service quality monitoring process

• US 6,510,463 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Sunder, Singam, Farhat, Jay, Rozenfeld, Alla
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/732,800
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A method and apparatus for remote network connection service quality monitoring are disclosed. A connection with a network connection point is established. The network connection performance data is collected and upon successful connection transmitted to a server via a network. A priority list of a plurality of network connection points is modified based on the collected network connection performance data.

Claims

1. A method including:

at a client, establishing a network connection via a first network connection point, the first network connection point being selected by the client according to a first priority list of a plurality of network connection points, wherein the first priority list is utilized by the client to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points;

at the server, receiving network connection performance data related to the network connection;

at a server, modifying a second priority list of the plurality of network connection points based on the network connection performance data; and

at the server, downloading the modified second priority list of the plurality of network connection points to the client to update the first priority list of the plurality of network connection points, utilizing the modified second priority list,

wherein the modifying of the second priority list of the plurality of network connection points at the server further includes assigning a higher priority level, within the modified second priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network connection performance data is received at the server from the client via a network and includes performance records relating to multiple network connection points of the plurality of network connection points.

3. The method of claim 1 including establishing multiple network connections via a single connection point and wherein the network connection performance data is received at the server from multiple clients via a network.

4. The method of claim 1 further including, at the client, collecting the network connection performance data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of network connection points comprise a plurality of point-of-presence gateways (POPs).

6. The method of claim 1 including, at the client, establishing a further connection via a second network connection point, the second network connection being selected by the client according to the first priority list of the plurality of network connection points when the first network connection point is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the collecting of the network connection performance data further includes storing the network connection performance data in at least one file.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the at least one file is stored at the client.

9. The method of claim 1 further includes transmitting the network connection performance data from the client to the server via a network upon an establishment of the network connection.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the network connection performance data indicates an error at an access device of a user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the error at the access device includes at least one of a group including a user error, a software error and a hardware error.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the network connection performance data indicates a network error.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the network error comprises a network media error.

14. The method of claim 1 further including storing the modified second priority list of the plurality of network connection points on a Web site.

15. The method of claim 1 including normalizing the network connection performance data to facilitate the modification of the second priority list of the plurality of network connection points.

16. The method of claim 1 including processing the network connection performance data to facilitate the modification of the second priority list of the plurality of network connection points.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the processing of the network connection performance data includes aggregating the network connection performance data.

18. A method including:

establishing a network connection via a first network connection point, the first network connection point being selected according to a priority list of a plurality of network connection points, wherein the priority list is utilized to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points;

collecting network connection performance data;

modifying the priority list of the plurality of network connection points based on the collected network connection performance data; and

communicating the modified priority list of the plurality of network connection points to a client;

wherein the modifying of the priority list of the plurality of network connection points further includes assigning a higher priority level, within the priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the network connection performance data indicates an error at an access device of a user.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the error at the access device includes at least one of a group including a user error, a software error and a hardware error.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the network connection performance data indicates a network error.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the network error comprises a network media error.

23. The method of claim 18 including establishing a further connection via a second network connection point selected from the priority list of the plurality of network connection points when the first network connection point is unavailable.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the modifying of the priority list of the plurality of network connection points includes normalizing the network connection performance data.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the network connection performance data indicates a network error.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the network error comprises a network media error.

27. A method including:

at a client, establishing a network connection via a first network connection point, the first network connection point being selected by the client according to a priority list of a plurality of network connection points, wherein the priority list is utilized by the client to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points;

at the client, collecting network connection performance data;

at the client, transmitting the network connection performance data to a server via a network; and

at the client, receiving a modified priority list of the plurality of network connection points, the modified priority list to update the priority list of the plurality of network connection points and having been generated utilizing the network connection performance data.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the network connection performance data indicates an error at an access device of a user.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the error at the access device includes at least one of a group including a user error, a software error and a hardware error.

30. The method of claim 27 including, at the client, establishing a further connection via a second network connection point according to the priority list of the plurality of network connection points when the first network connection point is unavailable.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the transmitting of the network connection performance data to the server via the network further includes transmitting the network performance data upon an establishment of the network connection.

32. A method including:

at a server, receiving network connection performance data via a network;

at the server, modifying a priority list of a plurality of network connection points based on the received network connection performance data; and

at the server, downloading the modified priority list of the plurality of network connection points to a client to update a local priority list of the plurality of network connection points, stored at the client, utilizing the modified priority list,

wherein the priority list is utilized to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points, and wherein the modifying of the priority list of the plurality of network connection points further includes assigning a higher priority level, within the modified priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the network connection performance data is received from a plurality of clients.

34. The method of claim 32 including normalizing the network connection performance data.

35. The method of claim 32 including processing the network connection performance data.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the processing of the network connection performance data includes aggregating the network connection performance data.

37. A system comprising:

a network;

a server machine; and

a client machine, coupled to the server machine via the network, to establish a network connection via a first network connection point according to a first priority list of a plurality of network connection points, to collect network connection performance data, and to transmit the network connection performance data to the server machine via the network,

wherein the server machine is to modify a second priority list of the plurality of network connection points based on the collected network connection performance data,

wherein the server machine is to download the modified second priority list of the plurality of network connection points to the client machine, and the client machine is to update the first priority list of the plurality of network connection points, utilizing the modified second priority list,

wherein the first priority list is utilized by the client machine to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points, and

wherein the modifying of the second priority list of the plurality of network connection points by the server machine further includes assigning a higher priority level, within the modified second priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the client machine is to establish a further connection via a second network connection point according to the priority list of the plurality of network connection points when the first network connection point is unavailable.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the network connection performance data indicates an error at an access device of a user.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the error at the access device includes at least one of a group including a user error, a software error and a hardware error.

41. The system of claim 37 wherein the network connection performance data indicates a network error.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the network error comprises a network media error.

43. An apparatus including:

means for receiving network connection performance data related to the establishment of a network connection;

means for modifying a priority list of the plurality of network connection points based on the network connection performance data; and

means for downloading the modified priority list of the plurality of network connection points to a client to update a local priority list of the plurality of network connection points, stored at the client, utilizing the modified priority list,

wherein the local priority list is utilized to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points and wherein the modifying of the priority list of the plurality of network connection points further includes assigning a higher priority level, within the modified priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.

44. A system including:

a network; and

a server machine, coupled to the network, to receive network connection performance data via the network, to modify a priority list of a plurality of network connection points based on the received network connection performance data, and to download the modified priority list, of the plurality of network connection points, to a client to update a local priority list, of the plurality of network connection points, stored at the client utilizing the modified priority list,

wherein the modified priority list is utilized by the client to identify and prioritize the plurality of network connection points and wherein the server is to modify the priority list of the plurality of network connection points by assigning a higher priority level, within the modified priority list, to a better performing network connection point than is assigned to a poor performing network connection point.