Multi-panel route monitoring graphical user interface, system and method
First Claim
1. A method for managing a network in which a route from a first point to a second point takes different paths comprising:
- collecting device-level status and performance information from the network;
transforming the device-level status and performance information into path and route information;
computing parameters which characterize the state of each of a plurality of paths on the route; and
displaying the parameters of each of the plurality of paths graphically.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying historical and current performance information for a route in a communications network, the route having several paths between two end points. Performance data from the network is collected and processed to generate route and path performance data. The processed data is stored in a database. The GUI is embodied in a network management device which draws upon information stored in the database. In a preferred embodiment, the GUI displays a route panel showing the structure of the route, a timebar showing the time period for which information is displayed, a paths panel showing information about each path in a tabular format, a selected paths panel showing information about selected paths in a tabular format, and a performance panel showing performance data in a graph.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for managing a network in which a route from a first point to a second point takes different paths comprising:
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collecting device-level status and performance information from the network;
transforming the device-level status and performance information into path and route information;
computing parameters which characterize the state of each of a plurality of paths on the route; and
displaying the parameters of each of the plurality of paths graphically. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
graphically displaying in a route panel, a structure of the plurality of paths comprising the route.
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3. The method of claim 2 wherein the structure of the plurality of paths comprising the route is graphically displayed by displaying graphical representations of the first point and the second point, as well as graphical representations of nodes and links comprising the paths.
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4. The method of claim 3 wherein the graphical displaying in the route panel is done as a function of a selected time, the method further comprising displaying a timebar graphically representing time between a start time/date and an end time/date, the timebar visually communicating the selected time.
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5. The method of claim 4 further comprising displaying on the timebar, network event icons pictorially representing network events and whose location along the timebar visually communicates a time at which the network events were first detected.
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6. The method of claim 4 further comprising displaying in a paths panel, information respecting each of the paths taken by data traveling on the route between the start time/date and the end time/date, in a tabular format.
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7. The method of claim 6 further comprising displaying a performance panel displaying performance characteristics of the route.
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8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying in the performance panel, a horizontal axis, a vertical axis, and data indicia representing performance characteristics of the route.
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9. The method of claim 8 further displaying a horizontal axis parameter indicator, a vertical axis parameter indicator, and a dataset indicator, the data indicia comprising plots of the parameter displayed in the vertical axis parameter indicator, as a function of the parameter displayed in the horizontal axis parameter indicator, for the dataset displayed in the dataset indicator.
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10. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying a selected paths panel, wherein upon selection of a path in either one of the paths panel and the performance panel, information respecting the selected path is displayed in the selected paths panel in a tabular format.
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11. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying a performance panel graphically displaying performance characteristics of the route.
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12. A computer system adapted to implement the method of claim 1.
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13. A graphical user interface adapted to implement the method of claim 1.
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14. A computer readable medium having software stored thereon for instructing a computer to implement the method of claim 1.
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15. A method in a computer system for displaying network management information for a route on a network, the route having a plurality of paths between a first point and a second point, each path being comprised of a plurality of nodes and links, the method comprising:
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determining path and route information from collected device-level status and performance information from a network;
computing parameters which characterize the state of each of a plurality of paths on a route; and
graphically displaying in a route panel, a structure of the plurality of paths comprising the route and the state parameters of each of the plurality of paths as a function of time. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A method in a computer system for displaying network events information for a network, the method comprising:
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determining path and route information from collected device-level status and performance information from a network;
computing parameters which characterize the state of each of a plurality of paths on a route as a function of time;
displaying a timebar graphically representing time between a start time/date and an end time/date;
displaying on the timebar, network event icons pictorially representing network events occurring in the network in connection with the plurality of paths, and whose location along the timebar visually communicates the time at which they are first detected. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68)
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69. A network management system comprising:
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a network management interface device operable to collect device-level status and performance information from a network;
one or more processing devices operable to transform the device-level status and performance information into path and route information and to compute from the path and route information parameters which characterize the state of each of a plurality of paths on a route; and
a graphical user interface for displaying the parameters of each of a plurality of paths graphically.
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Specification