System and method of analyzing network protocols

• US 6,819,655 B1
• Filed: 11/09/1998
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Applied Digital Access, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Gregson, J. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/188,923
• Time in Patent Office: 2,199 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/242, 370/241, 370/248, 370/465-467, 370/400, 370/401, 370/352, 370/395, 370/392, 370/362, 370/522, 370/539, 370/469, 370/463, 370/357, 709/203, 709/218, 709/223, 709/249, 709/220, 709/230, 717/11, 714/27
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A method and system for analyzing a public switched communications network from a remote place via the public Internet. The system comprises an access device which collects data from one or more links in a public switched communications network. The system further includes a server computer which receives the collected data from the access device via a dedicated network or the Internet. The server computer executes one or more applications to perform protocol analysis based on the received data. A client computer executing a Web browser may be used to communicate with the server computer via the Internet and access the outcome of the protocol analysis.

Claims

1. A system for analyzing a first communications network, the system comprising:

a device collecting data from the first network;

a server computer in data communication with the device via a second communications network, wherein the server computer executes an application to analyze data protocol; and

a client computer configured for communicating with the server computer over the second communications network.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first communications network comprises a public switched telephone network.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second communications network comprises the Internet.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a test access unit having a server-compatible access module.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the server computer comprises a web server which analyzes the data collected from the network under examination.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the server computer communicates the analyzed data to the client computer for evaluation.

7. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the server computer analyzes a logical layer and physical layer of the first communications network to determine the source of a malfunction in the first communications network.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the device allows non-intrusive access to the first communications network.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the server computer instructs the device to perform at least one of monitoring, non-intrusive testing, intrusive testing, traffic-injection, and protocol analysis of the first communications network conforming to at least one of a frame relay, ATM, TCP/IP, ISDN, and FDDI protocols.

10. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the client computer is located remotely to the server computer.

11. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the client computer comprises a computer having a web browser which communicates with the server computer via the Internet.

12. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the server computer includes a list of user profiles which is consulted for restricting access to the first communications network.

13. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the device provides access to the first communications network in-line.

14. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the device provides access to the first communications network via a test access point.

15. A system for analyzing a public switched communications network, the system comprising:

an access device collecting data from the public switched communications network;

a server computer receiving the collected data from the access device via the Internet, and executing at least one application to perform protocol analysis based on the received data; and

a client computer executing a Web browser to communicate with the server computer via the Internet and access the outcome of the protocol analysis.

16. A method of analyzing a first communications network, the method comprising:

collecting data from at least one link in the first communications network;

accessing the collected data via a second communications network;

performing a protocol analysis of the accessed data using a server computer; and

communicating the outcome of the protocol analysis to a client computer via the second communications network.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of collecting data includes accessing the first communications network via a test access point.

18. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of collecting data includes accessing the first communications network in-line.

19. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of performing a protocol analysis includes conducting protocol analysis of at least one of a frame relay, ATM, TCP/IP, ISDN, and FDDI protocols.

20. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of performing a protocol analysis includes executing at least one network application by the server computer.

21. The method as defined in claim 16, wherein the step of communicating the outcome includes executing a web browser to access the server computer via the Internet.