Methods, systems and computer program products for monitoring performance of a modem during a connection

• US 6,823,004 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Granholm, Michelle Chan, Ye, Hua, Ware, Malcolm Scott, Neeser, Fredy D., Dholakia, Ajay, Davis, Gordon Taylor, Hwang, Dongming, Abdelilah, Youssef, Derby, Jeffrey Haskell, Schule, Robert John, Young, Charles Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODOM, CURTIS B
• Application Number:
  US09/430,097
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 375/222, 375/219, 717/130, 714/712, 703/211, 710/20, 710/63, 379/3
• US Class Current: 375/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for monitoring performance of a modem which obtain diagnostic data directly from memory associated with the modem'"'"'s digital signal processor (DSP). A secondary path to the DSP memory is utilized for the monitoring operations so that real time data can be obtained during connection startup procedures and during an active connection. First-in first-out (FIFO) buffers are incorporated in the DSP memory to track state transitions of one or more of the state machines within the modem and various performance data measurements may be obtained directly from the DSP memory responsive to different state transition events. The real time collected data may be stored in a file and provided to a remote location for use in diagnosing customer problems with specific customer line connections. Accordingly, real time monitoring of digital and analog line conditions and modem performance may be utilized to diagnose problems with modems and line connections.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring performance of a modem comprising the steps of:

establishing an active communications connection utilizing the modem;

obtaining data related to the performance of the modem, including internal state information, from a digital signal processor (DSP) memory of the modem using a secondary path to the DSP memory which is separate and independent from a primary path to said DSP memory utilized in support of the communications connection;

determining that a state transition has occurred based on the internal state information; and

capturing a selected type of data related to the performance of the modem responsive to a state transition.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the obtaining step further comprises the step of obtaining data related to the performance of the modem from the DSP memory during startup of the active connection.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data related to the performance of the modem is selected from the group consisting of line condition data and interworking data.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the modem includes a plurality of state machines each state machine having a plurality of associated states and wherein the determining step further comprises the step of determining that a state transition of one of the plurality of state machines has occurred based on detecting a change from one of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines to another of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines and wherein the selected type of data is selected based on the one of the plurality of state machines.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the selected type of data is further selected based on the one of the plurality of associated states and the another of the plurality of associated states.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining step is preceded by the step of providing a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer in the DSP memory and wherein the determining step further comprises the step of placing the internal state information in the FIFO buffer.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the providing step further comprises the step of providing a plurality of FIFO buffers in the DSP memory, each of the plurality of FIFO buffers being associated with a different state machine of the modem and wherein the placing step further comprises placing internal state information associated with a respective state machine of the modem in a corresponding one of the plurality of FIFO buffers.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the obtaining step is followed by the step of storing the data related to the performance of the modem in a text file.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the storing step is followed by the step of providing the stored data to a remote location for analysis.

10. A system for monitoring performance of a modem comprising:

a host system having a host system bus;

a modem, the modem including;

a digital signal processor (DSP);

a memory coupled to the DSP over a DSP system bus;

a primary path to the DSP memory that supports a communication connection;

a plurality of first-in first-out (FIFO) buffers coupled to the DSP, each of the FIFO buffers being associated with one of a plurality of state machines of the modem and

wherein the DSP is configured to place internal state information associated with the

plurality of state machines in a corresponding one of the FIFO buffers; and

a bus interface coupling the host system bus to the DSP system bus, the bus interface being configured to allow the host system to access the DSP memory to obtain data related to performance of the modem during an active communication session supported by the primary path of the modem using a secondary path to the DSP memory which is separate and independent from the primary path to said DSP.

11. A system for monitoring performance of a modem comprising:

an interface coupled to the modem;

means for obtaining data related to the performance of the modem, including internal state information, from a digital signal processor (DSP) memory of the modem during an active connection to the modem using a secondary path to the DSP memory which is separate and independent from a primary path to said DSP memory utilized in support of the communications connection, the secondary path including the interface coupled to the modem;

means for determining that a state transition has occurred based on the internal state information; and

means for capturing a selected type of data related to the performance of the modem responsive to a state transition.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the means for obtaining further comprises means for obtaining data related to the performance of the modem from the DSP memory during startup of the active connection.

13. A system according to claim 11 wherein the data related to the performance of the modem is selected from the group consisting of line condition data and interworking data.

14. A system according to claim 11 wherein the modem includes a plurality of state machines each state machine having a plurality of associated states and wherein the means for determining further comprises means for determining that a state transition of one of the plurality of state machines has occurred based on detecting a change from one of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines to another of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines and wherein the selected type of data is selected based on the one of the plurality of state machines.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the selected type of data is further selected based on the one of the plurality of associated states and the another of the plurality of associated states.

16. A system according to claim 11 wherein the system further comprises a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer in the DSP memory and wherein the means for determining further comprises means for placing the internal state information in the FIFO buffer.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the means for providing further comprises means for providing a plurality of FIFO buffers in the DSP memory, each of the plurality of FIFO buffers being associated with a different state machine of the modem and wherein the means for placing further comprises means for placing internal state information associated with a respective state machine of the modem in a corresponding one of the plurality of FIFO buffers.

18. A system according to claim 11 further comprising means for storing the date related to the performance of the modem in a text file.

19. A system according to claim 18 further comprising means for providing the stored data to a remote location for analysis.

20. A computer program product for monitoring performance of a modem, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, the computer readable code means comprising;

computer readable code which establishes an active communications connection utilizing the modem;

computer readable code which obtains data related to the performance of the modem, including internal state information, from a digital signal processor (DSP) memory of the modem using a secondary path to the DSP memory which is separate and independent from a primary path to said DSP memory utilized in support of the communications connection;

computer readable code which determines that a state transition has occurred based on the internal state information; and

computer readable code which captures a selected type of data related to the performance of the modem responsive to a state transition.

21. A computer program product according to claim 20 wherein the computer readable code which obtains further comprises computer readable code which obtains data related to the performance of the modem from the DSP memory during startup of the active connection.

22. A computer program product according to claim 20 wherein the data related to the performance of the modem is selected from the group consisting of line condition data and interworking data.

23. A computer program product according to claim 20 wherein the modem includes a plurality of state machines each state machine having a plurality of associated states and wherein the computer readable code which determines further comprises computer readable code which determines that a state transition of one of the plurality of state machines has occurred based on detecting a change from one of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines to another of the plurality of associated states of the one of the plurality of state machines and wherein the selected type of data is selected based on the one of the plurality of state machines.

24. A computer program product according to claim 23 wherein the selected type of data is further selected based on the one of the plurality of associated states and the another of the plurality of associated states.

25. A computer program product according to claim 20 wherein the computer readable code which determines further comprises computer readable code which places the internal state information in a first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer in the DSP memory.

26. A computer program product according to claim 25 wherein the computer readable code which provides further comprises computer readable code which provides a plurality of FIFO buffers in the DSP memory, each of the plurality of FIFO buffers being associated with a different state machine of the modem and wherein the computer readable code which places further comprises computer readable code which places internal state information associated with a respective state machine of the modem in a corresponding one of the plurality of FIFO buffers.

27. A computer program product according to claim 20 further comprising computer readable code which stores the data related to the performance of the modem in a text file.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27 further comprising computer readable code which provides the stored data to a remote location for analysis.