Method for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements

• US 6,836,748 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.), The Telesis Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sheer Networks, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stupp, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Xiuqin
• Application Number:
  US10/087,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20020128800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 702/183, 702/19, 600/528, 370/254, 370/394.42, 382/293, 345/701, 368/107
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/15 Correlation function computation including computation of convolution operations arithmetic circuits for sum of products per se, e.g. multiply-accumulators G06F7/5443; digital filters, e.g. FIR, IIR, adaptive filters H03H17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the method including measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions, expressing a plurality of constraints on a theoretical distance c between the behavior functions, and determining that the elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists an actual distance c satisfies the constraints.

Claims

1. A method for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the method comprising:

measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

expressing a plurality of constraints on a theoretical distance c between said behavior functions; and

determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists an actual distance c that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing step comprises expressing each of said constraints using at least two time-consecutive samples (a_n, a_n+1) of one of said functions and at least one sample (b_n) of the other of said functions that is time-intermediate said time-consecutive samples.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said expressing step comprises expressing each of said constraints as (a_n−

b_n)≦

c≦

(a_n+1−

b_n).

3. A method for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the method comprising:

measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

expressing a plurality of constraints on a theoretical distance c between said behavior functions; and

determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists an actual distance c that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing step comprises expressing each of said distances using at least two time-consecutive samples (a_n, a_n+) of one of said functions and at least one sample (b_n) of the other of said functions that is taken at the same time as one of said time-consecutive samples.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein said expressing step comprises expressing each of said constraints as (a_n−

b_n)≦

c≦

(a_n+1−

b_n).

5. A method for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the method comprising:

measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

expressing a plurality of constraints for a plurality of theoretical distances c_i between said behavior functions; and

determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists a plurality of actual distances c_i that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing step comprises;

expressing each of said constraints using a plurality of samples a_n of one of said functions taken at times a^t₁, a^t₂ . . . , a^t_m first plurality of time-consecutive samples b_n and a second plurality of time-consecutive samples b′

_n of the other of said functions taken at times b^t₁, b^t₂ . . . , b^t_n, wherein a^t₁≦

b^t₁≦

a^t₂≦

b^t₂≦

. . . a^t_n≦

b^t_n. ; and

selecting each of said constraints from of a set of constraints defined by the pattern;

6. Apparatus for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the apparatus comprising:

means for measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

means for expressing a plurality of constraints on a theoretical distance c between said behavior functions; and

means for determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists an actual distance c that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing means comprises means for expressing each of said constraints using at least two time-consecutive samples (a_n, a_n+1) of one of said functions and at least one sample (b_n) of the other of said functions that is time-intermediate said time-consecutive samples.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said expressing means comprises means for expressing each of said constraints as (a_n−

b_n)≦

c≦

(a_n+1b_n).

8. Apparatus for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the apparatus comprising:

means for measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

means for expressing a plurality of constraints on a theoretical distance c between said behavior functions; and

means for determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists an actual distance c that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing means comprises means for expressing each of said distances using at least two time-consecutive samples (a_n, a_n+1) of one of said functions and at least one sample (b_n) of the other of said functions that is taken at the same time as one of said time-consecutive samples.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said expressing means comprises means for expressing each of said constraints as (a_n−

b_n)≦

c≦

(a_n+1−

b_n).

10. Apparatus for correlating behavior between two elements of a system to determine the presence of mutual interaction between the elements, the apparatus comprising:

means for measuring the behavior of two elements of a system over time with respect to mutual interaction, thereby producing two behavior functions;

means for expressing a plurality of constraints for a plurality of theoretical distances ci between said behavior functions; and

means for determining that said elements are behaving as mutually interacting elements where there exists a plurality of actual distances c_i that satisfies said constraints, wherein said expressing means comprises;

means for expressing each of said constraints using a plurality of samples a_n of one of said functions taken at times a^t₁, a^t₂ . . . , a^t_n, a first plurality of time-consecutive samples b_n and a second plurality of time-consecutive samples b^t_n of the other of said functions taken at times b^t₁, b^t₂ . . . , b^t_n, wherein a^t₁≦

b^t₁≦

a^t₂≦

b^t₂≦

. . . a^t_n≦

b^t_n.; and

means for selecting each of said constraints from of a set of constraints defined by the pattern;