System and method for measuring network round trip time by monitoring fast-response operations

• US 7,006,448 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Thio, Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US09/675,310
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/230, 370/466, 370/352, 370/231, 370/235, 370/253, 370/238, 370/350, 370/314, 370/321, 370389-394, 465389-395, 465/412, 465334-345, 465/477, 465/257, 709223-228, 709235-238, 709217-222, 709230-234, 709/202, 375145-150, 375/240, 375/280, 375/225, 707/104.1, 707/10, 345/340
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays

Abstract

A system and method is provided for measuring network round trip time by monitoring fast-response operations at one network endpoint, typically a client computer. A client computer of the system includes a network monitoring and analysis engine which monitors a sent packet for a fast-response operation. If a fast-response operation is detected, then the client computer assumes a server computer processed the packet substantially instantaneously. Thus, the processing time at the server computer is neglected as zero. The round trip time can then be approximated as the difference in time between when the client computer sent the packet and when the client computer received the response packet.

Claims

1. A system for measuring network round trip time, comprising:

a client computer adapted for communications with a server computer, the client computer including;

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor containing definitions identifying fast-response operations initiated by an application program running on the processor;

a monitor and analysis engine, coupled to the processor, includes an analyzer for detecting the presence of at least one of the fast-response operations where fast-response operations are certain operations associated with normal running of the application program where the application program itself is not programmed to participate in determining the round trip time, the application program requiring the transmission of a first packet to the server computer and the receipt of a second packet from the server computer in response to the first packet, and;

the monitor and analysis engine calculating the round trip time when a fast-response operation is detected based on the time interval beginning with the transmission of the first packet and ending with the receipt of the second packet.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory includes fast-response time operation definitions which list characteristic information associated with fast-response operations.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the definitions are user-supplied.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the definitions are automatically generated.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the client computer further comprises:

a packet duplicator for intercepting and duplicating the first and second packets, and forwarding the duplicated packets to the monitoring and analysis engine for analysis.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display device for displaying graphical representations of the round trip time.

7. The system of claim 1 where fast-response operations are further defined by delay associated with the generation of the second packet upon receipt of the first packet being substantially less than delay associated with round trip times of the first and second packets.

8. A method for measuring network round trip time, comprising the steps of:

determining if a sent packet by a client computer to a server computer indicates a fast response operation where fast-response operations are certain operations associated with normal running of an application program on the client computer where the application program itself is not programmed to participate in determining the round trip time, the fast response operation including the transmission of a first packet to the server computer and the receipt of a second packet from the server computer responding to the first packet in response to the first packet occur; and

if the first packet does indicate a fast response operation, determining the receipt of the corresponding second packet and calculating a round trip time based on a time interval beginning with the transmission of the first packet and ending with the receipt of the second packet.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising duplicating the first and second packets by the client computer wherein the duplicated packets are forwarded to a monitoring and analysis engine.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of assuming that a packet indicating a fast-response operation was substantially instantaneously processed at the server computer.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of providing a representation of the round trip time via a display device of the client computer to a user.

12. A computer-readable medium storing program instructions for causing a computer to measure network round trip time, by performing the steps of:

determining if a sent packet by a client computer to a server computer indicates a fast response operation where fast-response operations are certain operations associated with normal running of an application program on the client computer where the application program itself is not programmed to participate in determining the round trip time, the fast response operation including the transmission of a first packet to the server computer and the receipt of a second packet from the server computer responding to the first packet in response to the first packet occur; and

if the first packet does indicate a fast response operation, determining the receipt of the corresponding second packet and calculating a round trip time based on a time interval beginning with the transmission of the first packet and ending with the receipt of the second packet.