Receiving network metrics data from disparate devices and displaying in a host format

• US 7,120,689 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Gonsalves, Brian A., Pena, Sherri D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIDDIQI, MOHAMMAD A
• Application Number:
  US10/348,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 709224-228, 709231-235, 709/223, 707/109, 707/10, 370/252
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Transmitting network metrics data from disparate client platforms to a service provider for the calculation of performance measurements so that the level of service may be verified. The metrics data is received by the service provider in formats associated with the subscriber'"'"'s platform. When the metrics data is received by the service provider, it is converted into a host format so that it may be presented to the network subscribers.

Claims

1. A method for generating performance data in order to verify a level of service provided to a subscriber of a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving metrics data in a format defined by a simple network management protocol (SNMP) compatible data service unit/channel service unit (DSU/CSU) of the subscriber, the format being distinct from a host format, the data being received from the DSU/CSU that collects the metrics data, which is associated with data transmissions over the network between a local site of the subscriber and a remote site of the subscriber, the metrics data being received via SNMP;

extracting parameters from the received metrics data;

determining that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format;

generating the host format based on the extracted parameters when a determination is made that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format, the host format comprising performance data of the network; and

presenting the performance data to the subscriber so that the subscriber may verify whether performance of the communications network complied with a level of service agreed to by a provider of the communications network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data transmissions between the local site of the subscriber and the remote site of the subscriber occurs via a first permanent virtual circuit.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving the metrics data via a second permanent virtual circuit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the DSU/CSU is embedded in a router.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising extracting parameters and generating the host format with a middleware server operating middleware.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the subscriber to which the metrics data belongs.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network comprises an ATM network or a frame relay network.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the presented performance data comprises an outage parameter that identifies whether a particular network outage was due to network reasons or administrative reasons.

20. The method according to claim 6, wherein the identifying comprises associating the metrics data with circuit identification data associated with the subscriber.

8. A method for generating performance data in order to verify a level of service provided to each of a plurality of subscribers of a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving metrics data in a plurality of formats from a first data service unit/channel service unit (DSU/CSU) of each of the plurality of subscribers in a format associated with the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers, the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers being distinct from a router and comprising a management information base collecting metrics data associated with data transmissions over the network between the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers and a second DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers;

mapping the metrics data received from the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers to each of the plurality of subscribers, the mapping associating each of the plurality of subscribers with their respective metrics data;

determining whether the received metrics data resides in a host format;

converting the metrics data into the host format for each of the plurality of subscribers when a determination is made that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format, the host format comprising performance data of the network for each of the plurality of subscribers; and

presenting the performance data to each of the plurality of subscribers so that each of the plurality of subscribers may verify whether performance of the communications network complied with a level of service agreed to by a provider of the communications network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the transmissions between the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers and the second DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers occurs on a permanent virtual circuit distinct from a permanent virtual circuit in which the metrics data is received from the first DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising converting the metrics data to the host format at a middleware server operating middleware.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network comprises an ATM network or a frame relay network.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising sorting the host formatted data according to customer preferences.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the presented performance data comprises an outage parameter that identifies whether a particular network outage was due to network reasons or administrative reasons.

13. A system for generating performance data in order to verify a level of service provided to each of a plurality of subscribers of a communications network, the system comprising:

a router receiving metrics data from a simple network management protocol (SNMP) compatible data service unit/channel service unit DSU/CSU of each of the plurality of subscribers via SNMP, the metrics data being associated with data transmissions over the network and being received in a plurality of formats associated with the each respective subscriber DSU/CSU, at least one of the plurality of formats being distinct from a host format;

a server that determines whether the received metrics data resides in the host format and that converts the metrics data from the plurality of formats to the host format when a determination is made that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format, the host format comprising performance data of the network for each of the plurality of subscribers;

a database mapping the metrics data received from the each DSU/CSU to each of the plurality of subscribers; and

a backend system storing the data in the host format, the backend system permitting each of the plurality of subscribers to access the host formatted data so that each of the plurality of subscribers may verify whether performance of the communications network complied with a level of service agreed to by a provider of the communications network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the database stores customer preferences regarding the host format.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the host formatted data comprises an outage parameter that identifies whether a particular network outage was due to network reasons or administrative reasons.

15. A computer readable medium storing a computer program that generates performance data in order to verify a level of service provided to a subscriber of a communications network, said medium comprising:

a receiving code segment that receives metrics data in a format defined by a simple network management protocol (SNMP) compatible data service unit/channel service unit (DSU/CSU) of the subscriber, the format being distinct from a host format, the data being received from the DSU/CSU that collects the metrics data, which is associated with data transmissions over the network between a local site of the subscriber and a remote site of the subscriber, the metrics data being received via SNMP;

an extracting code segment that extracts parameters from the received metrics data;

a determining code segment that determines that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format;

a generating code segment that generates the host format based on the extracted parameters when a determination is made that the received metrics data does not reside in the host format, the host format comprising performance data of the network; and

a transmitting code segment that transmits the performance data to the subscriber so that the subscriber may verify whether performance of the communications network complied with a level of service agreed to by a provider of the communications network.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the performance data comprises an outage parameter that identifies whether a particular network outage was due to network reasons or administrative reasons.