System and method for monitoring and diagnosis of video network performance

• US 7,154,533 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tandberg Telecom AS (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stephens, James H. Jr., Sheldon, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US10/021,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20030081125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 348/180, 348/192, 348/552, 348/722, 702/57, 702/66, 702/81, 702/122, 710/15, 710/29
• US Class Current: 348/192
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems

Abstract

A system and method for diagnosis of video device performance in the transfer of audio visual data over a video network physically interfaces with the network to receive audio visual data associated with the video device of interest and uses diagnostic tools to access the audio visual data for determination of performance statistics with analysis of the accessed audio visual data, including video device jitter, latency, throughput, and packet loss.

Claims

1. An apparatus for diagnosis of video device performance in transferring audio visual data over a video network, the apparatus comprising:

a physical network interface operable to receive audio visual data associated with the video device;

a diagnostic tool operable to access the audio visual data as said audio visual data travels over said video network; and

a diagnostic engine interfaced with the diagnostic tool and operable to determine performance statistics by analysis of the audio visual data accessed with the diagnostic tool,

wherein the diagnostic tool is further operable to analyze the audio visual data at a network layer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance statistic comprises one of jitter, latency, throughput, packet loss, and lip sync.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic tool comprises one of a video CODEC, an audio CODEC, and a packet sniffer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communication agent configured to communicate the performance statistics through a video network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the communication agent comprises an SNMP agent.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the communication agent comprises an Internet server.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video network comprises video over Internet Protocol and the diagnostic tool comprises a packet sniffer.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video network includes at least two video endpoints, and the audio visual data is part of a current video teleconference.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the performance statistic comprises one of latency, throughput, and lip synch.

8. A method for diagnosis of video device performance in transferring audio visual data over a video network, the method comprising:

receiving audio visual data associated with the video device at a diagnostic device interfaced with the network;

accessing the audio visual data as said audio visual data travels over said video network with a diagnostic tool; and

determining performance statistics for the video device through analysis of the accessed audio visual data,

wherein the step of accessing includes analyzing the audio visual data at a network layer.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

reporting the performance statistics from the diagnostic device through the video network.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein reporting comprises sending the performance statistics through an SNMP agent associated with the diagnostic device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein reporting comprises sending the performance statistics through a Web server associated with the diagnostic device.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the performance statistic comprise lip sync.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the performance statistic comprises jitter.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the performance statistic comprise latency.

15. A method for evaluating the performance of one or more video devices deployed on a video network, the method comprising:

distributing one or more dedicated diagnostic nodes through the video network, each distributed diagnostic node associated with a proximate video device;

receiving compressed audio visual data at the diagnostic node, the audio visual data associated with the video device; and

accessing the audio visual data as said audio visual data travels over said video network with the diagnostic node to determine performance statistics of the associated video device,

wherein the step of accessing includes analyzing the audio visual data at a network layer.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

controlling the diagnostic nodes from a server interfaced with the video network.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

reporting performance statistics to the server from the diagnostic nodes over the video network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the server communicates with the diagnostic nodes through an SNMP agent.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the server communicates with the diagnostic nodes over the video network through an Internet client host relationship.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the performance statistic comprises one of latency, throughput, and lip synch.

20. A system for transferring audio visual data over a video network, the system comprising:

a first video device operable to communicate audiovisual data to a second video device through a network, said first video device connected to a diagnostic device that includes

a physical network interface operable to receive audio visual data associated with the first video device;

a diagnostic tool operable to access the audio visual data as said audio visual data travels over said video network; and

a diagnostic engine interfaced with the diagnostic tool and operable to determine performance statistics by analysis of the audio visual data accessed with the diagnostic tool,

wherein the diagnostic tool is further operable to analyze the audio visual data at a network layer.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

the second video device operable to communicate audio visual data to the first video device.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the performance statistic comprises one of jitter, latency, throughput, packet loss, and lip sync.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the diagnostic device is operable to evaluate audio visual data and to determine performance statistics associated with a predetermined video device.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the diagnostic device is operable as a one of a passtbrough\proxy, and a software module running on a server.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the diagnostic tool comprises one of a video CODEC, an audio CODEC, and a packet sniffer.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the performance statistic comprises one of latency, throughput, and lip synch.