Service performance correlation and analysis

• US 7,159,026 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nytell Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Lau, Richard C., Cisneros, Arturo, Tsai, Frank C. D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollack; Melvin H.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-229, 709/235, 707/10, 370/235, 370/395.21
• US Class Current: 709/226
• 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 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided to determine performance of a network. A first measurement relating to a first layer of communications in the network and a second measurement relating to a second layer of communications in the network are provided. Based on the first and second measurements, a set of parameters is generated. The performance of the network is then determined based on the generated set of parameters.

Claims

1. A method to determine performance of a network, the method comprising:

providing a database containing service level agreement information;

receiving a first measurement relating to a virtual connection in the network relating to a first layer of communications in the network;

receiving a second measurement relating to an attainable bit rate in a portion of the network relating to a second layer of communications in the network;

receiving at least one additional measurement including management information base parameters from one or more nodes in the network relating to a third layer of communications in the network;

generating a set of parameters for the network based on the first, second, and at least one additional measurements;

determining performance of the network based on the generated set of parameters; and

adjusting the set of parameters to meet the service level agreement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first measurement further comprises:

receiving information relating to transport of internet protocol packets in the network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining performance of the network based on the generated set of parameters comprises:

correlating the information relating to transport of internet protocol packets with the attainable bit rate in the portion of the network.

4. An apparatus for determining performance of a network comprising:

database containing service level agreement information;

means for receiving a first measurement comprises means for receiving information relating to a virtual connection in the network relating to a first layer of communications in a network;

means for receiving a second measurement comprising means for receiving information relating to an attainable bit rate in a portion of the network relating to a second layer of communications in the network;

means for receiving at least one additional measurement comprises means for receiving management information base parameters from one or more nodes in the network relating to a third layer of communications in the network;

means for generating a set of parameters for the network based on the first, second, and at least one additional measurements;

means for determining performance of the network based on the generated set of parameters; and

means for adjusting the set of parameters to meet the service level agreement.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means for receiving the first measurement further comprises:

means for receiving information relating to transport of internet protocol packets in the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means for determining performance of the network based on the generated set of parameters comprises:

means for correlating the information relating to transport of internet protocol packets with the attainable bit rate in the portion of the network.