Method and system for traffic monitoring in a packet communication network

• US 7,257,081 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2002
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sons of Innovation LLC
• Original Assignee: Iptivia
• Inventors: Rajan, Rajendran, Guerin, Roch
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, THAI D
• Application Number:
  US10/126,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20030198190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 370252-253, 370229-235, 370/238, 370351-356, 370389-391, 370400-411
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring traffic and path information in a packet communication network operated according to an IP routing protocol is disclosed. The method and system enables a user, such as a network administrator, to explicitly identify a full set of paths (i.e., links and routers) that the traffic of a specific customer or set of customers, such as service providers hosted at a hosting site, is using when traversing the network. The system allows the dynamic monitoring of the set of active links carrying traffic belonging to the specific customer or set of customers, and the proportion of that traffic that is carried by each active link. This allows, among other things, the identification of network links that are critical for ensuring a high level of service to key customers.

Claims

1. A method of determining traffic intensity associated with one or more users of a communications network, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with a group of users of the network, the group comprising one or more users;

identifying a plurality of network paths across which the packets travel;

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of the network paths, wherein at least a portion of the intensity corresponds to the group of users of the network, wherein each of the portions of the network paths comprises a link, and wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

determining a traffic fraction for each link of at least one network path, and

determining a traffic intensity for one or more of the links of the at least one network path by multiplying the traffic fraction for each link by a measurement corresponding to the traffic monitored at the point, wherein the measurement is also associated with the set of network paths to which each link belongs; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more portions of the network paths are determined by a method comprising the steps of

identifying at least one selected route entry in the communication network, wherein the at least one selected route entry is associated with at least one user in the group of users of the network;

and

retrieving a path or paths to which the selected route entry relates.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of returning an intensity of traffic for one or more of the network paths.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each path comprises one or more links and one or more routers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring parameters comprise an amount of traffic destined for a predetermined destination or set of destinations, an amount of traffic destined to a predetermined user address, and/or an amount of traffic being sent to or received by a user of the network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step further comprises:

identifying a set of route entries that are associated with the traffic that is monitored at the point;

measuring an amount of the packet traffic for each route entry in the set of route entries;

identifying a common set of paths for at least one of the route entries in the set of route entries; and

summing the amounts of packet traffic measured for each route entry that shares the common set of paths to yield an intensity of packet traffic for the common set of paths.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising summing, for each said active link, the link traffic intensities obtained for each set of paths to which said active link belongs.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is dynamically adjusted as paths and/or traffic intensity changes.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein performing an operation comprises reconfiguring a network path traversed by packets corresponding to one or more route entries.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises billing the group of users based on the intensity of packet traffic.

11. A method of measuring traffic intensity in a communications network, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with one or more users of the network;

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of network paths via which the set of packets travels, wherein at least a portion of the intensity corresponds to the one or more users of the network, wherein each of the portions of the network paths comprises a link, and wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

determining a traffic fraction for each link of at least one network path, and

determining a traffic intensity for one or more of the links of the at least one network path by multiplying the traffic fraction for each link by a measurement corresponding to the traffic monitored at the point, wherein the measurement is also associated with the set of network paths to which each link belongs; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the method is dynamically adjusted as paths and/or traffic intensity changes.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises reconfiguring the network paths traversed by one or more route entries.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises billing the one or more users based on the intensity of packet traffic.

15. A method of measuring traffic intensity in a communications network, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with one or more users of the network;

identifying at least one selected route entry in the communication network, wherein the at least one selected route entry is associated with at least one of the users;

retrieving a path or paths to which the selected route entry relates;

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of network paths via which the set of packets travels, wherein each of the portions of the network paths comprises a link, and wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

determining a traffic fraction for each link of at least one network path, and

determining a traffic intensity for one or more of the links of the at least one network path by multiplying the traffic fraction for each link by a measurement corresponding to the traffic monitored at the point, wherein the measurement is also associated with the set of network paths to which each link belongs; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of returning an intensity of traffic for one or more of network paths that correspond to one or more users of the network.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the method is dynamically adjusted as paths and for traffic intensity changes.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises reconfiguring the network paths traversed by one or more route entries.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises billing the one or more users based on the intensity of packet traffic.

20. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions thereon for instructing a computing device to measure traffic intensity in a communications network by a method, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with a group of users of the network, the group comprising one or more users;

identifying a plurality of network paths across which the packets travel;

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of the network paths, wherein at least a portion of the intensity corresponds to the group of users of the network, wherein each of the portions of the network paths comprises a link, and wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

determining a traffic fraction for each link of at least one network path, and

determining a traffic intensity for one or more of the links of the at least one network path by multiplying the traffic fraction for each link by a measurement corresponding to the traffic monitored at the point, wherein the measurement is also associated with the set of network paths to which each link belongs; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.

21. A method of measuring traffic intensity in a communications network, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with one or more route entries;

identifying a plurality of network paths across which the packets travel; and

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of the network paths, wherein at least a portion of the intensity corresponds to the one or more route entries, wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

identifying a set of route entries that are associated with the traffic that is monitored at the point,

measuring an amount of the packet traffic for each route entry in the set of route entries,

identifying a common set of paths for at least one of the route entries in the set of route entries, and

summing the amounts of packet traffic measured for each route entry that shares the common set of paths to yield an intensity of packet traffic for the common set of paths; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises reconfiguring the network paths traversed by the one or more route entries.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein providing the intensity of packet traffic comprises billing at least one user associated with the one or more route entries based on the intensity of packet traffic.

24. A computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions thereon for instructing a computing device to measure traffic intensity in a communications network by a method, comprising:

identifying a set of packets of data that travel across one or more links of a communications network, wherein the set of packets is associated with one or more route entries;

identifying a plurality of network paths across which the packets travel; and

determining an intensity of packet traffic corresponding to one or more portions of the network paths, wherein at least a portion of the intensity corresponds to the one or more route entries, wherein the determining step comprises;

monitoring traffic at a point that is common to a plurality of the network paths using one or more monitoring parameters,

identifying a set of route entries that are associated with the traffic that is monitored at the point,

measuring an amount of the packet traffic for each route entry in the set of route entries,

identifying a common set of paths for at least one of the route entries in the set of route entries, and

summing the amounts of packet traffic measured for each route entry that shares the common set of paths to yield an intensity of packet traffic for the common set of paths; and

providing the intensity of packet traffic to a network traffic monitor to generate one or more of a performance measure, a metering amount, a metering projection, a service level agreement, an alarm trigger and an alarm.