System, method and computer program product for processing accounting information

• US 7,266,602 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Amdocs Ltd.
• Inventors: Givoly, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PHILIP B
• Application Number:
  US11/441,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224, 709232-235, 709/238, 726 22- 23
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided for processing accounting information. In use, accounting information is received over a network. After receiving the accounting information, at least a portion of the accounting information that occurs during a surge in network traffic is discarded, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information. Further, at least a portion of the accounting information is processed, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information. Still yet, after the processing, at least a portion of remaining accounting information is allowed to pass to subsequent processing. To this end, the portion of the accounting information that is discarded is done so to prevent an overload of the subsequent processing.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving accounting over a network; and

after receiving the accounting information;

discarding at least a portion of the accounting information that occurs during a surge in network traffic, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information;

processing at least a portion of the accounting information, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information; and

after the processing, allowing at least a portion of remaining accounting information to pass to subsequent accounting processing;

wherein the portion of the accounting information that is discarded is done so to prevent an overload of the subsequent accounting processing.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the accounting information is discarded for dealing with heavy network traffic.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, and further comprising generating a summary of the accounting information.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising monitoring at least one aspect of the accounting information.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the portion of the accounting information is further discarded based on the monitored at least one aspect.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the monitoring includes detecting a scan of a plurality of ports.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring a rate of receipt of the accounting information.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the monitoring includes detecting whether the rate of receipt of the accounting information exceeds a predetermined amount.

9. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the monitoring includes monitoring a load on a system receiving the accounting information.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the network includes a packet-switched network.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the network includes the Internet.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portion of the accounting information is discarded and the portion of the accounting information is processed based on the same at least one attribute of the accounting information.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portion of the accounting information is discarded and the portion of the accounting information is processed based on a different at least one attribute of the accounting information.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing includes analyzing, accounting, and summarizing.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing includes aggregating.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing includes summarizing.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing includes analyzing.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing includes accounting.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing occurs after the discarding.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the discarding occurs after the processing.

21. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute is selected from the group consisting of a source address, a destination address, a port number, a protocol type, a user identification, a number of input packets, a number of packets in a session, a number of packets in a flow, a time of reception of a packet.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving accounting information over a network; and

after receiving the accounting information;

processing at least a portion of the accounting information, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information;

after the processing, discarding at least a portion of the accounting information that occurs during a surge in network traffic, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information; and

after the discarding, allowing at least a portion of remaining accounting information to pass to subsequent accounting processing;

wherein the portion of the accounting information that is discarded is done so to prevent an overload of the subsequent accounting processing;

wherein the processing includes aggregating.

23. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for receiving accounting information over a network; and

computer code for, after receiving the accounting information;

discarding at least a portion of the accounting information that occurs during a surge in network traffic, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information;

after the discarding, processing at least a portion of the accounting information, based on at least one attribute of the accounting information and

after the processing, allowing at least a portion of remaining accounting information to pass to subsequent accounting processing;

wherein the portion of the accounting information that is discarded is done so to prevent an overload of the subsequent accounting processing;

wherein the portion of the accounting information is discarded and the of the accounting information is processed based on a different at least one attribute of the accounting information.