System and method for correlation and real-time display of mapped PSTN trunk identifiers and gateway control protocol endpoints

• US 7,295,577 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illuminate Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Carson, Douglas John, Moody, Brian Mark, McDonald, Stuart, Archibald, David Moir
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chou; Albert T.
• Application Number:
  US10/151,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20030214963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 370/219, 370/496, 370/252, 379/134, 379/45
• US Class Current: 370/496
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems

Abstract

A system for correlating and displaying dissimilar communication protocols is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises user communication information that spans at least two dissimilar communication networks, a first communication protocol associated with a first communication network, a second communication protocol associated with a second communication network, and a software code segment configured to detect a first call identifier associated with the first communication protocol, the software code segment also configured to detect a second call identifier associated with the second communication protocol, where the first call identifier and the second call identifier are correlated to a particular call. The system displays the correlated call identifiers to a user in a real-time call flow record.

Claims

1. A method for generating a call flow record, comprising:

detecting, on a first communication network, a first number of call signaling messages using a first communication protocol;

detecting, on a second communication network, a second number of call signaling messages using a second communication protocol; and

for a particular message in the first or second number of messages, the particular message being part of a particular call,

extracting a first call identifier from the particular message;

when a call reference exists for the first call identifier, adding the particular message to a call flow record for the particular call;

when the call reference does not exist for the first call identifier, i) associating the first call identifier with a unique call reference for the particular call, ii) using the first call identifier to retrieve a second call identifier for the particular call, wherein the first and second call identifiers have formats defined by different ones of the first and second communication protocols, iii) associating the second call identifier with the unigue call reference, and iv) adding the particular message to the call flow record for the particular call; and

updating a call flow record display based on the addition of the particular message to the call flow record for the particular call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the second communication network is a packet network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first number of call signaling messages comprise signaling system seven integrated services digital network user part (SS7 ISUP) messages, and the second number of call signaling messages comprise media gateway control protocol (MGCP) messages.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

when the particular message is one of the first number of messages, the first call identifier comprises an SS7 ISUP point code and circuit identification code (PC-CIC); and

when the particular message is one of the second number of messages, the first call identifier comprises an MGCP endpoint name.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the packet network is an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the packet network is an internet protocol (IP) network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call identifier is extracted by completely decoding the particular message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first call identifier is extracted by partially decoding the particular message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, performing said method in real-time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the particular message is a call tear-down message;

removing the association between the first call identifier and the unique call reference; and

removing the call flow record for the particular call from the call flow record display.

11. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for generating a call flow record, the computer program comprising code segments that, when executed by an instruction execution system, cause a network analysis device to perform steps comprising:

detecting, on a first communication network, a first number of call signaling messages that use a first communication protocol;

detecting, on a second communication network, a second number of call signaling messages that use a second communication protocol;

for a particular message in the first or second number of messages, the particular message being part of a particular call,

extracting a first call identifier from the particular message;

when a call reference exists for the first call identifier, adding the particular message to a call flow record for the particular call;

when the call reference does not exist for the first call identifier, i) associating the first call identifier with a unique call reference for the particular call, ii) using the first call identifier to retrieve a second call identifier for the particular call, wherein the first and second call identifiers have formats defined by different ones of the first and second communication protocols, iii) associating the second call identifier with the unique call reference, and iv) adding the particular message to the call flow record for the particular call; and

updating a call flow record display based on the addition of the particular message to the call flow record for the particular call.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first communication network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the second communication network is a packet network.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first number of call signaling messages comprise signaling system seven integrated services digital network user part (SS7 ISUP) messages, and the second number of call signaling messages comprise media gateway control protocol (MGCP) messages.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

when the particular message is one of the first number of messages, the first call identifier comprises an SS7 ISUP point code and circuit identification code (PC-CIC); and

when the particular message is one of the second number of messages, the first call identifier comprises an MGCP endpoint name.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising, performing said method in real-time.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising, if the particular message is a call tear-down message:

removing the association between the first call identifier and the unique call reference; and

removing the call flow record for the particular call from the call flow record display.

17. An analysis device, comprising:

a T1/E1 acquisition module for acquiring PSTN call signaling messages carried on a PSTN;

a packet acquisition module for acquiring packet network call signaling messages carried on a packet network;

a processor;

an input/output (I/O) controller;

a memory for storing a table that maps PSTN point code and circuit identification code (PC-CIC) identifiers to media gateway control protocol (MGCP) endpoint identifiers; and

a computer program, stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein execution of the computer program causes a call flow record to be generated for output via the I/O controller, and wherein execution of the computer program causes the analysis device to, for a particular message acquired vie one of the T1/E1 acquisition module or the packet acquisition module, the particular message being a part of a particular call, perform the steps of,

extracting a first call identifier from the particular message;

when a call reference exists for the first call identifier, adding the particular message to a call flow record for the particular call; and

when the call reference does not exist for the first call identifier, i) associating the first call identifier with a unique call reference for the particular call, ii) using the first call identifier to index the table and retrieve a second call identifier for the particular call, wherein the first and second call identifiers respectively correspond to different ones of the PC-CIC and MGCP endpoint identifiers, iii) associating the second call identifier with the unique call reference, and iv) adding the particular message to the call flow record for the particular call.

18. The analysis device of claim 17, wherein the PSTN call signaling messages comprise signaling system seven integrated services digital network user part (SS7 ISUP) messages, and the packet network call signaling messages comprise media gateway control protocol (MGCP) messages.

19. The analysis device of claim 17, wherein the computer program further performs the steps of, if the particular message is a call tear-down message:

removing the association between the first call identifier and the unique call reference; and

removing the call flow record for the particular call from the call flow record display.