Apparatus for size-dependent sampling for managing a data network

• US 7,299,283 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thorup, Mikkel, Lund, Carsten, Duffield, Nicholas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; David Y.
• Application Number:
  US11/478,960
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/206, 705/30
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• 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 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/024 by adaptive sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus for sampling data flows in a data network in order to estimate a total data volume in the network. Sampling the data flows in the data network reduces the network resources that must be expended by the network to support the associated activity. The present invention enables the service provider of the data network to control sampled volumes in relation to the desired accuracy. The control can be either static or can be dynamic for cases in which the data volumes are changing as a function of time.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter, wherein said means for determining utilizes one of the at least one attribute to determine whether to sample the object, wherein said one of the at least one attribute comprises a size of the object, wherein the size includes a contribution of the at least one data element;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required; and

means for normalizing the size of the object.

2. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for determining a measured usage of the data network in accordance with the at least one attribute;

means for charging a customer for the measured usage in accordance with a charging function, wherein the customer is associated with the at least one attribute and wherein the customer is presented a bill for a billing period and wherein a charging accuracy is related to the charging function and an accuracy of the measured usage; and

means for adjusting the measured usage in order to control possible overcharging to the customer.

3. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for determining a measured usage of the data network in accordance with the at least one attribute;

means for charging a customer for the measured usage in accordance with a charging function, wherein the customer is associated with the at least one attribute and wherein the customer is presented a bill for a billing period and wherein a charging accuracy is related to the charging function and an accuracy of the measured usage; and

means for adjusting the probabilistic parameter in order to achieve a predetermined degree of accuracy of charging the customer, wherein a sampling volume is related to the probabilistic parameter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the probabilistic parameter is adjusted.

5. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for determining a measured usage of the data network in accordance with the at least one attribute;

means for charging a customer for the measured usage in accordance with a charging function, wherein the customer is associated with the at least one attribute and wherein the customer is presented a bill for a billing period and wherein a charging accuracy is related to the charging function and an accuracy of the measured usage; and

means for adjusting the probabilistic parameter in order to reduce unbillable usage within a predetermined percentage of the measured usage, wherein a sampling volume is related to the probabilistic parameter.

6. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for determining a measured usage of the data network in accordance with the at least one attribute;

means for charging a customer for the measured usage in accordance with a charging function, wherein the customer is associated with the at least one attribute and wherein the customer is presented a bill for a billing period and wherein a charging accuracy is related to the charging function and an accuracy of the measured usage; and

means for adjusting the billing period in order to control a degree of accuracy for charging the customer.

7. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for calculating an estimated sampling volume; and

means for reconfiguring the data network in accordance with the estimated sampling volume.

8. An apparatus for managing a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an object, wherein the object is characterized by at least one attribute and wherein the object comprises at least one data element;

means for determining whether to sample the object in accordance with a probabilistic parameter;

means for sampling the object if it is determined that sampling is required;

means for calculating an estimated sampling volume; and

means for adjusting the probabilistic parameter in order that the measured sampling volume approximates a targeted sampling volume.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for adjusting updates a value of the probabilistic parameter corresponding to a sampling window.