VOD transaction error correlator

• US 7,506,354 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berger, William H., Bowen, Todd P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/255,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 725/43, 725 87- 99, 725/93, 725/107, 714/4, 714/25, 714/31, 714/43, 714 48- 57
• US Class Current: 725/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6473 Monitoring network processes errors for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A system and method for analyzing video-on-demand (VOD) transaction errors in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network. Raw XOD transaction error data is acquired from an XOD server. XOD-related subscriber information is acquired from a subscriber datastore. VOD transaction data is acquired from a VOD server. A correlator acquires the raw XOD transaction error, determines from the XOD-related subscriber information that a subscriber is not entitled to receive XOD service, creates filtered XOD transaction error data by removing from the raw XOD transaction error data XOD transaction errors associated with the subscriber, and correlates a filtered XOD transaction error with VOD transaction data to identify a network path of the filtered XOD transaction error. A result processor reviews the correlated transaction error data to determine whether correlated transaction error data entries are related by a common cause.

Claims

1. A video-on-demand (VOD) analysis server for a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network comprising:

a query library comprising instructions for;

acquiring raw XOD transaction error data from an XOD server, wherein the raw XOD transaction error data comprise an identifier associating a raw XOD transaction error with a subscriber;

acquiring XOD-related subscriber information from a subscriber datastore;

acquiring VOD transaction data from a VOD server;

a correlator adapt comprising instructions for;

acquiring the raw XOD transaction error data by executing instructions from the query library for acquiring raw XOD transaction error data from an XOD server;

determining from the XOD-related subscriber information that a subscriber is not entitled to receive XOD service;

creating filtered XOD transaction error data by removing from the raw XOD transaction error data XOD transaction errors associated with the subscriber; and

correlating a filtered XOD transaction error with VOD transaction data to identify a video stream path of the filtered XOD transaction error.

2. The VOD analysis server of claim 1, wherein XOD transaction error data are selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a QAM output port, an asset name, a geographical area, and a VOD service group.

3. The VOD analysis server of claim 1, wherein VOD transaction data comprise a VOD server identifier, a VOD slice identifier, a VOD output port identifier, a stream identifier, and an asset name.

4. The VOD analysis server of claim 1, wherein XOD-related subscriber information comprises VOD entitlement data indicative of the right of the subscriber to receive VOD service.

5. The VOD analysis server of claim 1, wherein the correlator further comprises instructions for:

storing the raw XOD transaction error data in a local VOD datastore;

creating correlated XOD transaction error data comprising the filtered XOD transaction error and the video stream path associated with the filtered XOD transaction error; and

storing the correlated XOD transaction error data in the VOD local datastore.

6. The VOD analysis server of claim 5 further comprising:

a VOD data retrieval manager, wherein the VOD data retrieval manager comprises instructions for;

polling the local VOD datastore for the correlated XOD transaction error data; and

providing the correlated XOD transaction error data to a display server, wherein the display server comprises instructions for;

extracting error data elements from the correlated XOD transaction error data;

creating a VOD analytical record comprising the error data elements; and

sending the VOD analytical record to a VOD checker client for display.

7. The VOD analysis server of claim 6, wherein the VOD checker client comprises a Web browser and wherein the analytical record comprises a Web page.

8. The VOD analysis server of claim 5 further comprising a result analyzer, wherein the result analyzer comprises instructions for:

extracting error data elements from the correlated XOD transaction error data;

selecting error data elements determined to be outside a predetermined range;

determining if the selected error data elements are indicative of a common fault; and

identifying the common fault in the analytical record if the selected error data elements are indicative of a common fault.

9. The VOD analysis server of claim 1 further comprising a client network interface, wherein the client network interface comprises instructions for communicating with the VOD checker client via a client network.

10. The VOD analysis server of claim 9, wherein the client network is selected from the group consisting of a wired network, a wireless network, a local area network, and the Internet.

11. A method for analyzing video-on-demand (VOD) transaction errors in a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable network comprising:

acquiring raw XOD transaction error data from an XOD server, wherein the raw XOD transaction error data comprise an identifier associating a raw XOD transaction error with a subscriber;

acquiring XOD-related subscriber information from a subscriber datastore;

acquiring VOD transaction data from a VOD server;

determining from the XOD-related subscriber information that the subscriber is not entitled to receive XOD service;

creating filtered XOD transaction error data by removing from the raw XOD transaction error data XOD transaction errors associated with the subscriber; and

correlating a filtered XOD transaction error with VOD transaction data to identify a video stream path of the filtered XOD transaction error.

12. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 11, wherein XOD transaction error data are selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a QAM output port, an asset name, a geographical area, and a VOD service group.

13. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 11, wherein VOD transaction data comprise a VOD server identifier, a VOD slice identifier, a VOD output port identifier, a stream identifier, and an asset name.

14. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 11, wherein XOD-related subscriber information comprises VOD entitlement data indicative of the right of the subscriber to receive VOD service.

15. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 11 further comprising:

storing the raw XOD transaction error data in a local VOD datastore;

creating correlated XOD transaction error data comprising the filtered XOD transaction error and the video stream path associated with the filtered XOD transaction error; and

storing the correlated XOD transaction error data in the VOD local datastore.

16. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 15 further comprising:

polling the local VOD datastore for the correlated XOD transaction error data;

extracting

error data elements from the correlated XOD transaction error data;

creating a VOD analytical record comprising the error data elements; and

sending the VOD analytical record to a VOD checker client for display.

17. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 16, wherein the VOD checker client comprises a Web browser and the analytical record comprises a Web page.

18. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 15 further comprising:

extracting error data elements from the correlated XOD transaction error data;

selecting error data elements determined to be outside a predetermined range;

determining if the selected error data elements are indicative of a common fault; and

identifying the common fault in the analytical record if the selected error data elements are indicative of a common fault.

19. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 11 further comprising communicating with the VOD checker client via a client network.

20. The method for analyzing VOD transaction errors of claim 19, wherein the client network is selected from the group consisting of a wired network, a wireless network, a local area network, and the Internet.