Real-time analyst program for processing log files from network elements

• US 7,526,322 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Whistler, Kenneth Park
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US10/920,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20060040711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/466, 455/9, 455/423, 455/412.1
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

In a cellular telephone network or other communication network, there is a need to monitor the status and health of various nodes of the network in real-time. The techniques disclosed herein use a real-time link to the network node to obtain a data stream of messages for processing. In one example, a modified Telnet Terminal Program connects to a system element, the user logs in to the system element, and the Program causes the messages from the element'"'"'s local log file to stream past the Telnet screen as they are produced. The streaming log messages also are parsed and entered into a database as they are produced, providing a real-time capture of the streaming data into a database form. Graphs, for example, can be set to update themselves and thereby display real-time information. The user can interact with a graph to select a graph point and see the system element message(s) that generated the graph point.

Claims

1. A method of real-time monitoring of operational status of elements of a communications network, wherein the elements are for processing of customers communication traffic through the network, the method comprising steps of:

receiving operational status messages produced by a first one of the communication traffic processing elements for a local log function of the first element, in real-time as the first element generates the messages, via a streaming communication session;

concurrently receiving operational status messages produced by a second one of the elements for processing of customers communication traffic through the network for its local log file in a form intended for network operations personnel, via a streaming communication session as the second element generates the messages in real-time;

parsing each of the messages received from the first communication traffic processing element, to extract relevant operational data;

populating fields of first records in a database with the data extracted by the parsing of the messages received from the first communication traffic processing element;

parsing each of the messages received from the second communication traffic processing element to extract data;

populating fields of second records in the database with the data extracted by the parsing of the messages received from the second communication traffic processing element;

processing at least some first and second records from the database; and

providing a display based on results of the processing of first and second records from the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a real-time display of at least some of the received messages as they are received in real-time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the display comprises:

processing extracted data from fields of at least some records from the database; and

providing a real-time display of the processing results.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of providing real-time display of the processing results comprises displaying the processing results as a graph.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a user input selection of a point on the displayed graph; and

presenting one or more records from the database regarding the message or messages that produced the selected point on the displayed graph.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the processing comprises statistical processing of a plurality of the messages of an identified message type; and

the providing of the display comprises outputting an alarm indication if results of the statistical processing with regard to the identified message type meet an alarm criteria.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the statistical processing comprises comparing statistics derived from the received messages to statistics for an earlier period of operations of one or more of the communication traffic processing elements.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the statistical processing comprises comparing a resulting statistical value to a threshold value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the communication traffic processing elements is an element of a wireless mobile communication network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the element of the wireless mobile communication network comprises an element for processing of customer traffic through the network, selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile switching center (MSC), a base station (BS), a base station controller (BSC) and a home location register (HLR).

11. A system for real-time monitoring of operational status of elements of a communications network, wherein the elements are for processing of customers communication traffic through the network, the system comprising:

a communication module for establishing streaming communication sessions with a first one of the communication traffic processing elements and with a second one of the communication traffic processing elements, and for receiving a stream of operational status messages produced by each respective one of the first and second communication traffic processing elements for a local log function in a form intended for network operations personnel, as the respective communication traffic processing element generates the messages in real-time, as streaming data, through a respective one of the established streaming communication sessions;

a message database;

a message parser, for processing the messages received from the first and second communication traffic processing elements to extract relevant operational data from each received message for use in populating fields of records in the database;

a processor, for processing at least some of the records in the database populated with data extracted from messages from the first and second communication traffic processing elements; and

a display module, for presentation to a user of information based on the results of record processing.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a buffer for receiving the streaming data containing the messages from the communication module and presenting complete messages to the message parser; and

a database insert module, for populating fields of records in the database using the data extracted from the messages by the parser.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication module is configured to establish the streaming communication session with and receive the messages from at least one communication traffic processing element of a wireless mobile communication network.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a database query interface; and

a watch list manager.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a database query interface; and

a result formatter.

16. A program product comprising one or more machine readable storage media and executable code embodied in the storage media, wherein:

execution of the code causes one or more computers to implement a sequence of steps for monitoring of operational status of elements of a communications network,

each element is for processing of customers communication traffic through the network, and

the sequence of steps comprises;

receiving operational status messages produced by a first one of the communication traffic processing elements for a local log function of the first element, in real-time as the first element generates the messages, via a streaming communication session;

concurrently receiving operational status messages produced by a second one of the elements for processing of customers communication traffic through the network for its local log file in a form intended for network operations personnel, via a streaming communication session as the second element generates the messages in real-time;

parsing each of the messages received from the first communication traffic processing element, to extract relevant operational data;

populating fields of first records in a database with the data extracted by the parsing of the messages received from the first communication traffic processing element;

parsing each of the messages received from the second communication traffic processing element to extract data;

populating fields of second records in the database with the data extracted by the parsing of the messages received from the second communication traffic processing element;

processing at least some first and second records from the database; and

providing a display based on results of the processing of first and second records from the database.