Processing of usage data for first and second types of usage-based functions

• US 7,599,288 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cole, Raymond E., Lamons, Scott Putnam
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu; Binh K
• Application Number:
  US10/955,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20060067493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 379/112.01, 379/112.02, 379/112.06, 379/112.07, 379/112.08, 379/114.01, 379/121.01, 379/126, 379/133, 379137-139, 370351-356
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• 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 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Embodiments for monitoring a network are provided. In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes collecting data containing information on usage of a network by subscribers. The method further aggregates the data for a first type of usage-based function. Further, the method, simultaneously with the aggregating of the data, samples the data for a second, different type of usage-based function. In other embodiments, systems and machine readable media for monitoring usage of a network are also provided that provide simultaneous generation of data sets for first and second usage-based functions.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a network, the method comprising:

collecting data containing information on usage of a network by subscribers, wherein collecting data includes collecting a message having a size field that indicates a total number of data packets in a data flow;

aggregating the data for a first type of usage-based function; and

simultaneously with the aggregating of the data, sampling the data for a second, different type of usage-based function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating the data for a first type of usage-based function comprises aggregating the data for a billing function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sampling the data for a second, different type of usage-based function comprises sampling the data for a network analysis function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data comprises receiving usage data from at least one network element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the data comprises receiving usage data from at least one router.

6. A method for monitoring a network, the method comprising:

collecting data from a network element of the network, the data containing records of subscriber usage of the network, wherein collecting data includes collecting a message having a size field that indicates a total number of data packets in a data flow;

in a first usage processor, aggregating the collected data to form a first set of data for use in a billing system;

in a second processor, selecting samples of the collected data to retain to form a reduced set of data for use in a network analyzer system; and

wherein the second processor selects the samples of the collected data simultaneously with the first processor aggregating the collected data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein collecting data comprises receiving usage statistics from at least one router in the network in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) message.

8. A usage monitoring system, the system comprising:

a usage collector that collects usage records from a network, wherein the usage records collection includes a collection of a message having a size field that indicates a total number of data packets in a data flow;

a first usage processor, responsive to the usage collector, that aggregates the collected usage records to form a first set of data for a first type of usage-based function; and

a second usage processor, responsive to the usage collector, that samples the usage records simultaneously with the first usage processor to form a second, reduced set of data for a second type of usage-based function.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the usage collector is adapted to receive records of use of the network by subscribers from at least one router in the network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first type of usage-based function is a network analyzer function.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the second type of usage-based function is a billing function.

12. A system for monitoring usage of a network, the system comprising:

a first usage processor that aggregates data in records of usage of a network by subscribers for a first type of usage-based function, wherein the data aggregation includes a collection of a message having a size field that indicates a total number of data packets in a data flow;

a second usage processor that selects samples of the records for a second type of usage-based function; and

wherein the first usage processor aggregates the data simultaneously with the second usage processor selecting samples of the records.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first usage processor aggregates the data for a billing function.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second usage processor samples the data for a network analyzer function.

15. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving records containing data of usage of a network by subscribers, wherein receiving records includes collecting a message having a size field that indicates a total number of data packets in a data flow;

aggregating data from the records to create a set of data for use in a billing system; and

simultaneously with the aggregating of the data, selecting samples of the records to create a second, reduced set of data for use in a network analyzer system.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving records comprises receiving records of usage of the network from at least one network element.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving records comprises receiving records of the usage of the network from at least one router in the network.