Classification of data in data flows in a data storage infrastructure for a communication network

• US 7,752,437 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Mirza, Nasir Mahmood, Thakur, Brajendra Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar; Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US11/335,428
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• 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 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A data storage infrastructure is disclosed for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data. The data storage infrastructure comprises a plurality of data storage systems and a storage management system. The data storage systems are configured to store the network data using a plurality of service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the service classes. The storage management system is configured to process characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of a plurality of data classes and to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems based on the data class assignments.

Claims

1. A data storage infrastructure for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data, the data storage infrastructure comprising:

a plurality of data storage systems configured to store the network data using a plurality of service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the service classes, wherein one of the service classes requires geographically diverse back-up storage; and

a storage management system configured to process characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of a plurality of data classes, process factors for the data flows to assign scores for the factors to the individual ones of the data flows, process the scores to generate total scores for the individual ones of the data flows, process key variables for the individual ones of the data flows, and assign the individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems based on the data class assignments, the total scores, and the key variables.

2. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the different ones of the data storage service classes have different data storage reliabilities.

3. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a communication path data class for network data associated with setting-up and operating user sessions on the communication network.

4. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise an accounting data class for network data associated with communication network accounting.

5. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise an alarm data class for network data associated with communication network faults and alarms.

6. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a configuration data class for network data associated with communication network configurations.

7. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a performance data class for network data associated with communication network performance.

8. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a security data class for network data associated with communication network security.

9. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a content data class for network data that comprises network user content.

10. The data storage infrastructure of claim 1 wherein the data classes comprise a legal compliance data class for network data associated with communication network legal compliance.

11. A method of operating a data storage infrastructure for a communication network that produces a plurality of data flows of network data, the method comprising:

in a plurality of data storage systems, storing the network data using a plurality of service classes, wherein different ones of the data storage systems provide different ones of the service classes, wherein one of the service classes requires geographically diverse back-up storage; and

in a storage management system, processing characteristics for the data flows to assign individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of a plurality of data classes, processing factors for the data flows to assign scores for the factors to the individual ones of the data flows, processing the scores to generate total scores for the individual ones of the data flows, processing key variables for the individual ones of the data flows, and assigning the individual ones of the data flows to individual ones of the data storage systems based on the data class assignments, the total scores, and the key variables.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the different ones of the data storage service classes have different data storage reliabilities.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a communication path data class for network data associated with setting-up and operating user sessions on the communication network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise an accounting data class for network data associated with communication network accounting.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise an alarm data class for network data associated with communication network faults and alarms.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a configuration data class for network data associated with communication network configurations.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a performance data class for network data associated with communication network performance.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a security data class for network data associated with communication network security.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a content data class for network data that comprises network user content.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the data classes comprise a legal compliance data class for network data associated with communication network legal compliance.