Systems and methods for managing multicast data transmissions

• US 7,756,033 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelisson, James H., Abbazia, Edward W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Han; Clemence
• Application Number:
  US10/836,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,262 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A system enables monitoring a multicast data feeds over a network. The system may include a multicast-enabled network device for transmitting a multicast feed from a multicast feed source to a user device via a computer network. A feed agent may be operatively coupled to the multicast-enabled network device for collecting and storing multicast feed data from the multicast feed source. A management server may be operatively connected to the feed agent for receiving multicast feed data collected by the feed agent. The management server may include a web server for receiving requests for multicast feed data over the network via a web interface.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a multicast feed, comprising

a multicast-enabled network device for transmitting the multicast feed from a multicast feed source to a user device via a network;

a feed agent operatively coupled to the multicast-enabled network device for collecting and storing statistical data relating to the multicast feed,

where the feed agent is to;

execute a configuration file during start up, the configuration file including at least an indication of a user datagram protocol (UDP) port on the multicast-enabled network device to monitor, and an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with the multicast feed; and

a management server operatively coupled to the feed agent for receiving the statistical data collected by the feed agent, where the management server is to;

execute a configuration file during start up, the configuration file including at least an indication of a host name and IP address associated with the feed agent;

identify a log interval time indicating a frequency with which polling of the feed agent is conducted;

periodically request the statistical data relating to the multicast feed from the feed agent;

determine whether the statistical data relating to the multicast feed is received in response to the request;

send a notification to a trap destination address when the statistical data relating to the multicast feed is not received; and

store, in a database, the statistical data relating to the multicast feed when the statistical data is received in response to the request.

2. The system of claim 1, where the multicast feed is transmitted from the multicast-enabled network device to the user device using a user datagram protocol (UDP).

3. The system of claim 1, where the multicast-enabled network device comprises a multicast-enabled router.

4. The system of claim 1, where the multicast feed comprises financial data, collaborative whiteboard data, or streaming media.

5. The system of claim 1, where the collected statistical data relating to the multicast feed is transmitted from the feed agent to the management server using a transmission control protocol (TCP).

6. The system of claim 1, where the feed agent is to:

monitor the multicast feed received by the multicast-enabled network device; and

transmit the statistical data relating to the multicast feed to the management server in response to periodic requests from the management server.

7. The system of claim 6, where the feed agent is further to:

identify a log interval time indicating the frequency with which collections of the statistical data relating to the multicast feed are conducted; and

identify a transmission control protocol (TCP) port associated with incoming requests from the management server.

8. The system of claim 1, where the statistical data relating to the multicast feed includes at least one multicast feed data element.

9. The system of claim 8, where the at least one multicast feed data element comprises a sequence number associated with received data units.

10. The system of claim 9, where the at least one multicast feed data element comprises a retransmission identification associated with received data units.

11. The system of claim 1, where the feed agent is further to:

calculate, based on the statistical data relating to the multicast feed, at least one value from a group comprising;

a number of packets and messages received since the feed agent has started, a number of packets and messages received during a user-defined time interval, a number of re-transmitted messages since the feed agent has started, a number of re-transmitted messages during the user-defined time interval, a number of missing messages since the feed agent has started, a number of missing messages during the user-defined time interval, a number of out of sequence messages, a number of duplicate messages, a rate of packets and messages received per second since the feed agent has started, or a rate of packets and messages per second for the user-defined time interval.

12. The system of claim 1, where the management server is for periodically polling the feed agent and receiving the available multicast feed data based on the polling.

13. The system of claim 1, where the management server is further to:

determine whether the database is available; and

write the received statistical data relating to the multicast feed to a flat data file when the database is not available.

14. The system of claim 1, where the management server is to:

identify a hard disk drive threshold during start up;

periodically determine if available hard disk drive space is less than the hard disk drive threshold; and

send a notification to the trap destination address when the available hard disk drive space is less than the hard disk drive threshold.

15. The system of claim 1, where the management server includes a web server for enabling review of the stored statistical data relating to the multicast feed by a client computer device over the network.

16. The system of claim 15, where the web server provides a customizable interface for retrieving and viewing the stored statistical data relating to the multicast feed.

17. The system of claim 15, where the web server provides for dynamic report generating relating to user-defined portions of the stored statistical data relating to the multicast feed.

18. The system of claim 15, where the web server is to:

receive a request from the client computer device for information relating to the stored statistical data relating to the multicast feed;

retrieve the requested statistical data relating to the multicast feed; and

present the requested statistical data relating to the multicast feed to the client computer device for display in substantially real time.

19. A method for monitoring a multicast feed transmitted via a network, comprising:

executing, by a server, a configuration file during start up, the configuration file including at least an indication of a host name and an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a feed agent;

identifying, by the server, a log interval time indicating a frequency with which agent polling is conducted;

receiving, at a network device connected to the feed agent, the multicast feed from a data source;

logging, at the feed agent, data statistics regarding the multicast feed;

transmitting the multicast feed to a user device;

periodically requesting, by the server, the logged data statistics;

determining whether the logged data statistics are received by the server in response to the request;

sending, by the server, a notification to a trap destination address when the logged data statistics are not received;

storing the logged data statistics in a database associated with the server when the logged data statistics are received;

and

calculating, based on the logged data statistics, at least one value from a group comprising;

a number of packets and messages received since the feed agent has started, a number of packets and messages received during a user-defined time interval, a number of re-transmitted messages since the feed agent has started, a number of re-transmitted messages during the user-defined time interval, a number of missing messages since the feed agent has started, a number of missing messages during the user-defined time interval, a number of out of sequence messages, a number of duplicate messages, a rate of packets and messages received per second since the feed agent has started, and a rate of packets and messages per second for the user-defined time interval.

20. The method of claim 19, where the multicast feed comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) data feed.

21. The method of claim 19, where the logged data statistics are transmitted to the server upon request using a transmission control protocol (TCP).

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

executing a configuration file during start up of the feed agent, the configuration file including at least an indication of a user datagram protocol (UDP) port on the network device to monitor, and an IP address associated with the multicast feed;

identifying, by the feed agent, a log interval time indicating the frequency with which data statistic logging is to be conducted; and

identifying, by the feed agent, a TCP port associated with incoming requests from the server.

23. The method of claim 19, where logging data statistics regarding the multicast feed further comprises:

capturing a sequence number associated with multicast data units included in the multicast feed; and

capturing a retransmission identification associated with the multicast data units.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving, at a web server associated with the server, a request from a client system for information relating to the stored logged data statistics;

retrieving the requested logged data statistics from the database; and

transmitting the requested logged data statistics to the client system for display in substantially real time.

25. A computer-readable memory device containing instructions for controlling one or more processors to perform a method for monitoring a multicast feed transmitted via a network, the method comprising:

executing, by a server, a configuration file during start up, the configuration file including at least an indication of a host name and an Internet protocol (IP) address associated with a feed agent;

identifying, by the server, a log interval time indicating a frequency with which agent polling is conducted;

receiving, at a network device connected to the feed agent, the multicast feed from a data source;

logging, at the feed agent, data statistics regarding the multicast feed;

transmitting the multicast feed to a user device;

periodically requesting, by the server, the logged data statistics;

determining whether the logged data statistics are received by the server in response to the request;

sending a notification to a trap destination address when the logged data statistics are not received; and

storing the logged data statistics in a database associated with the server when the logged data statistics are received.