Methods and apparatus to detect an error condition in a communication network

• US 7,954,010 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beattie, James Gordon Jr., Griesmer, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman; Scott T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong; Loan
• Application Number:
  US12/333,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/25, 714/27, 714/47.1, 370/245, 370/252
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to detect an error condition in a communication network are disclosed herein. An example method of detecting an error condition in a communication network includes collecting first metric data from a first endpoint device, the first metric data being related to a first connection between the first endpoint device and a communication network; collecting second metric data from a second endpoint device, the second metric data being related to a second connection between the second endpoint device and the communication network; determining if at least one of the first and second metric data are indicative of the error condition; when the at least one of the first and second metric data are indicative of the error condition, identifying a point of correlation between the first and second connections; identifying a network element based on the point of correlation; and performing an evaluation of the network element.

Claims

1. A method of detecting an error condition in a communication network, comprising:

collecting first metric data from a first endpoint device, the first metric data being related to a first connection between the first endpoint device and a communication network;

collecting second metric data from a second endpoint device, the second metric data being related to a second connection between the second endpoint device and the communication network, the first and second endpoint devices being associated with a connectivity set having a point of correlation;

performing a first comparison between the first metric data and a first threshold according to a first schedule;

determining an average of the first metric data and the second metric data;

performing a second comparison between the average and a second threshold according to a second schedule different from the first schedule;

when the first comparison is indicative of a first error condition, accelerating the second schedule;

when the second comparison is indicative of a second error condition, identifying a network element based on the point of correlation; and

performing an evaluation of the network element.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising generating a trouble ticket when the evaluation of the network element indicates that the network element is functioning improperly.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising automatically forwarding the trouble ticket to a workcenter capable of addressing problems associated with the network element.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the network element comprises referencing a topology database including information related to a first circuit corresponding to the first endpoint device and a second circuit corresponding to the second endpoint device.

5. An apparatus to detect an error condition in a communication network, comprising:

a data collector to collect first metric data from a first endpoint device and second metric data from a second endpoint device, the first metric data being related to a first connection between the first endpoint device and a communication network, the second metric data being related to a second connection between the second endpoint device and the communication network, the first and second endpoint devices being associated with a point of correlation;

a comparator to perform a first comparison according to a first schedule to determine whether the first metric data is indicative of a first error condition, the comparator to perform a second comparison according to a second schedule to determine whether an average of the first metric and the second metric is indicative of a second error condition, the second schedule to be accelerated when the first comparison is indicative of the first error condition;

a network element identifier to identify a network element associated with the point of correlation between the first and second connections; and

an analyzer to evaluate the network element associated with the point of correlation.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising a trouble ticket generator to generate a trouble ticket when the analyzer indicates that the network element is functioning improperly.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the trouble ticket generator is to automatically forward the trouble ticket to a workcenter.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the comparator is to determine if the first metric data is indicative of the first error condition by comparing the first metric data with a threshold.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the comparator is to determine whether the average of the first and second metric data is indicative of the second error condition by comparing the average of the first and second metric data to a threshold.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the network element identifier is to identify the network element by referencing a topology database including information related to the first connection corresponding to the first endpoint device and the second connection corresponding to the second endpoint device.

11. An apparatus method as defined in claim 5, wherein the communication network comprises a virtual private network.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the network element comprises at least one of a router, a hub, a switch, or a gateway.

13. A communication system, comprising:

a service-provider network including a plurality of edge routers to implement a virtual private network (VPN);

an application installed on first and second endpoint devices communicatively coupled to the service-provider network, the application to collect metric data related to connections to the VPN associated with the first and second endpoint devices, the first and second endpoint devices being associated with a first network element; and

a first server to receive the metric data from the first and second endpoint devices, to analyze the metric data according to a first schedule to detect a first error condition in the first endpoint device having a potential to cause service interruptions of the VPN and in response to detecting the first error condition, the first server to accelerate the second schedule, to analyze a composite value associated with the metric data according to a second schedule to detect a second error condition, and in response to detecting the second error condition automatically identify a point of correlation associated with the first and second endpoint devices.

14. A communication system as defined in claim 13, further comprising a second server to evaluate a second network element in response to an indication from the first server that the first error condition has been detected.

15. A communication system as defined in claim 14, further comprising a trouble ticket generator to generate a trouble ticket in response to the second server determining that the second network element is functioning improperly.

16. A communication system as defined in claim 13, wherein the first server identifies the first network element by referencing a topology database including information related to a first circuit corresponding to the first endpoint device and a second circuit corresponding to the second endpoint device.