Monitoring network service affecting events, taking action, and automating subscriber notification

• US 8,065,727 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chiba, Murtaza, Mammoliti, Vincent J., Dec, Wojciech, Pruss, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/772,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20090013383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 726 11- 15, 726 22- 30, 709223-225, 709228-229, 713150-155
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying at least one parameter as being associated with a service provided to an entity, as for example a subscriber. The service is arranged to service the entity. The method also includes monitoring the parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised, and invoking a notification mechanism to send a notification to the entity if it is determined that the accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised. The notification indicates that the accessibility to the service is compromised.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying at least one parameter as being associated with a service arranged to be provided to an entity, wherein the service is arranged to service the entity;

monitoring the at least one parameter using a network element included in a network, wherein monitoring the at least one parameter includes monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised; and

invoking a notification mechanism to send a notification from the network element through the network to the entity if it is determined that the accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised, the notification being arranged to indicate that the accessibility to the service is compromised.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised includes comparing the at least one parameter against a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised further includes comparing the at least one parameter against a service level agreement (SLA).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised includes receiving feedback information from the service and utilizing at least the feedback information to determine whether the notification is to be generated.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service is associated with a resource that is one selected from the group including a border gateway protocol (BGP) next hop, a routing protocol adjacency, an internet resource, a network application server, and a network routing prefix.

4. A method comprising:

identifying at least one parameter as being associated with a service arranged to be provided to an entity, wherein the service is arranged to service the entity;

monitoring the at least one parameter, wherein monitoring the at least one parameter includes monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised; and

invoking a notification mechanism to send a notification to the entity if it is determined that the accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised, the notification being arranged to indicate that the accessibility to the service is compromised, wherein monitoring the at least one parameter includes sending a probe to the service, and the at least one parameter is at least one selected from the group including packet loss associated with the service, packet delay associated with the service, packet jitter associated with the service, and internet protocol (IP) reachability associated with the service.

7. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory computer-readable tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

identify at least one parameter as being associated with a service arranged to be provided to an entity, wherein the service is arranged to service the entity;

monitor the at least one parameter, wherein the logic operable to monitor the at least one parameter is further operable to monitor the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised; and

invoke a notification mechanism to send a notification to the entity if it is determined that the accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised, the notification being arranged to indicate that the accessibility to the service is compromised.

8. The logic of claim 7 wherein the logic operable to monitor the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised includes logic operable to compare the at least one parameter against a threshold value.

9. The logic of claim 8 wherein the logic operable to monitor the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised is further operable to compare the at least one parameter against a service level agreement (SLA).

10. The logic of claim 7 where the logic operable to monitor the at least one parameter is further operable to send a probe to the service, and the at least one parameter is at least one selected from the group including packet loss associated with the service, packet delay associated with the service, packet jitter associated with the service, and internet protocol (IP) reachability associated with the service.

11. The logic of claim 7 wherein the logic operable to monitor the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised is further operable to receive feedback information from the service and still further operable to utilize the feedback information to determine whether the notification is to be generated.

12. The logic of claim 7 wherein the service is associated with a resource that is one selected from the group including a border gateway protocol (BGP) next hop, a routing protocol adjacency, an internet resource, a network application server, and a network routing prefix.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for identifying at least one parameter as being associated with a service arranged to be provided to an entity, wherein the service is arranged to service the entity;

means for monitoring the at least one parameter, wherein the means for monitoring the at least one parameter include means for monitoring the at least one parameter to determine if accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised; and

means for invoking a notification mechanism to send a notification to the entity if it is determined that the accessibility to the service by the entity is compromised, the notification being arranged to indicate that the accessibility to the service is compromised.

14. An apparatus comprising:

an interface, the interface being arranged to allow the apparatus to communicate with a subscriber and to communicate with or utilize a service, wherein the subscriber is arranged to communicate with or utilize the service through the apparatus;

a data store, the data store being arranged to store a policy for the subscriber; and

monitoring logic, the monitoring logic being arranged to observe the service to assess accessibility of the service, wherein the monitoring logic is further arranged to determine if the accessibility of the service is consistent with the policy and to cause an alert to be sent to the subscriber if the accessibility of the service is not consistent with the policy.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the apparatus is one selected from a group including a routing gateway and a border gateway protocol (BGP) gateway.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the monitoring logic includes probe generating logic that is arranged to cause a probe to be sent to the service using the interface, and wherein the monitoring logic further includes policy logic that is arranged to determine if the accessibility of the service is consistent with the policy by observing at least one parameter associated with the service after causing the probe to be sent to the service and comparing the at least one parameter to at least one threshold value associated with the policy.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the at least one parameter is at least one selected from the group including packet loss associated with the service, packet delay associated with the service, packet jitter associated with the service, and internet protocol (IP) reachability associated with the service.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the monitoring logic includes accessibility logic arranged to create the alert and to cause the alert to be sent if the at least one parameter does not compare favorably to the at least one threshold value.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the service is one selected from the group including a border gateway protocol (BGP) next hop, an internet service, a service, and an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) protocol server.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the monitoring logic includes first logic arranged to generate a probe to be sent to the service, second logic arranged to assess the policy with respect to the service, and third logic arranged to cause the alert to be sent.

21. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the monitoring logic is arranged to cause an alert to be sent to the subscriber by redirecting HTTP traffic to a notification mechanism that is arranged to process the HTTP traffic and to send the alert.