Symbolic representation of protocol-layer information

• US 8,085,812 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Frishberg, Leo David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US11/690,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 370/466, 370/469, 709/230, 709/238, 345/440, 345/736, 345/734
• US Class Current: 370/469
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A method of displaying protocol-specific data includes receiving data, extracting protocol-specific information from the data, converting protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation, and presenting the symbolic representation. A dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

A test and measurement instrument for displaying data includes an acquisition system configured to receive an input signal, a processor coupled to the acquisition system and configured to generate a symbolic representation of protocol-specific information within the input signal, and a user interface coupled to the processor and configured to present the symbolic representation. A dimension of symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing and displaying protocol-specific data for use in a test and measurement instrument, comprising:

receiving communications data from a system under test using an acquisition system of the test and measurement instrument;

extracting protocol-specific information from the communications data using a processor;

converting said protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation using the processor; and

displaying the symbolic representation on a display device;

wherein

each symbol of the symbolic representation is a graphical symbol and is a polygon; and

a first dimension of the graphical symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers;

wherein each protocol layer is represented by a different distance along the first dimension, the greatest distance corresponding to a highest protocol layer in the packet; and

wherein the packet symbol has a distance in a second dimension according to a length of the packet; and

further comprising;

reducing a first distance along a time axis in the symbolic representation corresponding to interstitial data in a first direction of a link and a second distance along the time axis in the symbolic representation corresponding to interstitial data in a second direction of the link where the first distance overlaps the second distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information; and

arranging the packet symbols in the symbolic representation along an axis representing time.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

offsetting packet symbols for related packets from packet symbols for unrelated packets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information;

arranging packet symbols associated with a first direction of a link along a first side of an axis; and

arranging packet symbols associated with a second direction of the link along a second side of the axis.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a packet; and

aligning symbols such that a common point along an axis between a plurality of links corresponds to substantially the same time in response to the selection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting only symbols in the symbolic representation corresponding to a subset of all protocol layers of the protocol-specific information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

annotating symbols of the symbolic representation with layer-specific information.

8. A method of analyzing and displaying protocol-specific data for use in a test and measurement instrument, comprising:

receiving communications data from a system under test using an acquisition system of the test and measurement instrument;

extracting protocol-specific information from the communications data using a processor;

converting said protocol-specific information into a symbolic representation using the processor; and

displaying the symbolic representation on a display device;

wherein

each symbol of the symbolic representation is a graphical symbol and is a polygon; and

a first dimension of the graphical symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers;

wherein each protocol layer is represented by a different distance along the first dimension, the greatest distance corresponding to a highest protocol layer in the packet; and

wherein the packet symbol has a distance in a second dimension according to a length of the packet; and

further comprising;

creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information; and

aligning packet symbols associated with a first link with packet symbols associated with a second link such that substantially similar times represented in both packet symbols of the first link and packet symbols of the second link correspond to a same point along an axis in the symbolic representation.

9. A test and measurement instrument for displaying data, comprising:

an acquisition system configured to receive an input signal, the input signal being a communications signal;

a processor coupled to the acquisition system and configured to extract protocol-specific information from said received signal, and generate therefrom a symbolic representation of protocol-specific information within the input signal; and

a user interface coupled to the processor for receiving user-entered data; and

a display device configured to display symbols of the symbolic representation;

wherein

each symbol of the symbolic representation is a graphical symbol and is a polygon; and

wherein

a first dimension of the symbols of the symbolic representation differentiates protocol layers, the greatest distance corresponding to a highest protocol layer in the packet; and

a second dimension of the symbols indicates packet length; and

a symbol manipulation interface configured to adjust the symbolic representation in response to a user input;

said symbol manipulation interface creating packet symbols for packets within the protocol specific information; and

aligning packet symbols associated with a first link with packet symbols associated with a second link such that substantially similar times represented in both packet symbols of the first link and packet symbols of the second link correspond to a same point along an axis in the symbolic representation.

10. The test and measurement instrument of claim 9, further comprising:

a zoom interface configured to adjust a second dimension of the symbolic representation in response to a user input.

11. The test and measurement instrument of claim 9, further comprising:

a compression interface configured to adjust distances representing interstitial data of the protocol-specific information in response to a user input.

12. The test and measurement instrument of claim 9, further comprising:

an alignment interface configured to align packet symbols of the symbolic representation along an axis in response to a user input.