Network real time monitoring and control system

• US 8,089,875 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Fraccalvieri, Donato, D'Aleo, Marco, Forlano, Luigi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huq, Obaidul
• Application Number:
  US12/535,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100296402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/235, 370/241, 370/252
• US Class Current: 370/230.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping

Abstract

A network real-time monitoring and control system includes several layers of components for generating a network traffic shaping control that is used to shaping network traffic flows for one or more network nodes. The layers of the network real-time monitoring and control system include a monitoring layer, an event control layer, a traffic shaping control layer, a reporting layer, and an administrative layer. The monitoring obtains network traffic indicator measurements and network node operational indicator measurements. The event control layer uses the indicator measurements to generate a network event identifier, and generates a request for a network traffic shaping control based on a correlation of the network event identifier with a network node status identifier. The request for the network traffic shaping control is communicated to the traffic shaping control layer to generate a network traffic shaping control.

Claims

1. A network real-time monitoring and control system comprising:

a memory that stores executable instruction sets that define;

a real-time network monitor operative to;

monitor a network traffic flow of a network node;

monitor a network traffic indicator associated with the network node for the monitored traffic flow; and

store a monitored network traffic indicator measurement in a monitored network traffic database, wherein the monitored traffic indicator measurement provides a measurement of the network traffic indicator for the network node;

an event manager operative to;

receive the monitored network traffic indicator measurement from the monitored traffic indicator measurement database;

receive a monitored network traffic indicator threshold associated with the monitored network traffic indicator from a monitored network traffic indicator threshold database;

generate a network performance measurement based on the monitored network traffic indicator measurement and a network performance equation;

request a network performance threshold from a network performance threshold profile;

compare the generated network performance measurement with the network performance threshold;

compare the monitored network traffic indicator measurement with the retrieved monitored network traffic indicator threshold; and

generate a network event identifier based on the comparison of the traffic indicator measurement with the retrieved monitored network traffic indicator threshold, and the comparison of the generated network performance measurement with the network performance threshold;

a real-time status analyzer operative to;

receive the network event identifier from the event manager;

correlate the network event identifier with a network node status identifier;

generate a request for a network traffic shaping control based on the correlation of the network event identifier with the network node status identifier; and

a control manager operative to;

receive the request for the network traffic shaping control from the real-time status analyzer;

receive a calculated network traffic shaping control intensity for the network traffic shaping control, wherein the network traffic shaping control intensity specifies a network traffic intensity for the monitored network traffic flow of the network node; and

output the network traffic shaping control, wherein the network traffic shaping control includes the calculated network traffic shaping control intensity; and

a processor that executes the executable instruction sets.

2. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein the network traffic indicator comprises a network traffic input indicator that represents a particular network traffic type received by the network node.

3. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein the network traffic indicator comprises a network traffic output indicator that represents a particular network traffic type output by the network node.

4. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein:

the memory further comprises a network node status rule set comprising;

the network node status identifier that identifies an instability status of the network node; and

a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier that identifies the network node status identifier when the network node status condition is satisfied.

5. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 4 wherein the real-time status analyzer is further operative to correlate the network node status identifier by determining whether the network event identifier satisfies the network node status condition.

6. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 4 wherein the network node status condition is satisfied when the generated network event identifier identifies that the monitored network traffic indicator measurement has exceeded the retrieved monitored network traffic indicator threshold.

7. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 4 wherein:

the network node status condition is a first network node status condition; and

the network node status rule set further comprises;

a first network node status condition priority associated with the first network node status condition that indicates a first priority level of the first network node status condition; and

a second network node status condition priority associated with a second network node status condition that indicates a second priority level of the second network node status condition; and

the first priority level is greater than the second priority level.

8. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein the control manager is further operative to:

determine a suggested network traffic shaping control that includes the calculated network traffic shaping control intensity;

generate a control acceptance request that requests acceptance of the determined suggested network traffic shaping control; and

when the control manager receives an acceptance acknowledgment of the determined suggested network traffic shaping control, the control manager outputs the determined suggested network traffic shaping control as the network traffic shaping control.

9. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein the control manager is further operative to:

receive a termination request to terminate the network traffic shaping control; and

terminates the network traffic shaping control in response to the received termination request.

10. The network real-time monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein:

the monitored network traffic flow is a first monitored network traffic flow;

a first network traffic flow priority is associated with the first monitored network traffic flow that identifies a first priority level of the first monitored network traffic flow;

the real-time network monitor is further operative to monitor a second network traffic flow of the network node, wherein a second network traffic flow priority is associated with the second monitored network traffic flow that identifies a second priority level of the second monitored network traffic flow; and

the network traffic shaping control is calculated based on the first monitored network traffic flow when the first network traffic flow priority is greater than the second network traffic flow priority.

11. A method of monitoring and controlling real-time network traffic comprising:

monitoring a network traffic indicator associated with a network node for a network traffic flow;

storing a monitored network traffic indicator measurement that provides a measurement of the network traffic indicator for the network node;

retrieving a network performance equation that defines a network performance measurement;

generating the network performance measurement based on the monitored network traffic indicator measurement and the requested network performance equation;

comparing the generated network performance measurement with a network performance threshold;

comparing the monitored network traffic indicator measurement with a monitored network traffic indicator threshold;

generating a network event identifier based on the comparison of the traffic indicator measurement with the monitored network traffic indicator threshold, and based on the comparison of the generated network performance measurement with the network performance threshold;

correlating the network event identifier with a network node status identifier;

generating a request for a network traffic shaping control based on the correlation of the network event identifier with the network node status identifier; and

calculating a network traffic shaping control intensity for the network traffic shaping control, wherein the network traffic shaping control intensity specifies a network traffic intensity for the monitored network traffic flow of the network node; and

outputting the network traffic shaping control, wherein the network traffic shaping control includes the calculated network traffic shaping control intensity.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the network traffic indicator comprises a network traffic input indicator that represents a particular network traffic type received by the network node.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the network traffic indicator comprises a network traffic output indicator that represents a particular network traffic type output by the network node.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

defining a network node status rule set comprising;

the network node status identifier that identifies an instability status of the network node; and

a network node status condition associated with the network node status identifier that identifies the network node status identifier when the network node status condition is satisfied.

15. The method of claim 14 claim wherein correlating the network event identifier with the network node status identifier comprises:

determining whether the network event identifier satisfies the network node status condition.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

satisfying the network node status condition when the generated network event identifier identifies that the monitored network traffic indicator measurement has exceeded the retrieved monitored network traffic indicator threshold.

17. The method claim 14 wherein:

the network node status condition is a first network node status condition; and

the network node status rule set further comprises;

a first network node status condition priority associated with the first network node status condition that indicates a first priority level of the first network node status condition; and

a second network node status condition priority associated with a second network node status condition that indicates a second priority level of the second network node status condition; and

the first priority level is greater than the second priority level.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining a suggested network traffic shaping control that includes the calculated network traffic shaping control intensity;

generating a control acceptance request that requests acceptance of the determined suggested network traffic shaping control; and

when an acceptance acknowledgment of the determined suggested network traffic shaping control is received, outputting the determined suggested network traffic shaping control as the network traffic shaping control.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a termination request to terminate the network traffic shaping control; and

terminating the network traffic shaping control in response to the received termination request.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the monitored network traffic flow is a first monitored network traffic flow;

a first network traffic flow priority is associated with the first monitored network traffic flow that identifies a first priority level of the first monitored network traffic flow; and

further comprising;

monitoring a second network traffic flow of the network node, wherein a second network traffic flow priority is associated with the second monitored network traffic flow that identifies a second priority level of the second monitored network traffic flow; and

calculating the network traffic shaping control for the first monitored network traffic flow when the first network traffic flow priority is greater than the second network traffic flow priority.