Systems and methods for managing multicast data transmissions

• US 8,477,617 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Abbazia, Edward W. Jr., Pelisson, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, CLEMENCE S
• Application Number:
  US12/766,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 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 comprising

a management server, operatively coupled to a feed agent, to:

execute a configuration file during start up of the management server, 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;

receive, during the polling of the feed agent, statistical data collected by the feed agent, the statistical data relating to a multicast feed;

determine whether a database is available to store the received statistical data;

store the received statistical data in the database when the database is available;

write the received statistical data to a local data file when the database is not available.

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

3. The system of claim 1, where, when receiving the statistical data relating to the multicast feed, the management server is to receive the statistical data using a transmission control protocol (TCP).

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

receive the statistical data relating to the multicast feed based on periodic requests from the management server.

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

identify a hard disk drive threshold during start up of the management server;

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

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

6. A method comprising:

executing, by a server, a configuration file during start up of the server, 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 time period during which agent polling is conducted;

receiving, at the server and from the feed agent during the log interval time, data statistics regarding the multicast feed;

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

retrieving, by the server, the requested logged data statistics; and

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

7. The method of claim 6, where the multicast feed comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) data feed.

8. The method of claim 6, where receiving the logged data statistics includes receiving, at the server, the logged data statistics upon request using a transmission control protocol (TCP).

9. The method of claim 6, where receiving the request from the client device for information relating to the logged data statistics comprises:

receiving, at the server, a log interval time indicating a frequency with which the information relating to the logged data statistics are to be transmitted.

10. A computer-readable memory device containing instructions executable by one or more processors, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

identify a log interval time indicating a time period during which agent polling is conducted;

periodically request data statistics regarding a multicast feed, logged by the agent, based on the log interval time;

determine whether the logged data statistics are received;

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

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

11. The computer-readable memory device of claim 10, where the multicast feed comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) data feed.

12. The computer-readable memory device of claim 10, where the one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to request the logged data statistics include one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to request the logged data statistics using a transmission control protocol (TCP).

13. The computer-readable memory device of claim 10, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request from a client system for information relating to the logged data statistics;

retrieve the requested logged data statistics; and

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