Method and apparatus for detecting a network impairment using call detail records

• US 8,503,313 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2006
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lang, Howard, Boni, Jeff, Johnson, Byron, Lee, Herman, Lee, John, Mayr, John H., Nordberg, Mark P., Tu, Ker-Ren, Vestal, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US11/618,887
• Time in Patent Office: 2,410 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/253, 370/241, 370/242, 714/4, 714/253, 714/37, 714/39, 714/42, 714/43, 709/223, 709/224, 725/105, 725/106, 725/107, 725/108, 725/109, 725/111, 725/118
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1482 involving use of telephony infrastructure for billing for the transport of data, e.g. call detail record [CDR] or intelligent network infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring a packet network by using call detail records (CDRs) are disclosed. The method first receives at least one call detail record (CDR) at a completion of a call from at least one voice gateway router that serviced said call and analyzes said at least one CDR. The method then monitors at least one performance parameter in accordance with said at least one CDR.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a packet network, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a plurality of call detail records at a completion of a call from a plurality of voice gateway routers that serviced the call over the packet network;

matching, by the processor, a first call detail record of the plurality of call detail records with a second call detail record of the plurality of call detail records that were generated from the call based upon a source address and a destination address;

analyzing, by the processor, the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched; and

monitoring, by the processor, a call performance parameter in accordance with the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched, wherein the call performance parameter comprises a hairpin parameter, wherein the monitoring the call performance parameter comprises determining whether the call performance parameter has exceeded a threshold value in a predetermined timeframe.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the call performance parameter is one of a plurality of call performance parameters that is monitored, wherein another one of the plurality of call performance parameters comprises a packet loss parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an alarm if the threshold value is exceeded.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a ticket if the threshold value is exceeded.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a customer care work center if the threshold value is exceeded.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a customer directly if the threshold value is exceeded.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of call detail records is provided to a call detail record collecting and analysis server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of voice gateway routers is located at a customer location.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for monitoring a packet network, the operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of call detail records at a completion of a call from a plurality of voice gateway routers that serviced the call over the packet network;

matching a first call detail record of the plurality of call detail records with a second call detail record of the plurality of call detail records that were generated from the call based upon a source address and a destination address;

the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched; and

monitoring a call performance parameter in accordance with the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched, wherein the call performance parameter comprises a hairpin parameter, wherein the monitoring the call performance parameter comprises determining whether the call performance parameter has exceeded a threshold value in a predetermined timeframe.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the call performance parameter is one of a plurality of call performance parameters that is monitored, wherein another one of the plurality of call performance parameters comprises a packet loss parameter.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

generating an alarm if the threshold value is exceeded.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a ticket if the threshold value is exceeded.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

notifying a customer care work center if the threshold value is exceeded.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

notifying a customer directly if the threshold value is exceeded.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of call detail records is provided to a call detail record collecting and analysis server.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of voice gateway routers is located at a customer location.

17. An apparatus for monitoring a packet network, comprising:

a call detail record collecting and analysis server for receiving a plurality of call detail records at a completion of a call from a plurality of voice gateway routers that serviced the call over the packet network, for matching a first call detail record of the plurality of call detail records with a second call detail record of the plurality of call detail records that were generated from the call based upon a source address and a destination address, for analyzing the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched, and for monitoring a call performance parameter in accordance with the first call detail record and the second call detail record that are matched, wherein the call performance parameter comprises a hairpin parameter, wherein the monitoring the call performance parameter comprises determining whether the call performance parameter has exceeded a threshold value in a predetermined timeframe.