Rules engine for troubleshooting video content delivery network

• US 8,806,550 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TV2 Consulting, LLC
• Original Assignee: TV2 Consulting, LLC
• Inventors: Chan, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERORAZIO, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/286,312
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 725/107, 709/224, 726/22
• US Class Current: 725/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0645 by additionally acting on or stimulating the network after receiving notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem

Abstract

A rules engine for application of rules to a plurality of log events from a plurality of log and event sources has separate threads for the collection of log entries and events, which logs and events are merged together to form a merged log events. A rules thread applies the merged events to a series of rules in search of a match condition, where the match condition involves a log source and one or more fields selected from a particular log or event. When a match condition occurs according to criteria specified by the rule, an action is performed. In one example, the action is the presentation of a distilled message which indicates a corrective action or problem source based on the application of the rules to the merged stream of messages. In another example, multi-tab displays indicate unprocessed logs and the results of applied rules.

Claims

1. A rules filter operative on a controller, the rules filter for detection and presentation of error conditions, the rules filter having:

a plurality of rules, each rule having a log identifier specifying a log or event source for application of the rule, one or more match conditions, each said match condition comparing one or more log or event fields with associated match values, and an action to be performed if said rule match condition comparison is satisfied;

a rules processing thread for applying said plurality of rules to a merged queue of log and event messages, said merged queue of log and event messages generated by a plurality of message log threads, each said log thread operative on a different message log source;

each said message log thread detecting the arrival of a new log or event messages from a particular source and forwarding said new log or event message to said merged log and event message queue;

said merged queue of log and event messages sequentially ordered by timestamp prior to application of said rules;

at least one of said rules comprising a first subset of rules verifying network connectivity, a second subset of rules verifying server configuration, said second subset of rules identifying a non-responsive server, said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules executed prior to a third subset of rules which identifies a failure which requires said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules identify correct operation prior to application of said third subset of rules;

where said action includes the generation of a message which contains information extracted from the associated said log or event which generated said match condition.

2. The rules filter of claim 1 where at least one of said threads is operative on at least one of a W3C server log or an event log.

3. The rules filter of claim 1 where at least one said action includes the generation of a command to a set top box (STB) resulting in the transmission of a response by said STB which is subsequently presented as one of said log and message events.

4. The rules filter of claim 1 where at least one of said threads is operative on diagnostic messages generated by a set top box (STB) in diagnostic mode.

5. The rules filter of claim 1 where at least one of said threads is operative on a packet data capture stream from a set top box.

6. The rules filter of claim 1 where said rules engine generates a display panel which includes a first panel with each log or event message provided in a tabbed window on said first panel, and said display panel also has a second panel adjacent to said first panel which contains messages generated when at least one of said rule match condition comparison is satisfied.

7. A process for a rules engine generating troubleshooting messages for a content delivery network, the rules engine operative on a stream of log events, the process having:

a rules generation step for generating rules, each rule having a log identifier, one or more rule match conditions, each rule match condition having a field identifier and a field value to compare, each said rule also having an action to perform on a match condition of said rule;

at least one of said rules comprising a first subset of rules verifying network connectivity, a second subset of rules verifying server configuration, said second subset of rules identifying a non-responsive server, said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules executed prior to a third subset of rules which identifies a failure which requires said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules identify correct operation prior to application of said third subset of rules;

a log aggregation step where a series of log entries from a plurality of logs are formed into a single stream of messages ordered according to the timestamp of each log entry;

a rules application step where said rules are applied to said single stream of messages, thereby resulting in a plurality of actions associated with said match conditions;

a display step whereby said match conditions for each said rule are placed into a display window which includes a summary part containing said actions and a log part containing said single stream of messages.

8. The process of claim 7 where said log aggregation step is performed by a plurality of individual threads, each thread copying messages from a unique log associated with each said individual thread into said single stream of messages, each said log containing messages in chronological order and with a timestamp, thereby resulting in said actions associated with said messages being ordered chronologically.

9. The process of claim 7 where said log aggregation step includes requesting log messages satisfying a range of dates and times from a plurality of logs, ordering said log messages chronologically, and forming said stream of messages from said ordered log messages.

10. The process of claim 7 where said rules generation step includes identifying a plurality of failure conditions which are specific to a particular video content delivery which has said process operative on a particular node of said network, forming rules which detect each failure, and ordering said rules according to the order of detection of error conditions from said node.

11. The process of claim 7 where said network includes a set-top-box (STB) requesting boot code and making video requests, an authentication server validating requests for boot code and also validating video requests, and a video application server receiving validated requests for video;

said rules generation step including a rule for detecting an unsuccessful boot code request by an STB and having an action which generates a message indicating a boot code request failure;

said rules generation step including a rule for detecting an authentication failure for a video request and having an action which generates a message indicating an authentication failure;

said display step including placing said stream of messages into one part of a display and said action messages into a separate window.

12. The process of claim 7 where said network includes a set-top-box (STB) requesting video on demand, an authentication server validating requests for video on demand, and a video on demand server receiving validated requests for video on demand;

said rules generation step including a rule for detecting an unsuccessful video on demand authentication request and having an action which generates a message indicating a video on demand authentication failure;

said rules generation step including a rule for detecting an unsuccessful video on demand request from a STB and having an action which generates a message indicating a video on demand request failure;

and where said rules generation step places said rule for detecting an unsuccessful video on demand authentication request prior to said rule for detecting a video on demand request failure.

13. A rules engine for a video content delivery network, said rules engine having:

a processor;

a non-signal computer readable medium that stores program instructions for the processor, the program instructions including;

a plurality of rules, each said rule having;

a log identifier,

one or more a match conditions, each match condition including a string or substring match value;

an action to take when said match condition is met, said action including a dependency identifier which causes subsequent rules to be executed which have a dependency which matches a particular said dependency identifier;

at least one said rule comprising a first subset of rules verifying network connectivity, a second subset of rules verifying server configuration, said second subset of rules identifying a non-responsive server, said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules executed prior to a third subset of rules which identifies a failure which requires said first subset of rules and said second subset of rules identify correct operation prior to application of said third subset of rules;

an action to take when said match condition is not met;

an optional expiry timer value whereby said match condition is not tested until a time interval specified by said expiry timer value passes.

14. The rules engine of claim 13 where said action to take when said match condition is met is the display of a message indicated by an associated said rule.

15. The rules engine of claim 13 where said action to take when said match condition is not met is the application of a subsequent rule.

16. The rules engine of claim 13 where any rule with a dependency which matches a previous dependency identifier is executed when said rule with said previous dependency identifier has a match condition.

17. The rules engine of claim 13 where one scenario of rules is directed to providing troubleshooting messages related to the initialization of a set top box, a subsequent scenario of rules is directed to upgrade of a set top box, and a subsequent scenario of rules is related to the verification of set top box certificates.

18. The rules engine of claim 13 where one scenario of rules is directed to the detection of network problems using packets captured from a set top box.