System and method of forwarding end user correlated user and control plane or network states to OSS system

• US 8,849,800 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetScout Systems Texas, LLC (NetScout Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Lin, Lisan, Froehlich, Robert William
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, JOHNESE T
• Application Number:
  US11/230,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,298 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A system is described for collecting data records which have been correlated to subscriber, or end user, access network, core network, transport network, and application service information, referred to as end user correlated data records and utilizing those records in a wireless or wireline network to identify and address correctable conditions in a network, such as a wireless or wireline network. The system includes at least one probe in the network which is able to monitor network activity and provide detailed data records on that activity. These data records are sent to a mediation device that correlates those data records with subscriber and/or location data, to create the end user correlated data records. An intelligent application services device takes the end user correlated data records and examines the records to determine if there are any correctable conditions in the network or the end user devices.

Claims

1. A system for collecting and utilizing end user correlated data records in a network, said network comprising a wireless network and a packet data network, wherein said wireless network and said packet data network are different networks, said system comprising:

at least one probe in the wireless network;

at least one probe in the packet data network;

wherein the probes are operable to collect data records containing information related to network activity on the wireless network and the data network and user devices, said activity pertaining to at least one of a request for or provision of a data service that is hosted by said packet data network which is desired by a given end user'"'"'s wireless device that is communicatively coupled to said wireless network;

a mediation device in communication with the probes, the mediation device associating end user information with the collected data records pertaining to the given end user, thereby producing end user correlated data records; and

an intelligent application services device receiving the end user correlated data records from the mediation device and examining the end user correlated data records to determine if there are correctable conditions in the network or user devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent application services device sends a trigger and correction information to the network in response to the detection of a correctable condition.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the trigger and correction information are sent to the network.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the trigger and correction information are sent to an over the air system which send the correction information to the user device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the intelligent application services device further comprises a repository storing the end user correlated data records, a fault module operable to detect and correct fault conditions detected in the network, and a non-fault detection module operable to identify and correct non-fault conditions in the network or user device.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein fault conditions are conditions in the network that result in a failure of the data service desired by the given end user.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein non-fault conditions are conditions relating to configuration of the given end user'"'"'s wireless device that is not compatible with the data service.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the intelligent application services device further comprises a end user correlated data records receiver module to receive and parse the end user correlated data records.

19. The system of claim 2 wherein the intelligent application services device autonomously sends the trigger and correction information without requiring user interaction.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein said packet data network comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein said data service comprises at least one of web browsing, email, wireless access protocol (WAP) application, multimedia message service (MMS), streaming video, and streaming audio.

9. A method for detecting correctable conditions in a network, said network comprising a wireless network and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the method comprising:

creating data records reflecting activity in the wireless network and IP network for a data service that is hosted by said IP network which is desired by an end user'"'"'s wireless device that is communicatively coupled to said wireless network;

correlating the data records with end user information; and

determining whether a correctable condition exists in the network based on the end user correlated data records.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising sending a trigger and correction information in response to a determination of a correctable condition.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the correctable condition is a fault condition.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the correctable condition is a non-fault condition.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein probes in the network are used to create data records, a mediation device connected to the probes correlates the data records with end user information, and an intelligent application services device determines whether a correctable conditions exists.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the intelligent application services device further comprises a repository storing the end user correlated data records, a fault module operable to detect and correct fault conditions detected in the network, and a non-fault detection module operable to identify and correct non-fault conditions in the network or user device.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the mediation device autonomously performs the correlating the data records with end user information;

and wherein the intelligent application services device autonomously performs the determining.

25. The method of claim 9 wherein said data service comprises at least one of web browsing, email, wireless access protocol (WAP) application, multimedia message service (MMS), streaming video, and streaming audio.

15. An intelligent application services device comprising:

an end user correlated data records receiver module to receive and parse end user correlated data records, wherein said end user correlated data records correlate end user information for a given end user with data records reflecting activity in a wireless network and an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said activity pertaining to at least one of a request for or provision of a data service that is hosted by said IP network which is desired by the given end user'"'"'s wireless device that is communicatively coupled to said wireless network;

a repository storing the end user correlated data records;

a fault module operable to detect and determine correction information for fault conditions detected in at least one of the wireless network and the IP network; and

a non-fault detection module operable to identify and determine correction information for non-fault conditions in at least one of the networks or user device.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein fault conditions are conditions in at least one of the wireless network and the IP network that result in a failure of data service desired by the given end user.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein non-fault conditions are conditions relating to configuration of the given end user'"'"'s wireless device that is not compatible with said data service.

18. The device of claim 15 further comprising an interface to send trigger and correction information in response to detection of a correctable condition.

21. The device of claim 15 wherein the fault module is operable to detect and determine said correction information for fault conditions based at least in part on said end user correlated data records.

22. The device of claim 15 wherein the non-fault detection module is operable to identify and determine the correction information for non-fault conditions based at least in part on said end user correlated data records.

26. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

said non-fault detection module operable, responsive to determination that a negotiated quality of service for provision of the desired data service to the wireless communication device is no longer appropriate, to renegotiate quality of service for continued provision of the desired data service to the wireless communication device.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein the determination that the negotiated quality of service for provision of the desired data service is no longer appropriate results from movement of the wireless communication device within the wireless network to a cell that is unable to maintain the negotiated quality of service for continued provision of the desired data service.