Network link monitoring and testing

• US 8,937,870 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaghan, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUNKULH, BOB A
• Application Number:
  US13/610,457
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/244 test sequence generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

In some embodiments, a link monitoring system (“LMS”) is configured to obtain link status metrics and packet transmission metrics for network links forming a network channel between a first network device and a second network device. The LMS can obtain link status metrics from the first network device and the second network device and can also initiate the generation of packets on the network links to obtain the packet transmission metrics. Based on the status metrics and packet transmission metrics, the LMS can determine if the network links are malfunctioning.

Claims

1. A system for detecting network link failures, the system comprising:

a network link failure detection module comprising one or more computing devices, the network link failure detection module configured to perform operations comprising;

obtain link status metrics for network links that comprise a network channel, the network channel between a first network device and a second network device;

identify the network links as provisionally functioning or provisionally non-functioning based on the link status metrics;

for the provisionally functioning network links of the network channel identified based on the link status metrics, isolate each link and cause packet traffic to be generated on the link;

obtain, from the first network device and the second network device, one or more packet transmission metrics for the generated packet traffic associated with each isolated link; and

identify one or more links of the provisionally functioning network links that are malfunctioning based at least partly on the obtained one or more packet transmission metrics.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a data repository configured to store baseline packet transmission metrics;

wherein the network link failure module is configured to identify the one or more links of the provisionally functioning network links that are malfunctioning based at least partly on a comparison of the obtained one or more packet transmission metrics with one or more baseline packet transmission metrics obtained from the data repository.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data repository is configured to store baseline link status metrics and the network link failure module is configured to identify the network links as provisionally functioning or provisionally non-functioning bawd at least partly on a comparison of the obtained link status metrics with the baseline link status metrics.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the link status metrics include at least one of light levels, interface status, voltages, buffer levels or bidirectional echoes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the link status metrics are associated with an interface of the first network device or the second network device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet transmission metrics include at least one of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error counts, packet counts, payload correctness or packet error counts.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising shifting existing traffic on the network channel to one or more other network channels prior to causing packet traffic to be generated on the network links of the network channel.

8. A method for detecting network link failures, the method comprising:

receiving link status metrics for network links that comprise a network channel from a first computing asset and a second computing asset, the network channel between the first computing asset and the second computing asset;

isolating at least some of the network links;

initiating sending of packet traffic on each link of the at least some of the network links of the network channel;

receiving, from the first computing asset and the second computing asset, one or more packet transmission metrics for the sent packet traffic associated with each respective link of the at least some of the network links; and

determining whether a first network link of the network channel is malfunctioning based at least partly on the links status metrics and the packet transmission metrics,

wherein the method is performed by at least a hardware computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein initiating sending of the packet traffic comprises initiating sending of packet traffic on each network link of the network channel, and receiving the one or more packet transmission metrics comprises receiving one or more packet transmission metrics for the packet traffic on each network link of the network channel.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising identifying provisionally working network links from the network channel based at least partly on the link status metrics.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein initiating sending of the packet traffic comprises initiating sending of packet traffic on each of the provisionally working network links identified based at least partly on the link status metrics, and receiving the one or more packet transmission metrics comprises receiving one or more packet transmission metrics for the packet traffic on each of the provisionally working network links.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first computing asset comprises a computing device or a network device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second computing asset comprises a computing device or a network device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to determining that the first network link is malfunctioning, initiating a remediation action.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to determining that the first network link is malfunctioning, generating an electronic report indicating that the first network link is malfunctioning.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing baseline packet transmission metrics in a data repository;

wherein determining whether the first network link of the network channel is malfunctioning is based at least partly on a comparison of the one or more packet transmission metrics with one or more baseline packet transmission metrics stored on the data repository.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing baseline link status metrics in a data repository; and

identifying provisionally working network links, wherein identifying provisionally working network links comprises comparing the link status metrics with the baseline link status metrics.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the baseline link status metrics are based at least partly on one or more of industry best practices, historical levels or metrics for comparable links.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the link status metrics include at least one of light levels, interface status, voltages, buffer levels or bidirectional echoes.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the packet transmission metrics include at least one of Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error counts, packet counts, payload correctness or packet error counts.

21. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computer system having computer storage, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

isolating at least some network links of a network channel between a first computing asset and a second computing asset;

initiating sending of packet traffic on each link of the at least some network links;

receiving link status metrics and one or more packet transmission metrics for the network links that comprise the network channel from the first computing asset and the second computing asset;

storing the link status metrics and the one or more packet transmission metrics on the computer memory; and

determining whether a first network link of the network channel is malfunctioning based at least partly on the links status metrics and the packet transmission metrics.

22. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

identifying provisionally working network links from the network channel based at least partly on the link status metrics;

wherein said initiating sending of the packet traffic comprises initiating sending of packet traffic on each of the provisionally working network links and said receiving the one or more packet transmission metrics comprises receiving one or more packet transmission metrics for the packet traffic on each of the provisionally working network links.

23. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

shifting existing traffic on the network channel to one or more other network channels prior to said initiating sending of the packet traffic.