Identifying network performance alert conditions

• US 9,042,237 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reese, Kevin, Jones, Alfonso, McDonald, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US13/649,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20130051247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 370241-253, 725 95- 97
• US Class Current: 370/245
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0645 by additionally acting on or stimulating the network after receiving notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving diagnostic data from a plurality of network interface devices via a plurality of network connections corresponding to the network interface devices. Each of the plurality of network interface devices includes a diagnostic module to gather diagnostic data pertaining to the network interface device, to gather diagnostic data pertaining to the corresponding network connection, and to gather diagnostic data pertaining to a video device at a user location. The video device is coupled to the network interface device to receive video data via the corresponding network connection. The method also includes analyzing the diagnostic data at the computing device to identify one or more performance alert conditions associated with a service provider network. The method further includes generating an output identifying one or more potential causes of the one or more identified performance alert conditions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving diagnostic data at a computing device from a plurality of network interface devices via a plurality of network connections corresponding to the network interface devices, wherein each of the plurality of network interface devices includes a diagnostic module to gather diagnostic data that pertains to the network interface device, to gather diagnostic data that pertains to the corresponding network connection, and to gather diagnostic data that pertains to a video device at a user location associated with the network interface device, and wherein the video device is coupled to the network interface device to receive video data via the corresponding network connection;

analyzing the diagnostic data at the computing device to identify a performance alert condition associated with a service provider network that provides the video data to the plurality of network interface devices via the corresponding network connections;

determining, by the computing device, potential causes of the performance alert condition;

determining by the computing device a probability of each of the potential causes being an actual cause of the performance alert condition; and

generating an output identifying the potential causes of the performance alert condition, wherein the output comprises a list of the potential causes ordered according to the probability of each of the potential causes being the actual cause of the performance alert condition.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein particular diagnostic data received from a particular network interface device of the plurality of network interface devices includes:

data indicating a number of dropped packets at the particular network interface device during a specified time period;

results of loopback testing performed with respect to a user device coupled to the particular network interface device;

results of loopback testing performed with respect to a network connection corresponding to the particular network interface device;

signal characteristics of a signal received via the network connection corresponding to the particular network interface device;

line characteristics of a physical link of the network connection corresponding to the particular network interface device;

bandwidth available to the particular network interface device via the network connection corresponding to the particular network interface device;

or

combinations thereof.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the line characteristics include resistance of a wire of the physical link, time-domain reflectometry results, or both.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the output further includes an approximate location of a source of a potential cause of the potential causes.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least portion of the diagnostic data is received from a particular network interface device of the plurality of network interface devices in response to a stimulus.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the stimulus includes a request for diagnostic data from the particular network interface device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the stimulus includes detection of an event at the particular network interface device, detection of an event at a different network interface device, or both.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a particular network interface device includes:

a first network interface adapted to terminate a communication line; and

a second network interface to terminate a coaxial line.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the particular network interface device includes an interface connector adapted to receive a removable plug-in module, wherein the removable plug-in module includes a video unit operable to receive the video data from a network device via the communication line and operable to process the video data for communication via the coaxial line or a twisted wire pair, and wherein the removable plug-in module includes a power coupling device to receive power via the communication line.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance alert condition is identified when a line break is identified.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic module of a particular network interface device of the plurality of network interface devices further gathers diagnostic data that pertains to a broadband data device at the user location associated with the particular network interface device, wherein the broadband data device is coupled to the particular network interface device to receive broadband data via the corresponding network connection.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a responsible party associated with the performance alert condition, wherein the output is sent to an output device associated with the responsible party.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein determining the responsible party associated with the performance alert condition includes selecting a technician or technician group associated with the performance alert condition based on a type of the performance alert condition.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising determining an approximate location of a source of a potential cause of the potential causes, wherein determining the responsible party associated with the performance alert condition includes selecting a technician or technician group associated with the performance alert condition based on the approximate location.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the potential causes of the performance alert condition, determining the probability of each of the potential causes being an actual cause of the alert condition, or both is determined based on historical infoiination associated with the service provider network.

16. A network interface device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations including;

gathering diagnostic data including first diagnostic data that pertains to the network interface device, second diagnostic data that pertains to a network connection associated with the network interface device, and third diagnostic data that pertains to a video device at a user location associated with the network interface device, wherein the video device is coupled to the network interface device to receive video data via the corresponding network connection; and

sending the diagnostic data to a network diagnostic device that identifies a performance alert condition associated with a service provider network configured to provide the video data to the network interface device via the network connection and that generates an output identifying a potential cause of the performance alert condition;

a first network interface coupled to the processor, wherein the first network interface is configured to terminate a communication line;

a second network interface coupled to the processor, wherein the second network interface is configured to terminate a coaxial line; and

an interface connector coupled to the first network interface, the second network interface, and a module, wherein the module receives the video data from a network device via the communication line and processes the video data for communication via the coaxial line or a twisted wire pair, and wherein the module includes a power coupling device to receive power via the communication line.

17. The network interface device of claim 16, wherein the operations further include receiving the video data from a central office via a remote terminal.

18. A computer readable storage device comprising instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations including:

receiving diagnostic data from a plurality of network interface devices via a plurality of network connections corresponding to the network interface devices, wherein each of the plurality of network interface devices includes a diagnostic module to gather diagnostic data that pertains to the network interface device, to gather diagnostic data that pertains to the corresponding network connection, and to gather diagnostic data that pertains to a video device at a user location associated with the network interface device, wherein the video device is coupled to the network interface device to receive video data via the corresponding network connection;

analyzing the diagnostic data to identify a performance alert condition associated with a service provider network configured to provide the video data to the plurality of network interface devices via the corresponding network connections;

determining potential causes of the performance alert condition;

determining a probability of each of the potential causes being an actual cause of the performance alert condition; and

generating an output identifying the potential causes of the performance alert conditions, wherein the output comprises a list of the potential causes ordered according to the probability of each of the potential causes being the actual cause of the performance alert condition.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, wherein analyzing the diagnostic data includes comparing values of the diagnostic data to threshold values to determine whether operational criteria are satisfied, wherein the performance alert condition is identified when the values of the diagnostic data do not satisfy the threshold values.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, wherein analyzing the diagnostic data includes comparing values of the diagnostic data to historical values to identify performance degradation trends, wherein the performance alert condition is identified when a performance degradation trend is identified.