Method and apparatus for determining bandwidth-consuming frame flows in a network
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- counting every frame of a first set of a plurality of flows and of a portion of a second set of said plurality of flows over a first time period;
selecting flows from said plurality of flows for inclusion in said first set and said second set; and
changing said portion of said second set counted so that each flow in said second set is periodically counted every frame over a second time period.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A port monitor monitors network traffic that passes through a port of a switch. Frame flows routed through the switch are counted by hardware frame counting logic, which includes a content-addressable memory (CAM) and counters corresponding to various frame flows. Port monitor software includes logical containers (“buckets”), which are used to record and sort counts of the frame flows from hardware based on activity of the frame flows. Frame flow sorting is based on confidence building algorithms such that the thrashing of frame flows between buckets is reduced. Storage and sorting of the frame flows in software allows the activity level of any number of frame flows associated with the switch to be counted, regardless of hardware limitations on how many frame flows can be counted. This allows a real-time analysis of frame flows and a determination of frame flows that are major users of Fiber Channel bandwidth.
19 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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counting every frame of a first set of a plurality of flows and of a portion of a second set of said plurality of flows over a first time period; selecting flows from said plurality of flows for inclusion in said first set and said second set; and changing said portion of said second set counted so that each flow in said second set is periodically counted every frame over a second time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions when executed causing a processor to:
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count every frame of a first set of a plurality of flows and of a portion of a second set of said plurality of flows over a first time period; select flows from said plurality of flows for inclusion in said first set and said second set; and change said portion of said second set counted so that each flow in said second set is periodically counted every frame over a second time period. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A network device comprising:
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a processor; memory operatively connected to said processor to store software programs and data; detection logic configured to detect selected values in portions of each frame in each of a plurality of frame flows; a plurality of hardware counters operatively coupled to said processor and operatively connected to said detection logic and configured to count every frame of selected frame flows; and a software program stored in said memory to be executed by said processor to; configure said plurality of hardware counters to count every frame of a first set of said plurality of flows and of a portion of a second set of said plurality of flows over a first time period; select flows from said plurality of flows for inclusion in said first set and said second set; and configure said plurality of hardware counters with said portion of said second set counted every frame so that each flow in said second set is periodically counted every frame over a second time period. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification