Nodes and methods for monitoring of communication

• US 9,282,183 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Wang, Chunbo, Kleinfeld, Volker, Blumbach, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, TANMAY K
• Application Number:
  US14/396,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20150140996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/24 with provision for checking the normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A network node for a telecommunication network is provided. The network node includes a receiving unit adapted to receive a monitoring control message. The monitoring control message includes an identifier relating to a subscriber whose communication is to be monitored. A processing unit is adapted to determine one or more filter parameters for filtering communication relating to the subscriber based on the received monitoring control message. The network node also includes a sending unit adapted to send a filter parameter message indicative of the determined one or more filter parameters to a monitoring node separate from the network node for filtering of the communication relating to the subscriber in accordance with the one or more filter parameters.

Claims

1. A network node for a telecommunication network, wherein the network node comprises:

a receiving circuit adapted to receive a monitoring control message, the monitoring control message comprising an identifier relating to a subscriber whose communication is to be monitored;

a processing circuit adapted to determine one or more filter parameters for filtering communication relating to the subscriber based on the received monitoring control message,

wherein the one or more filter parameters comprise one or more dynamic identifiers and/or transport layer information in relation to at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and

wherein the dynamic identifiers are communication-related identifiers that are generated for the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node; and

a sending circuit adapted to send a filter parameter message indicative of the determined one or more filter parameters to a monitoring node separate from the network node for filtering of the communication relating to the subscriber in accordance with the one or more filter parameters.

2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the communication relating to the subscriber comprises signaling messages and the monitoring node is a signaling monitoring node adapted to extract one or more of the signaling messages or parts thereof in accordance with the one or more filter parameters in the filter parameter message.

3. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to determine a telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier based on the received monitoring control message and the sending circuit is adapted to send the filter parameter message comprising the determined communication reference identifier to the monitoring node.

4. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to determine a control parameter comprising at least one instruction to remotely control the filtering at the monitoring node and the sending circuit is adapted to send the control parameter to the monitoring node.

5. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic identifiers are generated for establishment of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, for ongoing communications of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and/or for termination of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node.

6. The network node according to claim 1, wherein the dynamic identifiers are different from a subscriber identity.

13. A system comprising at least one network node according to claim 1, a monitoring node and a user equipment of a subscriber whose communication in the telecommunication network is to be monitored.

7. A monitoring node for a telecommunication network comprising a network node which is separate from the monitoring node, wherein the monitoring node comprises:

a receiving circuit adapted to receive a filter parameter message indicative of one or more filter parameters for filtering communication relating to a subscriber in the telecommunication network,

wherein the one or more filter parameters comprise one or more dynamic identifiers and/or transport layer information in relation to at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and

wherein the dynamic identifiers are communication-related identifiers that are generated for the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node;

a processing circuit adapted to filter said communication based on the received one or more filter parameters; and

an output circuit adapted to output the filtered communication.

8. The monitoring node according to claim 7, wherein the monitoring node further comprises a buffer adapted to buffer communication in the telecommunication network.

9. The monitoring node according to claim 7, wherein the monitoring node is a signaling monitoring node adapted to extract one or more signaling messages or parts thereof in accordance with the one or more filter parameters in the filtering, wherein the signaling messages are part of the communication relating to the subscriber.

10. The monitoring node according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is adapted to relate the filtered communication to a telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier, wherein the telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier is comprised in the filter parameter message.

11. The monitoring node according to claim 10, wherein the receiving circuit is adapted to receive at least one further filter parameter message from at least one further network node, each of the at least one further filter parameter message comprising said communication reference identifier and the processing circuit is adapted to relate the filtered communication to said communication reference identifier.

12. The monitoring node according to claim 7, wherein the receiving circuit is adapted to receive a control parameter comprising at least one instruction to remotely control the filtering at the monitoring node and the processing circuit is adapted to control the filtering in accordance with the at least one instruction.

14. The monitoring node according to claim 7, wherein the dynamic identifiers are generated for establishment of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, for ongoing communications of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and/or for termination of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node.

15. A method of operating a network node for a telecommunication network, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a monitoring control message, the monitoring control message comprising an identifier relating to a subscriber whose communication is to be monitored;

determining one or more filter parameters for filtering communication relating to the subscriber based on the received monitoring control message,

wherein the one or more filter parameters comprise one or more dynamic identifiers and/or transport layer information in relation to at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and

wherein the dynamic identifiers are communication-related identifiers that are generated for the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node; and

sending a filter parameter message indicative of the determined one or more filter parameters to a monitoring node separate from the network node for filtering of the communication relating to the subscriber in accordance with the one or more filter parameters.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the communication relating to the subscriber comprises signaling messages and the monitoring node is a signaling monitoring node, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting one or more of the signaling messages or parts thereof in accordance with the one or more filter parameters in the filter parameter message.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

determining a telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier based on the received monitoring control message; and

sending the filter parameter message comprising the determined communication reference identifier to the monitoring node.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the dynamic identifiers are generated for establishment of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, for ongoing communications of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and/or for termination of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node.

19. A method of operating a monitoring node for a telecommunication network comprising a network node which is separate from the monitoring node, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a filter parameter message indicative of one or more filter parameters for filtering communication relating to a subscriber in the telecommunication network,

wherein the one or more filter parameters comprise one or more dynamic identifiers and/or transport layer information in relation to at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and

wherein the dynamic identifiers are communication-related identifiers that are generated for the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node;

filtering said communication based on the received one or more filter parameters; and

outputting the filtered communication.

20. The method according claim 19, wherein the dynamic identifiers are generated for establishment of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, for ongoing communications of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node, and/or for termination of the at least a portion of the communication relating to the subscriber handled by the network node.

21. The method according claim 19, further comprising buffering communication in the telecommunication network in a buffer.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the filtering further comprises extracting one or more signaling messages or parts thereof in accordance with the one or more filter parameters wherein the monitoring node is a signaling monitoring node and wherein the signaling messages are part of the communication relating to the subscriber.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

relating the filtered communication to a telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier, wherein the telecommunication network wide unique communication reference identifier is comprised in the filter parameter message.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

receiving at least one further filter parameter message from at least one further network node, each of the at least one further filter parameter message comprising said communication reference identifier; and

relating the filtered communication to said communication reference identifier.

25. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a control parameter which comprises at least one instruction to remotely control the filtering at the monitoring node; and

controlling the filtering in accordance with the at least one instruction.

26. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program which, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to control or carry out a method according to claim 19.