Mitigating wireless networking problems of a wireless network

• US 9,720,760 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Bandemer, Bernd, Paulraj, Arogyaswami, Tellado, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, SAI MING
• Application Number:
  US14/720,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20160266954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 801 Days
• Field of Search: 370338
• 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 11/079 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: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatuses for mitigating a wireless networking problem of a wireless network are disclosed. One method includes determining, by an analytics engine, a problem associated with the wireless network, wherein the analytics engine is operative as a central intelligence for detection, analyzing, classifying, root-causing, or controlling the wireless network. The method further includes receiving, by the analytics engine, a collected user input and state information, mapping, by at least the analytics engine, a problem signature of the user input and the state information to at least one of a number of possible problem network conditions, determining, by the analytics engine, instructions for alleviating the problem based on the mapping of the problem signature, and providing, by the analytics engine, the instructions.

Claims

1. A method of mitigating a wireless networking problem of a wireless network, comprising:

determining, by an analytics engine, a problem associated with the wireless network, wherein the analytics engine is operative as a central intelligence for detection, analyzing, classifying, root-causing, or controlling the wireless network;

receiving, by the analytics engine, a collected user input and state information;

mapping, by at least the analytics engine, a problem signature of the user input and the state information to at least one of a number of possible problem network conditions;

determining, by the analytics engine, instructions for alleviating the problem based on the mapping of the problem signature;

providing, by the analytics engine, the instructions; and

wherein the analytics engine comprises a global analytics engine to process a subset of user input and state information collected from a plurality of local analytics engines, the state information corresponding to devices associated with respective local analytics engines.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a wireless device agent of a wireless device, wherein a communication channel is established between the wireless device agent and the analytics engine, and wherein the wireless device agent is to interpret commands of a user of the wireless device, display information to the user, interface with hardware operations of the wireless device;

collecting, by the wireless device agent, the user inputs; and

collecting, by the wireless device agent, at least a portion of the state information of the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the wireless device agent, and further comprising the wireless device agent applying the instruction to mitigate the detected problem.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the wireless device agent, and further comprising the wireless device agent initiating an action based on the instruction, thereby enabling additional analysis of the problem.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the wireless device agent communicating the instruction to a user of the wireless device, thereby allowing the user to implement the instruction.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the wireless device agent, and further comprising the wireless device agent communicating an action to be performed by the user, thereby enabling additional analysis of the problem.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication channel includes a primary channel and a secondary channel, and wherein the wireless device agent communicates with the analytics engine through the secondary channel when the primary channel is operating below a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication channel includes a primary channel and a secondary channel, wherein the primary channel is to support an application of the user, while the secondary channel is to aid diagnosis of the problem.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, by the analytics engine, information from a network device, and the wireless device agent receiving inputs or sense information from the network device.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein a network device is operational to provide the communication channel.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a network device agent of a network device, wherein a communication channel is established between the network device agent and the analytics engine, and wherein the network device agent is to interpret commands of a user of the network device and display information to the user;

collecting, by the network device agent, the user inputs;

selecting a wireless device from the wireless network based on the previously determined problem in the wireless network; and

collecting, by the network device agent, at least a portion of the state information that includes information from the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the state information includes information of other devices that are at least one of within a proximate vicinity of the wireless device or includes at least a threshold number of common characteristics.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the network device agent, and further comprising the network device agent applying the instruction to mitigate the detected problem.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the network device agent, and further comprising the network device agent initiating an action based on the instruction, thereby enabling additional analysis of the problem.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the analytics engine provides the instructions to the network device agent, and further comprising the network device agent communicating an action to be performed by the user, thereby enabling additional analysis of the problem.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the problem associated with the wireless network comprises the analytics engine detecting the existence of a problem based on the state information.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the problem associated with the wireless network comprises the analytics engine receiving identification notification of the existence of the problem from a user of a wireless device.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the problem includes a network problem between a second wireless device and the network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second device receives the instructions from the from the analytics engine.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the problem signature includes at least one of a wireless device type, a type of access point that the wireless device is connected or attempting to connect to, a network type.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the problem signature includes a data traffic type.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the problem signature includes at least one of a deployment type, or applications that are currently in use in the network.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping a problem signature of the user input and the sensor information with at least one of a number of possible problem network conditions includes comparing features of the problem signature with problem characterizations stored in a knowledge database.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the analytics engine, second state information from a network device, and wherein matching the problem signature additionally includes matching the second state information received from the network device.

25. An analytics engine associated with a wireless network, the analytics engine to:

determine a problem associated with the wireless network, wherein the analytics engine is operative as a central intelligence for detection, analyzing, classifying, root-causing, or controlling the wireless network;

receive a collected user input and state information;

map a problem signature of the user input and the sensor information to at least one of a number of possible problem network conditions;

determine instructions for alleviating the problem based on the mapping of the problem signature;

provide the instructions; and

wherein the analytics engine comprises a global analytics engine to process a subset of user input and state information collected from a plurality of local analytics engines, the state information corresponding to devices associated with respective local analytics engines.

26. A wireless network, comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a plurality of servers associated with the wireless network, wherein one or more of the plurality of servers includes an analytic engine, wherein the analytics engine is operative as a central intelligence for detection, analyzing, classifying, root-causing, and controlling the wireless network, and wherein

the analytics engine is to;

determine a problem associated with the wireless network, wherein the analytics engine is operative as a central intelligence for detection, analyzing, classifying, root-causing, or controlling the wireless network;

receive a collected user input and state information;

map a problem signature of the user input and the sensor information to at least one of a number of possible problem network conditions;

determine instructions for alleviating the problem based on the mapping of the problem signature; and

provide the instructions;

wherein the analytics engine comprises a global analytics engine to process a subset of user input and state information collected from a plurality of local analytics engines, the state information corresponding to devices associated with respective local analytics engines.