Representing and searching network multicast trees

• US 9,769,028 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Field, Brian E., Cox, Brice
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYUN, SOON D
• Application Number:
  US14/848,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for receiving data from each of a plurality of components in a network, the components being arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, the data from each of the components indicating a structure of a portion of the network and at least one attribute associated with the respective component. The disclosure further provides for determining, based on the data, a structure of at least some of the multicast trees, receiving search criteria, and determining which of the multicast trees meet the search criteria.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device and from a plurality of components in a network, data, wherein the network comprises a plurality of multicast trees, and wherein the data indicates;

a plurality of different local views of the network, and

attributes associated with at least some of the plurality of components;

receiving, by the computing device, at least one search criterion;

selecting, by the computing device and based on the data indicating the plurality of different local views, at least one of the plurality of multicast trees that meet the at least one search criterion; and

generating, by the computing device, a logical representation of the network based on the selected at least one of the plurality of multicast trees.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the attributes is;

a data rate as measured at one of the components,

an error rate as measured at one of the components, or

a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and

wherein the at least one search criterion specifies one or more of the data rate, the error rate, or the packet rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular one or more of the attributes as being associated with one or more of the components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular quantitative difference between one or more of the attributes that are associated with different ones of the components.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises:

comparing at least a portion of the at least one search criterion with one or more of the attributes; and

comparing at least another portion of the at least one search criterion with information not represented by any of the attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, based on the data, a structure of at least some of the plurality of multicast trees,

wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular path structure, and

wherein the selecting comprises determining which one or more portions of the structure of at least some of the plurality of multicast trees are consistent with the particular path structure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the logical representation in a web-based format to a user.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, data from a plurality of components in a network, wherein the data indicates;

a plurality of different local views of the network, and

attributes associated with at least some of the plurality of components;

combining, by the computing device, at least some of the plurality of different local views to determine a plurality of multicast trees;

receiving, by the computing device, at least one search criterion;

determining, by the computing device and based on the data and a result of the combining, at least one of the multicast trees that meets the at least one search criterion; and

presenting a logical representation of the at least one of the multicast trees.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

at least one of the attributes is;

a data rate as measured at one of the components, an error rate as measured at one of the components, or a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and

wherein the at least one search criterion specifies at least one of the data rate, the error rate, and the packet rate.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular one or more of the attributes as being associated with one or more of the plurality of components.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular quantitative difference between one or more of the attributes that are associated with different ones of the plurality of components.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises:

comparing at least a portion of the at least one search criterion with one or more of the attributes; and

comparing at least another portion of the at least one search criterion with information not represented by any of the attributes.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the at least one search criterion specifies a particular path structure, and

wherein the determining comprises determining which one or more of the plurality of multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the presentation comprises presenting, to a user and in response to a selection by the user, the logical representation of the at least one of the multicast trees in a web-based format.

15. A system, comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

receive data from a plurality of components in a network, the components being arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, the data from the plurality of components indicating a structure of at least a portion of the network and attributes that are associated with the components, and

receive at least one search criterion; and

a second computing device configured to;

determine, based on the data, which one or more of the plurality of multicast trees satisfy the at least one search criterion based on;

comparing at least a portion of the at least one search criterion with one or more of the attributes, and

comparing at least another portion of the at least one search criterion with information not represented by any of the attributes, and

transmit, to the first computing device for storage, a logical representation of the determined one or more of the plurality of multicast trees.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of the attributes is an attribute chosen from the following attributes;

a data rate as measured at one of the components, an error rate as measured at one of the components, or a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and

wherein the at least one search criterion specifies one or more of a data rate, an error rate, or a packet rate.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular one or more of the attributes as being associated with a particular one or more of the components.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the at least one search criterion specifies a particular path structure, and

wherein the determining which one or more of the multicast trees meet the at least one search criterion comprises determining which one or more of the multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first computing device is further configured to determine a structure of at least some of the multicast trees,

wherein the data from each of at least some of the components represents a local view of the structure of the network from a point of view of the respective component, and

wherein the determining the structure of the at least some of the multicast trees comprises combining the local views.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are co-located.