Device performance monitoring

• US 9,960,984 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Leach, David, Russell, James, Parol, Timothy, Eng, David, Anderson, Mark, Burks, Dante
• Primary Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US14/961,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 714751, 714749, 714746
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A computing device performance monitor may be configured to collect performance metric information regarding one or more monitored computing devices, and may assign condition point values to each metric. The performance monitor may generate a total of the condition point values, and use the total to determine an appropriate response.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by one or more computing devices, a plurality of performance metrics for one or more monitored computing devices;

determining, by the one or more computing devices and for each of the plurality of performance metrics, a first metric range and a second metric range;

determining, by the one or more computing devices and for each of the plurality of performance metrics, a first condition point value corresponding to the first metric range determined for that performance metric and a second condition point value corresponding to the second metric range determined for that performance metric;

for each performance metric of the plurality of performance metrics;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a measured value for that performance metric for a first monitored computing device of the one or more monitored computing devices;

when the measured value is within a first metric range determined for that performance metric, assigning, by the one or more computing devices, a first condition point value determined for that first metric range to the first monitored computing device; and

when the measured value is within a second metric range determined for that performance metric, assigning, by the one or more computing devices, a second condition point value determined for that second metric range to the first monitored computing device; and

combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device to yield a first combined condition point value for the first monitored computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second metric ranges determined for each of the plurality of performance metrics correspond to poor and good performance of the first monitored computing device, respectively, and the method further comprises:

determining a third metric range for fair operation for each of the performance metrics, and further using the third metric range when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each performance metric of the plurality of performance metrics;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, a measured value for that performance metric for a second monitored computing device of the one or more monitored computing devices;

when the measured value is within the first metric range determined for that performance metric, assigning, by the one or more computing devices, the first condition point value determined for that first metric range to the second monitored computing device; and

when the measured value is within the second metric range determined for that performance metric, assigning, by the one or more computing devices, the second condition point value determined for that second metric range to the second monitored computing device; and

combining each condition point value assigned to the second monitored computing device to yield a second combined condition point value for the second monitored computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the first combined condition point value to a threshold value, and

based on a result of the comparing, signaling an alarm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is a forward or reverse data carrier reception level, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding forward or reverse data carrier reception level condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is a forward data carrier or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) errors-per-second value, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding errors-per-second condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is an upstream transmit level, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding upstream transmit level condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is an automatic gain control level, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding automatic gain control condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is a count of lost locks, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding lost lock condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is a count of program clock reference errors, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding program clock reference error condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is a count of presentation time stamp errors, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding presentation time stamp error condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the performance metrics is an out-of-band signal quality, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding out-of-band signal quality condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device;

wherein another one of the performance metrics is a network reentry count value, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding network reentry count condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device;

wherein another one of the performance metrics is a video on demand error value, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding video on demand error condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device; and

wherein another one of the performance metrics is an aborted upstream message count value, for which the assigning comprises assigning a corresponding aborted upstream message count condition point value to the first monitored computing device when combining each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device.

13. A method, comprising:

determining, by one or more computing devices, first and second metric ranges for a forward or reverse data carrier reception level, and assigning a corresponding forward or reverse data carrier reception level condition point value to each of one or more monitored computing devices when determining a health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, first and second metric ranges for a count of a number of reverse data carrier retransmission operations, and assigning a corresponding reverse data channel retransmission count condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, first and second metric ranges for a modulation receive level, and assigning a corresponding quadrature amplitude modulation receive level condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining, by the one or more computing devices, first and second metric ranges for a forward data carrier errors-per-second value, and assigning a corresponding errors-per-second condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices; and

combining, by the one or more computing devices and for each of the one or more monitored computing devices, each condition point value assigned to that monitored computing device to yield a combined condition point value for each of the one or more monitored computing devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing a first combined condition point value to a threshold; and

based on a result of the comparing, generating an alert indicating that a first monitored computing device associated with the first combined condition point value is in need of service.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

comparing a first combined condition point value to a threshold; and

based on a result of the comparing, transmitting a message indicating that a first monitored computing device associated with the first combined condition point value is in need of service.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the one or more monitored computing devices is part of a network, the method further comprising determining a health of the network based on the combined condition point value determined for each of the one or more monitored computing devices.

17. A method, comprising:

determining, by a computing device, first and second metric ranges for a count of forward error corrections, and assigning a corresponding forward error corrections condition point value to each of one or more monitored computing devices when determining a health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining first and second metric ranges for a count of uncorrectable forward error correction errors, and assigning a corresponding uncorrectable forward error correction errors condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining first and second metric ranges for an automatic gain control level, and assigning a corresponding automatic gain control condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining first and second metric ranges for a count of lost locks, and assigning a corresponding lost lock condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining first and second metric ranges for a count of program clock reference errors, and assigning a corresponding program clock reference error condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices;

determining first and second metric ranges for a count of presentation time stamp errors, and assigning a corresponding presentation time stamp error condition point value to each of the one or more monitored computing devices when determining the health of each of the one or more monitored computing devices; and

combining each condition point value assigned to each of the one or more monitored computing devices to yield a combined condition point value for each of the one or more monitored computing devices.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

comparing a first combined condition point value to a threshold; and

based on a result of the comparing, generating an output alarm indicating health of a first monitored computing device associated with the first combined condition point value.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the one or more monitored computing devices is part of a network, the method further comprising determining a health of the network based on the combined condition point value determined for each of the one or more monitored computing devices.

20. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

determine a plurality of performance metrics for one or more monitored computing devices;

determine, for each of the plurality of performance metrics, a first metric range and a second metric range;

determine, for each of the plurality of performance metrics, a first condition point value corresponding to the first metric range determined for that performance metric and a second condition point value corresponding to the second metric range determined for that performance metric;

for each performance metric of the plurality of performance metrics;

determine a measured value for that performance metric for a first monitored computing device of the one or more monitored computing devices;

when the measured value is within a first metric range determined for that performance metric, assign a first condition point value determined for that first metric range to the first monitored computing device; and

when the measured value is within a second metric range determined for that performance metric, assign a second condition point value determined for that second metric range to the first monitored computing device; and

combine each condition point value assigned to the first monitored computing device to yield a first combined condition point value for the first monitored computing device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to:

for each performance metric of the plurality of performance metrics;

determine a measured value for that performance metric for a second monitored computing device of the one or more monitored computing devices;

when the measured value is within the first metric range determined for that performance metric, assign the first condition point value determined for that first metric range to the second monitored computing device; and

when the measured value is within the second metric range determined for that performance metric, assign the second condition point value determined for that second metric range to the second monitored computing device; and

combine each condition point value assigned to the second monitored computing device to yield a second combined condition point value for the second monitored computing device.