Protocol monitor

• US 20020156886A1
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acterna LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Acterna LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Krieski, William George, Thakkar, Bina Kunai
• Application Number:
  US09/840,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156886A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C

Abstract

Protocol Monitor. A protocol monitor provides the ability to allow a user interface to be updated with protocol status and event information. For monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained with a network frame, network frames are received by the network device and then network frames are filtered according to which protocol is being monitored. Next, the protocol knowledge of the data structure of the network frame is retrieved by a protocol decoder. This enables the extraction of a field contained within a protocol data unit of the network frame which is needed to monitor the protocol behavior. A value is extracted from the field and represented by a keyword. This value is used to update the protocol status or protocol events on the user interface.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, comprising:

receiving a set of network frames from a network;

filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

updating protocol status on a user interface with the value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the protocol status is the current state and configuration of the protocol.

3. A method of monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, comprising:

receiving a set of network frames from a network;

filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

updating protocol events on a user interface with the value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the protocol events record the time and type of the event.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the protocol events record the time of the event, type of the event, and message type response of the event.

6. Apparatus for monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, the apparatus comprising:

a user interface for displaying protocol status and event updates;

a network connection;

a protocol decoder for extracting a value from a protocol data unit of a network frame and associating the value with a keyword; and

a protocol monitor connected to the user interface and the network connection for receiving a network frame and updating protocol status and protocol events on the user interface based on the value.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the protocol status record the time and type of the event.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the protocol events record the time of the event, type of the event, and message type response of the event.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 operable as a network analyzer.

10. Apparatus for monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, comprising:

means for receiving a set of network frames from a network;

means for filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

means for retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

means for extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

means for updating protocol status on a user interface with the value.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the protocol status is the current state and configuration of the protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the protocol events record the time and type of the event.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the protocol events record the time of the event, type of the event, and message type response of the event.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the protocol status is the current state and configuration of the protocol.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the protocol events record the time and type of the event.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the protocol events record the time of the event, type of the event, and message type response of the event.

12. Apparatus for monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, comprising:

receiving a set of network frames from a network;

filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

updating protocol events on a user interface with the value.

15. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to monitor the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, by a method comprising:

receiving a set of network frames from a network;

filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

updating protocol status on a user interface with the value.

18. A computer-readable medium of monitoring the behavior of a protocol contained within a network frame having at least one protocol data unit, containing at least one field, comprising:

receiving a set of network frames from a network;

filtering a one of the set of network frames for monitoring, the one of the set of network frames having at least one protocol data unit;

retrieving protocol knowledge of the data structure of the at least one protocol data unit enabling the extraction of the at least one field;

extracting a value from the at least one field of the at least one protocol data unit; and

updating protocol events on a user interface with the value.