Distributed usage metering of multiple networked devices

• US 20030123442A1
• Filed: 12/27/2001
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Drucker, Benjamin T., Teng, Albert Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/034,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20030123442A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers

Abstract

Distributed usage metering of network packet traffic, requiring fewer metering devices than ultra-fine-grain metering, more scalable than centralized metering, and providing weighted packet history analysis on various packet characteristics, with redefineable weight definitions.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one network interface for coupling the apparatus to at least one network;

a packet header analyzer coupled to the network interface;

a detected device list coupled to the packet header analyzer;

a weight definition store to store respective weight values for a plurality of packet characteristics;

a weight calculator coupled to the packet header analyzer and to the weight definition store; and

a packet weight history store coupled to the weight calculator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a control interface for receiving commands.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

the control interface being adapted to connect to a command link which is physically distinct from the at least one network.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the control interface comprises:

an SNMP interface adapted to receive SNMP commands over the least one network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one of a network switch, a network hub, and a network router.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the at least one network interface comprises at least two network interfaces.

7. A network communication system comprising:

a plurality of N network devices;

a plurality of M metering devices, wherein the ratio of M;

N is in the range of 1;

2 to 1;

512, and wherein each metering device is coupled to at least one of the network devices; and

a server coupled to the metering devices to roll up metering reports from the metering devices.

8. The network communication system of claim 7 wherein the ratio of M:

N is in the range of 1;

4 to 1;

128.

9. The network communication system of claim 8 wherein the ratio of M:

N is in the range of 1;

8 to 1;

32.

10. The network communication system of claim 7 wherein at least two of the metering devices are coupled to respective different numbers of network devices.

11. The network communication system of claim 7 wherein at least some of the metering devices each comprises:

a packet header analyzer;

a detected device list coupled to the packet header analyzer; and

a packet weight history coupled to the detected device list.

12. The network communication system of claim 11 wherein the at least some of the metering devices each further comprises:

a weight definition store; and

a weight calculator coupled to the weight definition store, the packet weight history, and the packet header analyzer.

13. The network communication system of claim 12 wherein at least some of the metering devices each comprises at least one of a network switch, a network hub, and a network router.

14. The network communication system of claim 7 wherein at least some of the metering devices each comprises at least one of a network switch, a network hub, and a network router.

15. A method of operation of a metering device, the method comprising:

determining an identification of a network device sending or receiving a packet;

if the identification of the network device is not already stored in a detected device list, adding the identification of the network device to the detected device list; and

for each of at least one packet characteristic of the packet,

reading a weight definition of that packet characteristic from a weight definition store,

calculating a weight for the packet, and

updating a packet weight history.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein each of the at least one packet characteristic comprises one of:

communication protocol;

packet size;

time that the packet was sent;

time that the packet was received;

current average network throughput;

current peak network throughput;

total amount of data transferred;

total amount of data transferred since some particular time;

total amount of data transferred since some particular event;

number of packets transferred that are in a given size range;

traffic to particular addresses or ports or networks or sub-nets or network devices;

traffic from particular addresses or ports or networks or sub-nets or network devices;

average percentage of network utilization;

peak percentage of network utilization;

average number of TCP sessions open;

peak number of TCP sessions open;

average traffic level of a particular protocol;

average traffic level of a particular protocol; and

percentage mixes of specified protocols among the current network traffic.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

redefining the weight definition in the weight definition store, of at least one packet characteristic.

18. A method of metering communication network traffic, the method comprising, at each of M metering devices variously coupled to respective ones of N network devices:

receiving packets from network devices;

analyzing packet headers of the packets; and

in response to the analyzing, updating a weighted packet history;

wherein N>

4, M>

2, and M;

N is in the range of 1;

4 to 1;

128.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

rolling up metering reports from the M metering devices to at least one central server.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

for each of at least one packet characteristic identified in the analyzing for a packet,

determining a weight definition for that packet characteristic,

calculating a weight for the packet, and

using the calculated weight in the updating of the weighted packet history.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein each of the at least one packet characteristic comprises a respective one of:

communication protocol;

packet size;

time that the packet was sent;

time that the packet was received;

current average network throughput;

current peak network throughput;

total amount of data transferred;

total amount of data transferred since some particular time;

total amount of data transferred since some particular event;

number of packets transferred that are in a given size range;

traffic to particular addresses or ports or networks or sub-nets or network devices;

traffic from particular addresses or ports or networks or sub-nets or network devices;

average percentage of network utilization;

peak percentage of network utilization;

average number of TCP sessions open;

peak number of TCP sessions open;

average traffic level of a particular protocol;

average traffic level of a particular protocol; and

percentage mixes of specified protocols among the current network traffic.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

altering the weight definition in the weight definition store, of at least one packet characteristic.

23. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to,

analyze a packet header of a packet,

identify a first network device which sent the packet,

identify a second network device to which the packet was sent,

if the first or second network device is not already identified in a detected device list, adding the first or second network device to the detected device list,

for each of at least one packet characteristic of the packet,

calculating a weight for the packet, and

updating a packet weight history for that packet characteristic of that packet in

a packet weight history store.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23 wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data that cause the machine to:

reset at least some content of the packet weight history store.