SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INFERRING SERVICES ON A NETWORK

• US 20080189353A1
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Riverbed Technology, LLC (Riverbed Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Riverbed Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kannan, Navneeth N., Gray, Eric W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,400,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for managing services on a network. In one exemplary embodiment, the method includes receiving topologically relevant network information concerning nodes, interfaces, connections and/or protocols; resolving conflicts in the received information; determining and storing a network topology from the received and resolved information; and inferring one or more services based on the stored topology.

Claims

1. A method for storing network information, the method comprising:

receiving network information at a predetermined time;

storing the network information based on the predetermined time;

detecting an event at a time other than the predetermined time;

receiving other network information based on the event; and

storing the other network information based on the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the network information includes receiving, as the network information, at least one of the following types of information:

performance, event, topology, service, and object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving includes receiving network information at a plurality of predetermined times.

4. The method of claim 1, including indicating that a failure is the event.

5. The method of claim 1, including indicating that crossing a performance threshold is the event.

6. The method of claim 1, including detecting a plurality of events.

7. The method of claim 6, including storing the network information based on the plurality of events.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the network information based on the event includes storing the network information from a first time before the event until a second time after the event.

9. The method of claim 8, including displaying the network information based on the first and second times.

10. The method of claim 1, including estimating network information at one or more times for which there is no stored network information.

11. The method of claim 10, including displaying a performance of the network based on the network information and the estimated network information.

12. The method of claim 10, including displaying a topology of the network based on the network information and the estimated network information.

13. The method of claim 1, including structuring a database to represent the network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein storing network information based on the predetermined time includes correlating network information with the structured database, such that the correlated information is stored in the structured database.

15. The method of claim 13, including displaying information based on the structured database.

16. The method of claim 15, including forwarding the displayed information at a pace chosen by a user.

17. The method of claim 15, including replaying the displayed information instantly.

18. The method of claim 1, including compressing the stored network information.

19. A system for storing network information, the system comprising:

means for receiving network information at a predetermined time;

means for storing network information based on the predetermined time;

means for detecting an event at a time other than the predetermined time;

means for receiving network information based on the event; and

means for storing network information based on the event.

20. A system for storing network information, the system including:

a processor, and

a memory,

wherein

the processor is configured to;

receive network information at a predetermined time;

store the network information based on the predetermined time in the memory;

detect an event at a time other than the predetermined time;

receive other network information based on the event; and

store the other network information based on the event in the memory.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the network information includes at least one of performance, event, topology, service, and object.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to receive the network information at a plurality of predetermined times.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the event includes a failure, and the processor is configured to provide an indication of the failure.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the event includes crossing a performance threshold, and the processor is configured to provide an indication of the crossing.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to detect a plurality of events.

27. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to configure a data processor to perform a method for storing network information, including:

receiving network information at a predetermined time;

storing the network information based on the predetermined time;

detecting an event at a time other than the predetermined time;

receiving other network information based on the event; and

storing the other network information based on the event.

26. The system of claim 27, wherein the processor is configured to receive and store further network information based on the plurality of events.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the network information includes at least one of performance, event, topology, service, and object.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein receiving the network information includes receiving the network information at a plurality of predetermined times.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the method includes indicating that a failure is the event.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the method includes indicating that crossing a performance threshold is the event.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the method includes detecting a plurality of events.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the method includes storing further network information based on the plurality of events.