Representing and Searching Network Multicast Trees

• US 20140064145A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• 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 data, from a plurality of components arranged as a plurality of multicast trees in a network, indicating a structure of at least a portion of the network and attributes associated with the components;

receiving at least one search criterion; and

determining, based on the data including the structure of the at least a portion of the network indicated by the data, at least one of the plurality of multicast trees that meet the at least one search criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, 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, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the at least one search criterion specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a 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 said 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.

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

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data from each of the components represents a local view of the structure of the at least a portion of the network from a point of view of the respective component, and wherein said determining the structure of the at least some of the multicast trees comprises combining at least some of the local views.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving data, from a plurality of components in a network arranged as a plurality of multicast trees, indicating a plurality of different local views of the network and attributes associated with the components;

receiving at least one search criterion; and

selecting, based on the data indicating one or more of the different local views, at least one of the plurality of multicast trees that meet the at least one search criterion.

9. The method of claim 8, 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, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the at least one search criterion specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a 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 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 components.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said 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.

13. The method of claim 8, 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 said selecting 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 13, wherein said determining the structure of the at least some of the multicast trees comprises combining at least some of the different local views.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving data from a plurality of components in a network, the data indicating a plurality of different local views of the network and attributes associated with the components;

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

receiving at least one search criterion; and

determining, based on the data and a result of said combining, at least one of the multicast trees that meets the at least one search criterion.

16. The method 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, and a packet rate as measured at one of the components, and wherein the at least one search criterion specifies at least one rate chosen from the following rates;

a data rate, an error rate, and a packet rate.

17. The method of claim 15, 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.

18. The method of claim 15, 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.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said 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.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one search criterion specifies a particular path structure, and wherein said determining comprises determining which one or more of the plurality of multicast trees has a structure consistent with the particular path structure.