Usage statistics collection for a cable data delivery system

• US 6,308,328 B1
• Filed: 04/10/1997
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hrastar, Scott E., Bowcutt, Roy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US08/835,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.100, H04/N.104, H04/N.1175, H04/N.900, H04/N.716, 348/1, 348/3, 455/2, 395/200.55, 345/1, 345/2, 725/111, 725/112, 725/113, 725/109, 725/110, 725/105, 725/9, 725/14, 725/16, 725/10
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/84 which are fixed telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2863 Arrangements for combining access network resources elements, e.g. channel bonding modem pooling H04L25/14; routing of packets H04L45/00; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 : involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Apparatus for recording and collecting usage and other statistical data from components of a cable data network comprises a network manager for maintaining and collecting the statistics. Internet protocol addresses are associated with components of the network. The component maintains a software agent that manages a statistics database. Responsive to a manager request generated at a service provider defined time interval, the component software agent provides the usage statistics to the network manager in real-time during an Internet session with a host. When the host to Internet or other data connection is torn down due to failure, disconnect or inactivity time-out, remaining usage statistics data is collected and the session duration updated with the time of tear down. Usage statistics collected include the amount of data transferred to/from a host, the amount of data that is discarded due to insufficient resource capacity and amount of data that cannot be corrected despite forward error correction used in a downstream high capacity channel to the host. Data traps may be defined and downloaded to components of the network for implementation. As a result, billing of users of the cable data network can be usage sensitive and determined based on actual data transferred (including credit given for errored data) and/or time sensitive based on session duration.

Claims

1. In a cable data network for delivering digital data originating via the Internet to a location of a cable modem upon a request conveyed using the cable modem, an apparatus for obtaining usage statistics comprising:

a network manager including a controller and a software agent, the network manager connected over network protocol links to a plurality of network components, the plurality of network components being components of the cable data network; and

the plurality of network components each including a software agent and a statistics database, the software agents included in the plurality of network components being responsive to the network manager controller for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon an elapse of a poll interval, the cable modem being one of the plurality of network components that includes a software agent and a statistics database, the usage statistics comprising information related to historical usage of the cable data network by at least one network component of the plurality of network components.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an Internet protocol (IP) is utilized on the network protocol links, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cable modem maintains the statistics database included in the cable modem, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network manager comprises a statistics database for preserving date and time of day of a session with the cable modem.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the date and time of day comprises a start time determined by assignment of an Internet address to the cable modem.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a communications manager is one of the plurality of network components, the communications manager including a software agent and a statistics database, the communications manager for controlling downstream data transmission via a plurality of data modulators.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the communications manager maintains the statistics database included in the communications manager, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the network manager comprises a statistics database for preserving date and time of day of a session with the cable modem.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the network manager comprises a statistics database for calculating data loss rate.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the data comprises Internet protocol packets of variable length.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the amount of data of the Internet protocol packets of variable length is determined from an estimate of average packet length times the number of Internet protocol packets.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the cable modem further comprises a decoder for disassembling Ethernet protocol packets to IP packets and for determining an amount of the data by counting an amount of data blocks from the Ethernet protocol packets of predetermined data length.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each network component of the plurality of network components further comprises traps for recording statistics related to threshold overload or underload, each network component of the plurality of network components transmitting data of the traps to the network manager and the network manager recording and timestamping receipt of the data of the traps.

21. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data statistics are logical network statistics.

22. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data statistics are logical network statistics.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cable data network comprises an RF connection and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the poll interval is different for different network components of the plurality of network components.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the usage statistics comprise a first type of usage statistics and a second type of usage statistics, the poll interval being different for the first type of usage statistics from the second type of usage statistics.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a simple network management protocol (SNMP) is utilized as a network management protocol for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software agents included in the plurality of network components are further responsive to the network manager controller for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon a termination of a session with the cable modem, the session employed by the cable modem for communicating on the cable data network, the cable modem being one of the plurality of network components, the cable modem being capable of only one session at a time.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the session with the cable modem utilizes an Internet protocol (IP) on the network protocol links, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol that allows the cable modem to use the session to send at least one unicast IP datagram to each host of a plurality of hosts with different IP addresses, the at least one unicast IP datagram being at least partially conveyed over the cable data network in an upstream direction, the cable data network connected between a head end and the cable modem, the termination of the session with the cable modem terminating use of the cable data network by the cable modem.

14. In a cable data network for delivering digital data originating via the Internet to a location of a cable modem upon a request conveyed using the cable modem, a method for obtaining usage statistics comprising the steps of:

dynamically assigning Internet protocol addresses to at least one network component of a plurality of network components of the cable data network;

storing the usage statistics in the plurality of network components, the plurality of network components each including a software agent and a statistics database, the cable modem being one of the plurality of network components that includes a software agent and a statistics database the usage statistics being stored in the statistics databases included in the plurality of network components, the usage statistics comprising information related to historical usage of the cable data network by at least one network component of the plurality of network components; and

collecting the usage statistics at a network manager, the network manager including a controller and a software agent, the network manager connected over network protocol links to the plurality of network components, the software agents included in the plurality of network components being responsive to the network manager controller for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon an elapse of a poll interval.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein an Internet protocol (IP) is utilized on the network protocol links, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the cable modem maintains the statistics database included in the cable modem, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the network manager comprises a statistics database for preserving date and time of day of a session with the cable modem and the date and time of day comprises a start time determined by assignment of an Internet address to the cable modem.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein a communications manager is one of the plurality of network components, the communications manager including a software agent and a statistics database, the communications manager for controlling downstream data transmission via a plurality of data modulators, the communications manager maintaining the statistics database included in the communications manager, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps at the cable modem of disassembling Ethernet protocol packets to IP packets and determining an amount of the data by counting an amount of data blocks from the Ethernet protocol packets of predetermined data length.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein each network component of the plurality of network components further comprises traps for recording statistics related to threshold overload or underload, each network component of the plurality of network components transmitting data of the traps to the network manager, the network manager recording and timestamping receipt of the data of the traps, the method further comprising the steps of defining a new trap and downloading the new trap to a network component of the plurality of network components for implementation.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data statistics are logical network statistics.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data statistics are logical network statistics.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein the cable data network comprises an RF connection and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection.

32. The method of claim 14, wherein the poll interval is different for different network components of the plurality of network components.

33. The method of claim 14, wherein the usage statistics comprise a first type of usage statistics and a second type of usage statistics, the poll interval being different for the first type of usage statistics from the second type of usage statistics.

34. The method of claim 14, wherein a simple network management protocol (SNMP) is utilized as a network management protocol for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager.

35. The method of claim 14, wherein the software agents included in the plurality of network components are further responsive to the network manager controller for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon a termination of a session with the modem, the session employed by the cable modem for communicating on the cable data network, the cable modem being one of the plurality of network components, the cable modem being capable of only one session at a time.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the session with the cable modem utilizes an Internet protocol (IP) on the network protocol links, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol that allows the cable modem to use the session to send at least one unicast IP datagram to each host of a plurality of hosts with different IP addresses, the at least one unicast IP datagram being at least partially converges over the cable data network in an upstream direction, the cable data network connected between a head end and the modem, the termination of the session with the cable modem terminating use of the cable data network by the cable modem.

37. In a cable data network for delivering digital data originating via the Internet to a location of a cable modem upon a request conveyed using the cable modem, an apparatus for obtaining usage statistics comprising:

a network manager including a controller and a software agent, the network manager connected over network protocol links to a plurality of network components, the plurality of network components being components of the cable data network; and

the plurality of network components each including a software agent and a statistics database, the software agents included in the plurality of network components being responsive to the network manager controller for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon a termination of a session with the cable modem, the session employed by the cable modem for communicating on the cable data network, the cable modem being one of the plurality of network components, the cable modem being capable of only one session at a time, the usage statistics comprising information related to historical usage of the cable data network by at least one network component of the plurality of network components.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the session with the cable modem utilizes an Internet protocol (IP) on the network protocol links, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol that allows the cable modem to use the session to send at least one unicast IP datagram to each host of a plurality of hosts with different IP addresses, the at least one unicast IP datagram being at least partially conveyed over the cable data network in an upstream direction, the cable data network connected between a head end and the cable modem, the termination of the session with the cable modem terminating use of the cable data network by the cable modem.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein a simple network management protocol (SNMP) is utilized as a network management protocol for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the termination of the session with the cable modem comprises a termination of a connection-oriented, link layer protocol.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the connection-oriented, link layer protocol is a point-to-point protocol (PPP).

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the point-to-point protocol is utilized over a public switched telephone network (PSTN) link.

43. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the cable modem includes a software agent and a statistics database, the cable modem maintaining the statistics database included in the cable modem, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

44. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the data comprises Internet protocol packets of variable length.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the cable modem further comprises a decoder for disassembling Ethernet protocol packets to IP packets and for determining an amount of the data by counting an amount of data blocks from the Ethernet protocol packets of predetermined data length.

46. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the network manager comprises a statistics database for preserving date and time of day of a session with the cable modem, and the date and time of day comprises a start time determined by assignment of an Internet to the address to the modem.

47. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein a communications manager is one of the plurality of network components, the communications manager including a software agent and a statistics database, the communications manager for controlling downstream data transmission via a plurality of data modulators, the communications manager maintaining the statistics database included in the communications manager, the statistics database including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

48. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein each network component of the plurality of network components further comprises traps for recording statistics related to threshold overload or underload, each network component of the plurality of network components transmitting data of the traps to the network manager, and the network manager recording and timestamping receipt of the data of the traps.

49. An apparatus in a cable data network, the apparatus being a network manager for obtaining usage statistics, the apparatus comprising:

a network manager statistics database; and

a network manager software agent for collecting the usage statistics from a plurality of cable modems and for storing the usage statistics in the network manager statistics database, the network manager connected over the cable data network to the plurality of cable modems, the cable data network for conveying digital data, each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems including a software agent and a cable modem statistics database, the software agents included in the plurality of cable modems being responsive to the network manager for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager, the reporting of the usage statistics being conveyed through the cable data network between the network manager and at least one cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the cable data network connected between a head end and each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the usage statistics comprising information related to historical usage of the cable data network by the plurality of cable modems.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the cable modem statistics databases are maintained by the plurality of cable modems, the cable modem statistics databases each including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the data comprises Internet protocol packets of variable length.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems further comprises a decoder for disassembling Ethernet protocol packets to IP packets and for determining an amount of the data by counting an amount of data blocks from the Ethernet protocol packets of predetermined data length.

53. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the network manager statistics database preserves a first date and time of day of a first session with a first cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the first date and time of day comprising a first start time determined by assignment of a first Internet address to the first cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, and wherein the network manager statistics database further preserves a second date and time of day of a second session with a second cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the second date and time of day comprising a second start time determined by assignment of a second Internet address to the second cable modem of the plurality of cable modems.

54. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems further comprises traps for recording statistics related to threshold overload or underload, each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems transmitting data of the traps to the network manager, and the network manager recording and timestamping receipt of the data of the traps.

55. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the cable data network utilizes an Internet protocol (IP), the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol.

56. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the cable data network comprises an RF connection and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection.

57. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein a simple network management protocol (SNMP) is utilized as a network management protocol for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager.

58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the software agents included in the plurality of cable modems are responsive to the network manager for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon at least one elapse of at least one poll interval.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein a first software agent included in a first cable modem of the plurality of cable modems is further responsive to the network manager for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon a termination of a first session with the first cable modem, the first session employed by the first cable modem for communicating on the cable data network, the first cable modem being capable of only one session at a time, and wherein a second software agent included in a second cable modem of the plurality of cable modems is further responsive to the network manager for reporting the usage statistics to the network manager based upon a termination of a second session with the second cable modem, the second session employed by the second cable modem for communicating on the cable data network, the second cable modem being capable of only one session at a time.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the first session with the first cable modem utilizes an Internet protocol (IP) on the cable data network, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol that allows the first cable modem to use the first session to send at least one first unicast IP datagram to each host of a plurality of hosts with different IP addresses, the at least one first unicast IP datagram being at least partially conveyed upstream over the cable data network, the termination of the first session with the first cable modem terminating use of the cable data network by the first cable modem, and wherein the second session with the second cable modem utilizes an Internet protocol (IP) on the cable data network, the Internet protocol being a connection-less, network layer protocol that allows the second cable modem to use the second session to send at least one second unicast IP datagram to each host of the plurality of hosts with different IP addresses, the at least one second unicast IP datagram being at least partially conveyed upstream over the cable data network, the termination of the second session with the second cable modem terminating use of the cable data network by the second cable modem.

61. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein each cable modem of the plurality of cable modems further includes a cable modem statistics database, the cable modem statistics databases being maintained by the plurality of cable modems, the cable modem statistics databases each including one of data transferred, data discarded and uncorrectable data.

62. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein the network manager statistics database preserves a first date and time of day of a first session with a first cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the first date and time of day comprising a first start time determined by assignment of a first Internet address to the first cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, and wherein the network manager statistics database further preserves a second date and time of day of a second session with a second cable modem of the plurality of cable modems, the second date and time of day comprising a second start time determined by assignment of a second Internet address to the second cable modem of the plurality of cable modems.