Method for determining VoIP gateway performance and SLAs based upon path measurements

• US 8,055,755 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lang, Howard L., Woerner, Eric, Cole, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pollack; Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US10/774,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,833 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 709/240, 709/249, 709/203, 709/218, 709/235, 707/10, 370/352, 370/355, 370/395.21, 370216-221, 370/225, 370/227, 370/228, 370/241.1, 370/242, 370/244, 370/245, 370/248, 370/250, 370/252, 715733-756, 718/104, 718/105, 718/2, 718/25, 718/712
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5029 Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/087 Jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A system and method make quality measurements in a network to determine if a Service Level Agreement is breached. The system includes a plurality of routers for routing traffic through the network, means for taking measurements on a path between a first router and a second router, and means for charging at least one of the plurality of routers when data related to the measurements falls below a target value.

Claims

1. A system for making quality measurements in a network having a plurality of routers for routing traffic through the network, the system comprising:

a hardware server, wherein the hardware server is configured to;

take measurements on each path of all paths within the network, wherein the each path is between a pair of routers from the plurality of routers;

determine paths of the all paths within the network that have data related to the measurements that falls below a target value;

determine a particular router of the plurality of routers that is associated with the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value;

determine if the particular router is a connection point for two or more of the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value; and

charge, after it is determined that the particular router is the connection point for two or more of the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value, a single degradation against the particular router of the plurality of routers even though the particular router is responsible for multiple path failures and tracking a number of degradations for each one of the plurality of routers in the network over a period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a voice over internet protocol network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data related to the measurements is an R-Factor.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a manual mechanism for entering information into a matrix.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the information comprises an indication of a nature of the problem.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the matrix includes a matrix of source routers and destination routers.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the matrix includes set events and clear events for one of the source routers and one of the destination routers.

8. A method of making quality measurements in a network, the method comprising:

monitoring an R-Factor for each path of all paths within the network, wherein the each path is between a pair of routers;

tracking a path that exhibits the R-Factor below a target value;

tracking a start time indicating when the R-Factor of the path falls below the target value;

tracking an end time indicating when the R-Factor of the path rises above the target value;

determining if an overlap exists between the start time and the end time for multiple paths connecting to a particular router;

charging the particular router connected to the multiple paths with one degradation if the overlap exists;

charging the particular router with each degradation connected to the multiple paths if the overlap does not exist; and

tracking a number of degradations for each router of all routers in the network over a period of time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the target value is 70.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising entering the start time as a set event in a matrix.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising entering the end time as a clear event in a matrix.

12. A hardware server for making quality measurements in a network comprising the hardware server configured to:

take measurements on each path of all paths within the network, wherein the each path is between a pair of routers from the plurality of routers;

determine paths of the all paths within the network that have data related to the measurements that falls below a target value;

determine a particular router of the plurality of routers that is associated with the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value;

determine if the particular router is a connection point for two or more of the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value; and

charge, after it is determined that the particular router is the connection point for two or more of the paths that have data related to the measurements that falls below the target value, a single degradation against the particular router of the plurality of routers even though the particular router is responsible for multiple path failures and tracking a number of degradations for each one of the plurality of routers in the network over a period of time.

13. The hardware server of claim 12, wherein the network is a voice over internet protocol network.

14. The hardware server of claim 12, wherein the data related to the measurements is an R-Factor.

15. The hardware server of claim 12, further comprising a manual mechanism for entering information into a matrix.

16. The hardware server of claim 15, wherein the information comprises an indication of a site where a problem occurs.

17. The hardware server of claim 15, where the information further comprises an indication of a nature of the problem.

18. The hardware server of claim 15, wherein the matrix includes a matrix of source routers and destination routers.

19. The hardware server of claim 18, wherein the matrix includes set events and clear events for one of the source routers and one of the destination routers.

20. The hardware server of claim 15, wherein the information comprises an identifier of an individual who reports the problem.