Methods, systems, and products for estimating answers to questions

• US 8,626,691 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hiltunen, Matti, Cukier, Michel, Kormann, David, Sheleheda, Daniel, Vesonder, Gregory T., Berthier, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seck, Ababacar
• Application Number:
  US12/642,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,480 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/01 Dynamic search techniques; Heuristics; Dynamic trees; Branch-and-bound

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products answer questions using heuristics. A question and an input are received. A set of heuristic rules is retrieved, and the question is answered by evaluating an accuracy of each heuristic rule. Multiple accuracies from the set of heuristic rules are combined to produce a confidence level for the answer to the question.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a server operating in a network, comprising:

collecting Internet Protocol traffic information;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a common source address and a common destination address;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a source address and an opposing destination address to generate bidirectional flows;

separating valid bidirectional flows from invalid bidirectional flows;

retrieving a set of heuristic rules from memory for determining the server;

determining an output of each heuristic rule in the set of heuristic rules based on the valid bidirectional flows;

combining all outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules; and

generating a probability that the source address corresponds to the server based on combined outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the source address fails to correspond to the server.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the destination address corresponds to a client.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving NetFlow information as the Internet Protocol traffic information.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving an interval of time for collecting the Internet Protocol traffic information.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving an interval of time for merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having the common source address and the common destination address.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving an interval of time for merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having the source address and the opposing destination address.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

collecting Internet Protocol traffic information;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a common source address and a common destination address to generate unidirectional flows;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a source address and an opposing destination address to generate bidirectional flows;

separating valid bidirectional flows from invalid bidirectional flows;

retrieving a set of heuristic rules from memory for determining the server, wherein one heuristic rule differentiates the server from a client based on a difference in timestamps of the unidirectional flows;

determining an output of each heuristic rule in the set of heuristic rules based on the valid bidirectional flows;

combining all outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules; and

generating a probability that the source address corresponds to the server based on combined outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the source address fails to correspond to the server.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the destination address corresponds to the client.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving NetFlow information.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an interval of time for collecting the Internet Protocol traffic information.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an interval of time for merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having the common source address and the common destination address.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an interval of time for merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having the source address and the opposing destination address.

15. A memory storing executable instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

collecting Internet Protocol traffic information;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a common source address and a common destination address to generate unidirectional flows;

merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having a source address and an opposing destination address to generate bidirectional flows;

separating valid bidirectional flows from invalid bidirectional flows;

retrieving a set of heuristic rules from memory, the set of heuristic rules differentiating the server from a client based on a difference in timestamps of the unidirectional flows;

determining an output of each heuristic rule in the set of heuristic rules based on the valid bidirectional flows;

combining all outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules; and

generating a probability that the source address corresponds to the server based on combined outputs produced by the set of heuristic rules.

16. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the source address fails to correspond to the server.

17. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the destination address corresponds to the client.

18. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving NetFlow information.

19. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an interval of time for collecting the Internet Protocol traffic information.

20. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving an interval of time for merging the Internet Protocol traffic information having the common source address and the common destination address.