Abstract: Techniques are described for forming on-demand mesh connections between spoke routers of a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) arranged in a hub-and-spoke topology. A first spoke router modifies the first packet to include metadata specifying first reachability information and first Internet Protocol (IP) address information for the first spoke router. The first spoke router forwards the first packet to a hub router for forwarding to a second spoke router. The first spoke router receives a second packet from the hub router that includes metadata specifying second reachability information and second IP address information for the second spoke router. In response to determining that the first reachability information is compatible with the second reachability information, the first spoke router initiates a peering connection with the second spoke router along a path which bypasses the hub router for forwarding subsequent packets of the forward packet flow.

Abstract: Techniques described herein include determining, maintaining, and applying compound service performance metrics, based on data metrics from a plurality of different services. Service-specific data metrics may be received from a plurality of different communication services offered by a service provider, for example, Internet service, voice service, video service, SMS service, etc. Different combinations, relationships, and weighting factors for the data metrics may be defined and stored for each compound performance metric. Compound performance metrics may be defined, including for example, compound customer sentiment metrics, compound customer value metrics, and/or compound customer resource usage metrics. In some cases, machine-learning and/or analytics may be performed using service-specific data metrics and corresponding customer actions, in order to determine correlations between particular combinations of data metrics and customer actions.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for correlating media streams and signaling sessions of services, for example, in a passive monitoring system of a packet-switched network. Furthermore, the invention also relates to an implementation of these methods in hardware and software, and provides a signaling plane probe, a media plane probe and a correlation unit. Moreover, a passive monitoring system comprising one or more of these hardware devices is provided. To correlate media streams and signaling sessions of services, the invention proposes to independently generate correlation keys in a media plane probe for monitored media streams and correlation keys for signaling sessions that are monitored by a signaling plane probe in a fashion that matching correlation keys are generated for a respective service.

Abstract: Techniques described herein include determining, maintaining, and applying compound service performance metrics, based on data metrics from a plurality of different services. Service-specific data metrics may be received from a plurality of different communication services offered by a service provider, for example, Internet service, voice service, video service, SMS service, etc. Different combinations, relationships, and weighting factors for the data metrics may be defined and stored for each compound performance metric. Compound performance metrics may be defined, including for example, compound customer sentiment metrics, compound customer value metrics, and/or compound customer resource usage metrics. In some cases, machine-learning and/or analytics may be performed using service-specific data metrics and corresponding customer actions, in order to determine correlations between particular combinations of data metrics and customer actions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for enhancing the quality information of a VoIP session by deducting information from received ICMP messages, in addition to quality information already collected from media streams and/or signaling streams of the same VoIP session. ICMP messages passing on the network link are monitored and correlated with an existing and ongoing VoIP session, i.e. media stream, already monitored by a media plane monitoring unit. A data record for the media stream(s) is expanded with information from the ICMP messages, thus giving a better and more complete quality feedback of the media stream reception at the two communication endpoints.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and an apparatus for detecting quality induced terminations of media streams of real-time communication sessions within a packet-switched network. To enable the determination of the quality of live media streams passing by the tapping points in a network, and to use this information to determine media transmissions being aborted due to bad quality the invention evaluates quality data records of a terminated media stream to detect, whether the media stream was terminated due to bad quality or another reason. Advantageously, a threshold number of quality data records that were generated for the media stream just before termination thereof are considered in the evaluation. In case each of this threshold number of quality data records yields a bad quality of the media stream, the termination of the media stream may be judged or assumed to be induced due to bad quality.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for correlating at least one media path and a signaling session of a packet-switched network and to an implementation of these methods in hardware and software. To overcoming one or more of the limitations and challenges on the correlation of signaling plane and media plane of services, the invention defines a key, which can be used for correlation of media streams and signaling sessions. The invention is based on a signaling probe identifying new services and associated media paths of the media plane by detecting their corresponding signaling sessions and determining for each service a signaling session identifier. The signaling probe registers the signaling sessions and their media paths at a correlation unit using the signaling session identifiers as a key, which allows a media probe to query the correlation unit for respective signaling session identifiers that correspond to media paths detected in the media plane traffic.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods and an apparatus for detecting quality induced terminations of media streams of real-time communication sessions within a packet-switched network. To enable the determination of the quality of live media streams passing by the tapping points in a network, and to use this information to determine media transmissions being aborted due to bad quality the invention evaluates quality data records of a terminated media stream to detect, whether the media stream was terminated due to bad quality or another reason. Advantageously, a threshold number of quality data records that were generated for the media stream just before termination thereof are considered in the evaluation. In case each of this threshold number of quality data records yields a bad quality of the media stream, the termination of the media stream may be judged or assumed to be induced due to bad quality.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for correlating media streams and signaling sessions of services, for example, in a passive monitoring system of a packet-switched network. Furthermore, the invention also relates to an implementation of these methods in hardware and software, and provides a signaling plane probe, a media plane probe and a correlation unit. Moreover, a passive monitoring system comprising one or more of these hardware devices is provided. To correlate media streams and signaling sessions of services, the invention proposes to independently generate correlation keys in a media plane probe for monitored media streams and correlation keys for signaling sessions that are monitored by a signaling plane probe in a fashion that matching correlation keys are generated for a respective service.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for enhancing the quality information of a VoIP session by deducting information from received ICMP messages, in addition to quality information already collected from media streams and/or signaling streams of the same VoIP session. ICMP messages passing on the network link are monitored and correlated with an existing and ongoing VoIP session, i.e. media stream, already monitored by a media plane monitoring unit. A data record for the media stream(s) is expanded with information from the ICMP messages, thus giving a better and more complete quality feedback of the media stream reception at the two communication endpoints.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for correlating at least one media path and a signaling session of a packet-switched network and to an implementation of these methods in hardware and software. To overcoming one or more of the limitations and challenges on the correlation of signaling plane and media plane of services, the invention defines a key, which can be used for correlation of media streams and signaling sessions. The invention is based on a signaling probe identifying new services and associated media paths of the media plane by detecting their corresponding signaling sessions and determining for each service a signaling session identifier. The signaling probe registers the signaling sessions and their media paths at a correlation unit using the signaling session identifiers as a key, which allows a media probe to query the correlation unit for respective signaling session identifiers that correspond to media paths detected in the media plane traffic.