Abstract: An Event Driven Interface (EDI) is disclosed for use as a subsystem of a monitoring and control system for a data communications network. The network communicates a serial stream of binary bits having a characteristic pattern. The system includes a control vector generator for generating a control vector C(i) which describes the characteristic pattern and an event vector analyzer for analyzing an event vector E(i) which represents a plurality of occurrences of the pattern on the network.

Abstract: An efficient method is described for predicting the performance of a data communications network operating under a window-based protocol. A state characterizing the dynamic behavior of the data communications network for consecutive operating cycles is computed. A pattern for the state is then determined having a particular repetition period. The number of data packets which are transmitted during that repetition period are then used to characterize the throughput, transit time and other performance characteristics for the data communications network.

Abstract: An expert system method is disclosed for analyzing window protocol-based data flows in a data communications network. The method includes the use of a data flow efficiency state variable S which is a binary number having at least three bits which reflect the number of packets transmitted by a node, the queuing of packets within a node, and the congestion of the packets within the node or in the node connected to the node of interest. After having assigned a value to the state variable, a knowledge base is accessed containing network problem determination recommendations for optimizing data flow efficiency within the network.