Systems and Methods to Monitor a Network
Systems and methods to monitor a network are provided. A particular method includes determining a data packet delivery rate between a first edge switch and a second edge switch coupled to a network. The method also includes sending the data packet delivery rate to a user device, operably coupled to a customer equipment side of the first edge switch, as graphical user interface display data.
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The present application claims priority from and is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 10/975,022 filed on Oct. 27, 2004 and entitled “System and Method for Collection and Presenting Service Level Agreement Metrics in a Switched Metro Ethernet Network,” the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates generally to the monitoring of networks.
BACKGROUNDEthernet is a local-area network architecture that was developed in the late 1970s for use in offices, e.g., to interconnect computers to each other and to a common printer. In recent years, companies have begun to develop ways to expand Ethernet principles to wide area networks, e.g., using Internet routers that are interconnected in various ways. The result has been the creation of switched metro Ethernet data networks.
In an effort to market switched metro Ethernet services, service providers can offer varying levels of service for different prices. Moreover, a service can be considered a high level service and may be offered at a premium price if it has certain characteristics that are beneficial to customers. For example, a service provider may offer a service in which data is delivered at a relatively high packet delivery rate. Further, a service level agreement between a service provider and a customer may state that the data will be delivered at or above a particular packet delivery rate and the customer will pay a particular fee for that promised packet delivery rate. However, it can be difficult to provide an indication to a customer that the service they are receiving is meeting the level agreed to in the service level agreement.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for collecting and presenting service level agreement metrics in a switched metro Ethernet network.
A method for monitoring a network includes injecting a plurality of data packets into the network. The data packets are transmitted between a source device and a destination device. A plurality of reflected data packets is collected. In a particular embodiment, the plurality of reflected data packets are reflected from the destination device to the source device. Also, the plurality of reflected data packets includes at least a portion of the data packets that are injected into the network.
In a particular embodiment, the method further includes determining a total number of the reflected data packets. A packet delivery rate, a latency value, and a jitter value can be calculated based at least partially on the total number of reflected data packets. Further, the packet delivery rate, the latency value, and the jitter value can be reported to a user. Also, in a particular embodiment, the network is a switched metro Ethernet network and the plurality of data packets are created at a server and injected into an edge switch of the switched metro Ethernet network. Particularly, the plurality of data packets is created by a service assurance agent (SAA) within the server. Further, in a particular embodiment, the source device is a first edge switch of a switched metro Ethernet network, the destination device is a second edge switch of the switched metro Ethernet network, and the first edge switch is coupled to the second edge switch via a core system of the switched metro Ethernet network.
In another embodiment, a server includes a processor and a memory device that is coupled to the processor. A service assurance agent (SAA) is embedded within the memory device and the SAA is executable by the processor. In a particular embodiment, the SAA includes instructions to inject a plurality of data packets into a switched metro Ethernet network from a source device to a destination device. Moreover, the SAA includes instructions to collect a plurality of data packets that are reflected from the destination device back to the source device.
In yet another embodiment, a switched metro Ethernet network includes a core system. A first edge switch and a second edge switch are coupled to the core system. Further, a computer program is embedded within the server. In a particular embodiment, the computer program includes instructions to calculate a data packet delivery rate between the first edge switch and the second edge switch.
Referring to
In a particular embodiment, the first user computer 108 includes a processor 110 and a display 112 that is coupled to the processor 110. Moreover, as illustrated in
As shown in
With this configuration of structure, the first user computer 108 can be networked to the second user computer 130 by the first CPE 106, the first edge switch 104, the core system 102, the second edge switch 126 and the second CPE 128. In a particular example, multiple offices of a single company at different locations can be networked via the switched metro Ethernet network 100.
Referring to
Moving to block 208, a total number of packets that are reflected, or otherwise returned, to the source IP address is determined. At block 210, a packet delivery rate is calculated based on the total number of returned packets. In a particular embodiment, the packet delivery rate is a measure of the percentage of packets that reach the destination IP address and that are reflected back to the source IP address. Packet delivery rate can be determined using the following formula:
PDR=(packets delivered to destination)/(packets offered at source)
In a particular embodiment, in order to determine a more reliable value for packet delivery rate, several metrics can be used by the SAA 124 (
Moreover, in a particular embodiment, the metrics shown in Table 1 can be used to determine a packet delivery rate using the following formula:
PDR=(ΣA*100)/(ΣA+ΣB+ΣC+ΣD+ΣE+ΣF)
Returning to the description of
In a particular embodiment, in order to calculate latency in one direction, e.g., from the first edge switch 104 (
Continuing the description of
In a particular embodiment, to calculate an average jitter value from a source to destination the following equation can be used:
(rttMonJitterStatsSumOfPositivesSD+rttMonJitterStatsSumOfNegativesSD)/(rttMonJitterStatsNumOfPositivesSD+rttMonJitterStatsNumOfNegativesSD)
Further, to calculate an average jitter value from a destination to a source, the following equation can be used:
(rttMonJitterStatsSumOfPositivesDS+rttMonJitterStatsSumOfNegativesDS)/(rttMonJitterStatsNumOfPositivesDS+rttMonJifterStatsNumOfNegativesDS)
Additionally, a maximum jitter value from a source to a destination is defined as the maximum between these values: rttMonJitterStatsNumOfNegativesSD and rttMonJitterStatsNumOfPositivesSD.
In an illustrative embodiment, the metrics described herein are simple network management protocol management information base (SNMP MIB) objects that can be collected using an SNMP collection mechanism.
Returning to
In a particular embodiment, the metrics described above and collected by the SAA 124 (
Referring now to
With the configuration of structure described above, the system and method for collecting and presenting service level agreement metrics disclosed herein provides the capability for determining jitter, latency, and packet delivery rate between two edge switches within a switched metro Ethernet. Each edge switch is coupled to a CPE and each edge switch represents the outer boundary of the portion of a switched metro Ethernet that is under the control of a service provider. As such, the system and method can provide a close approximation of the jitter, latency, and packet delivery rate between the two CPEs coupled to the edge switches. Further, a GUI is provided for presenting the jitter, latency, and packet delivery rate information to a user via a computer. Using the information presented via the GUI, a user can verify that the terms of a service level agreement are being met.
The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.
Claims
1. A method, comprising:
- determining a data packet delivery rate between a first edge switch coupled to a network and a second edge switch coupled to the network; and
- sending the data packet delivery rate to a user device, operably coupled to a customer equipment side of the first edge switch, as graphical user interface display data.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data packet delivery rate is determined by collecting a plurality of data packets, wherein the plurality of data packets are reflected from the second edge switch to the first edge switch.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of data packets are injected into the network at the first edge switch.
4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
- determining a latency value based at least partially on the plurality of data packets; and
- sending the latency value to the user device.
5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
- determining a jitter value based at least partially on the plurality of data packets; and
- sending the jitter value to the user device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display data comprises configuration data related to the network.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration data includes a graphical representation of the network.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display data comprises service level information indicated by color.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display data comprises information regarding a service level agreement.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display data comprises trouble information related to the network.
11. A memory device, comprising
- instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to collect a plurality of reflected data packets, wherein the plurality of reflected data packets are reflected from a destination device to a source device of a network; and
- instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to report results from the collecting of the plurality of reflected data packets to a user device operably coupled to a customer equipment side of the source device.
12. The memory of claim 11, when a plurality of data packets are injected into the network, and wherein the plurality of reflected data packets include at least a portion of the plurality of data packets injected into the network.
13. The memory of claim 11, wherein reporting the results from the collecting of the plurality of reflected data packets to the user device comprises generating a graphical user interface including service level information related to the network.
14. The memory of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a matrix including service level information related to a portion of the network.
15. The memory of claim 11, wherein the results from the collecting of the plurality of reflected data packets include an average jitter value.
16. The memory of claim 11, wherein the results from the collecting of the plurality of reflected data packets include a packet delivery rate.
17. The memory of claim 11, wherein the results from the collecting of the plurality of reflected data packets include a total number of data packets reflected from the destination device.
18. A memory device, comprising
- instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to determine a data packet delivery rate between a first edge switch coupled to a network and a second edge switch coupled to the network; and
- instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to send the data packet delivery rate to a user device as graphical user interface display data, wherein the user device is operably coupled to a customer equipment side of the first edge switch.
19. The memory device of claim 18, further comprising instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to determine a total number of data packet reflected from the second edge switch to the first edge switch, wherein the data packet delivery rate is determined based on the total number of the data packets reflected.
20. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the network comprises a switched metro Ethernet network.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 29, 2008
Publication Date: Mar 5, 2009
Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. (Reno, NV)
Inventors: Bruce Alden Schine (San Leandro, CA), Paul A. Tomalenas (Alamo, CA)
Application Number: 12/201,178
International Classification: H04L 12/26 (20060101);