System and method for logging traffic flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9338104-B2
Application number	US-201414196671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2008
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a system, method, and computer program product for tracking conformance of user traffic with a bandwidth profile. For example, in one embodiment, throughput is measured during an observance window and an average for offered throughput is determined based on the measured throughput. A determination is made as to whether the average exceeds a bandwidth profile in response to a determination that packets are being discarded. An alarm is sent in response to a determination that the average exceeds the bandwidth profile.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for tracking conformance of user traffic with a bandwidth profile, the method comprising:
observing throughput during an observance window;
determining an average for offered throughput utilizing the observed throughput;
determining whether the average exceeds a bandwidth profile in response to a determination that packets are discarded; and
sending an alarm in response to determining the average exceeds the bandwidth profile.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
recording communications conditions at a time the packets are discarded;
indicating to a user that the average exceeds the bandwidth profile; and
sending information regarding processing of the user traffic to the user, wherein the information is used by the user to configure a shaper that adjusts the user traffic.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein indicating to the user comprises:
providing visual and audio indicators that packets are being discarded at a device performing the determining and sending.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the information is sent to one or more far ends of a communications network in an alarm indicator signal.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the throughput includes accepted throughput and delivered throughput.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
determining whether throughput loss is greater than a threshold, wherein the threshold is the accepted throughput minus the delivered throughput all divided by the accepted throughput; and
determining a severity of the alarm in response to the throughput loss.

7. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the average offered throughput is an average of the throughput offered from the user.

8. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the average offered throughput is an average of the throughput received by a user network interface (UNI) device.

9. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing computer executable instructions for tracking conformance of user traffic with a bandwidth profile, the computer executable instructions comprises instructions for:
observing throughput during an observance window;
determining an average for offered throughput utilizing the observed throughput;
determining whether the average exceeds a bandwidth profile in response to a determination that packets are discarded; and
sending an alarm in response to determining the average exceeds the bandwidth profile.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprises instructions for:
recording communications conditions at a time the packets are discarded;
indicating to a user that the average exceeds the bandwidth profile; and
sending information regarding processing of the user traffic to the user, wherein the information is used by the user to configure a shaper that adjusts the user traffic.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein indicating to the user comprises:
providing visual and audio indicators that packets are being discarded at a device performing the determining and sending.

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the information is sent to one or more far ends of a communications network in an alarm indicator signal.

13. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the throughput includes accepted throughput and delivered throughput.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the computer executable instructions further comprises instructions for:
determining whether throughput loss is greater than a threshold, wherein the threshold is the accepted throughput minus the delivered throughput all divided by the accepted throughput; and
determining a severity of the alarm in response to the throughput loss.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for tracking conformance of user traffic with a bandwidth profile, the computer executable instructions when executed causes one or more machines to perform operations comprising:
observing throughput during an observance window;
determining an average for offered throughput utilizing the observed throughput;
determining whether the average exceeds a bandwidth profile in response to a determination that packets are discarded; and
sending an alarm in response to determining the average exceeds the bandwidth profile.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprises:
recording communications conditions at a time the packets are discarded;
indicating to a user that the average exceeds the bandwidth profile; and
sending information regarding processing of the user traffic to the user, wherein the information is used by the user to configure a shaper that adjusts the user traffic.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein indicating to the user comprises:
providing visual and audio indicators that packets are being discarded at a device performing the determining and sending.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the information is sent to one or more far ends of a communications network in an alarm indicator signal.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the throughput includes accepted throughput and delivered throughput.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprises:
determining whether throughput loss is greater than a threshold, wherein the threshold is the accepted throughput minus the delivered throughput all divided by the accepted throughput; and
determining a severity of the alarm in response to the throughput loss.

Assignees

• Centurylink Ip Llc

Inventors

• Bugenhagen Michael

Classifications

• H04L43/0829

  Packet loss · CPC title

• H04L43/087

  Jitter · CPC title

• H04L41/5009

  Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF] · CPC title

• H04L47/808 Primary

  User-type aware · CPC title

• H04L43/00 Primary

  Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks · CPC title