Long term evolution (LTE) network management system to process and display internet protocol usage data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9769685-B1
Application number	US-201414231925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 1, 2014
Priority date	Apr 1, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A Long Term Evolution (LTE) network management system processes and displays Internet Protocol (IP) usage data between LTE network elements. A routing system exchanges IP packets between the LTE network elements using Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) modules. The routing system generates usage data associating individual ones on the VRF modules with amounts of IP packets exchanged between the LTE network elements. A network control system processes the usage data to determine the amounts of the IP packets exchanged between the LTE network elements for each of the individual VRF modules. The network control system graphically displays the amounts of IP packets exchanged between the LTE network elements for each of the individual VRF modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network management system, comprising:
in a routing system, exchanging Internet Protocol (IP) packets between a pair of LTE network elements using a plurality of Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) modules in each of the pair of LTE network elements;
in the routing system, generating usage data associating individual ones of the plurality of VRF modules in a first LTE network element and individual ones of the plurality of VRF modules in a second LTE network element with amounts of the IP packets exchanged between the pair of LTE network elements; and
in a network control system, processing the usage data to graphically display the amounts of the IP packets exchanged between the pair of the LTE network elements for each of the individual VRF modules.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and a PDN Gateway (P-GW).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a PDN Gateway (P-GW) and an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and an eNodeB.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Service Gateway (S-GW) and an eNodeB.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Service Gateway (S-GW) and a PDN Gateway (P-GW).

7. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a push-to-talk module.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) module.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a pre-paid Internet module.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a video module.

11. A Long Term Evolution (LTE) network management system, comprising:
a routing system configured to exchange Internet Protocol (IP) packets between a pair of LTE network elements using a plurality of Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) modules in each of the pair of LTE network elements;
the routing system configured to generate usage data associating individual ones of the plurality of VRF modules in a first LTE network element and individual ones of the plurality of VRF modules in a second LTE network element with amounts of the IP packets exchanged between the pair of LTE network elements; and
a network control system configured to process the usage data to graphically display the amounts of the IP packets exchanged between the pair of the LTE network elements for each of the individual VRF modules.

12. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and a PDN Gateway (P-GW).

13. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a PDN Gateway (P-GW) and an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

14. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and an eNodeB.

15. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Service Gateway (S-GW) and an eNodeB.

16. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein the pair of the LTE network elements comprise a Service Gateway (S-GW) and a PDN Gateway (P-GW).

17. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a push-to-talk module.

18. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) module.

19. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a pre-paid Internet module.

20. The LTE network management system of claim 11 wherein one of the VRF modules comprises a video module.

Assignees

• Sprint Communications Co Lp

Inventors

• Gaudutis Joseph E
• Dowdall Damon Edward
• Fiumano Michael Francis

Classifications

• H04L43/045

  for graphical visualisation of monitoring data · CPC title

• H04W24/08 Primary

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04L43/0876

  Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level · CPC title