Patent Application
20090092047
The present disclosure relates to computer-based networks, and in an embodiment, but not by way of limitation, a system to manage multilayer networks.
Processor-based networks have become ubiquitous in all walks of life. One type of network is a multi-layer network. Multi-layer networks normally include a physical layer, a transport layer, and an application layer. The connectivity and inter-functionality of these multiple layers, and elements within the layers, can become very complex. This complexity, if not properly managed, can lead to a degradation of the quality of service in the network.
Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:
An example system, method and machine readable medium for managing multilayer networks are described.
In accordance with an example embodiment, there is provided a method, system, and machine readable medium for managing a multi-layer network. In an example embodiment, the system includes a capacity management tool. The capacity management tool is configured to be coupled to one or more of an application layer, a physical elements layer, a physical layer, an IP packet layer, and a transport layer of a processor-based network. In a particular embodiment, the capacity management tool is further configured to extract data from one or more of a network connectivity database; a customer provisioning and services ordered database; a customer equipment database; a capacity management database; a network element management system database; a server and application management system database; and a network equipment database. The capacity management tool can be further configured to correlate the data to manage the capacity of the network or isolate congestion points in the network.
The capacity management tool 110 correlates the performance and capacity information collected from these many network databases, network elements, and application servers. This information originates from the physical layer, the IP layers, the transport layer, and the server and application layers. This information is used to determine not only the capacity or performance of the network, but also the quality of service being provided to the customer.
The capacity management tool 110 monitors, analyzes, and manages the capacity in a network in real time (for isolating problems) and long term (for network capacity planning). In doing so, the capacity management tool monitors and analyzes many layers in a network. The monitored and analyzed layers can include the physical elements (routers, line cards, ports, switch cards, servers, residential gateways, set top boxes), the physical layer (fiber and copper physical links), the transport layer (Ethernet, DSL, and SONET), the IP packets (TCP, UDP, Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast), and the application layer (including servers providing IPTV services (A-Servers, D-Servers, client-facing servers, database servers)). Moreover, the capacity management tool 110 monitors the quality of service (QOS) for each type of traffic in the network (voice, video, data, and network management), and the QOS for each type of traffic for each customer. This is done based on either the DSCP or p-bit markings of each queue.
The capacity management tool 110 can monitor and analyze the entire network end to end, from the servers and clients, all the way down to the fiber and copper interconnects, and all the routing and quality assurance products. The capacity management tool 110 further correlates all the information across the network to validate a customer's quality of service or a capacity issue in the network.
The capacity management tool 110 uses the data from the databases 120-128 to manage the network 100. The types of data used by the capacity management tool include primarily network architecture information and customer information. The network information includes such things as node (or office) locations. The location information can include the region of the location, the metropolitan area, and the distribution market area. The location information further can include the CLLI (Common Language Location Identification) code identifier of a particular office location. The location information can further include a type of node associated with the node location such as a Super Headend Office (SHO), a Video Home Office (VHO), an Intermediate Office (IO), a Central Office (CO), or a Service Area Interface (SAI). The node information can further include the equipment that is associated with that node (e.g., routers, switches, DSLAMs, and servers), and the connectivity between nodes and the hierarchical associations of the nodes.
The customer information can include data such as customer identification, the equipment associated with a customer (or that a customer has in his residence) such as an Optical Network Unit (ONU) (e.g., for a Passive Optical Network) (PON)), a residential gateway, or a Set Top Box (STB). The customer information can include separate account information for voice, video, and data services. The customer information can further include account and service configuration information that can include the serial numbers and identifiers for all the equipment in the customer's residence (Residential Gateway (RG) and Set-Top Box (STB)), connection information regarding the RG to the DSLAM (e.g., the specific port information on the DSLAM), the IP address of the RG on the network, and the Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tags associated with the customer's service through the access network.
The capacity management tool 110 uses the network architecture and customer information and can construct the physical connectivity of the network by region, identify a specific customer's circuit (e.g., STB, RG, DSLAM port, VLAN, etc.), and can then track the customer's service through the network.
From the network equipment and connectivity databases and the network element management system databases, the capacity management tool 110 can obtain performance and capacity information about each of the network elements (e.g., STB, RG, DSLAM, routers, switches, servers, and applications). Moreover, the capacity management tool 110 can obtain this information on many different levels such as the physical level, logical level, physical layer network connectivity, transport layer, IP layer, and quality of service layer (QOS layer) per service performance.
For the physical elements, inventory and availability information is maintained and used to manage the network. This information can include the CLLI code, total number of slots, occupied slots, and available slots, card types per slot, ports per card type, occupied ports, and available ports. In addition to the physical inventory information, resource information is collected relating to CPU and memory utilization, total number of VLANs (Viritual Private Lan Services (VPLSs)) configured (each router/switch has a limited number of VLANs that can be supported), and the number of service access points (SAPs) per VPLS (each router switch has a limit on the number of ports per VLAN or VPLS). This physical inventory information and resource information is tracked by the capacity management tool 110 to determine whether the system is reaching a physical or logical capacity limit.
Regarding the physical layer, the connectivity between each of the elements in a network is maintained. This can include the connections between servers and routers, connections between routers and switches, and connections between the network nodes (SHO, VHO, 10, CO, SAI, and RG).
At the transport and IP layers, several metrics are collected and analyzed to determine the performance of the network. For the transport layer, data are collected from the network elements for each link including Ethernet frame count, loss, errors, pauses, DSL state, sync, bit rate up/down, and utilization up/down. For the IP layer, the network elements data can include the IP packets that were transmitted and/or received, the unicast packets that were transmitted and/or received, the multicast packets that were transmitted and/or received, the broadcast packets that were transmitted and/or received, and error/lost packets that were transmitted and/or received. Data relating to these can be expressed in bytes so that bandwidth utilization can be analyzed.
For a determination of the quality of service of a network, the capacity management tool 110 collects data from each network element based on packet markings and the queues that the router places the packets in based on those markings (DSCP or p-bits). In one embodiment, these queues and markings differentiate the services in the network such as voice, video, and data. Each queue is checked for packet throughput, errors, and loss. From this throughput, error, and loss data, the capacity management tool 110 determines a measure of the quality of the transport of the packets for each service.
In addition to collecting all of this information about the network, the capacity management tool 110 correlates this information to determine the quality of the service being provided to the customer. For example, using the information retrieved for a particular customer service, the capacity management tool 110 can track that service through each network element, network port, and logical network layers to determine if a customer's packets are being transported correctly or are being lost in the network due to faults or congestion of the network resources. The capacity management tool 110 can also correlate performance of the service per customer (or per router/switch or any of the aforementioned metrics) and aggregate these to provide an overview of the performance, health, and capacity limits of the network by SAI, CO, IO-pair, DMA, VHO, region, or for the overall network.
At 305, data is extracted from one or more of a network connectivity database, a network equipment database, a capacity management database, a customer provisioning and services ordered database, a customer equipment database, a network element management system database, a network connectivity database, a network equipment database, a capacity management database, and a server and application management system database within a processor-based network. At 310, the data is correlated to manage the capacity of the network or isolate congestion points in the network. At 315, the data is used to construct a physical connectivity of the network, to identify a customer circuit, and to track the customer's service through the network. At 320, one or more of the application layer, the physical elements layer, the physical layer, the transport layer, and Internet Protocol (IP) packet layer within the processor-based network are analyzed. At 325, the capacity of the network is managed, and congestion points are isolated using the information from one or more of the application layer, the physical elements layer, the physical layer, the transport layer, and the IP packet layer. At 330, a quality of service is determined for one or more types of traffic in the network including voice, video, data, and network management. At 335, the quality of service is determined by examining packet markings and the queues that a router places those packets in based on those markings. At 340, the quality of service is determined for one or more types of traffic in the network for one or more customers in the network. At 345, the data associated with the network connectivity database includes one or more of a node location, a node type, a piece of equipment in a node location, a connectivity between two or more nodes, and a hierarchical association between two or more nodes. At 350, the data associated with the customer provisioning, equipment, and services ordered databases include one or more of a customer identification, a piece of equipment associated with a customer, customer account information, and a configuration of service for a customer. At 355, the data associated with the network element management system database includes one or more of a CLLI code, slot data, card type data, port data, processor utilization, memory utilization, a number of configured VLANS, and a number of access points per VPLS. At 360, the data in the databases originates at one or more of a physical layer, a logical layer, a physical connectivity layer, a transport layer, an IP layer, and a quality of service layer. At 365, the physical layer data includes one or more of data relating to connections between servers and routers, connections between routers and switches, and connections between network nodes. At 370, the transport layer data or IP layer data includes one or more of Ethernet data or DSL data. At 375, the IP layer data includes one or more of data relating to IP packets, unicast packets, multicast packets, broadcast packets, error packets, and lost packets.
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Certain systems, apparatus, applications or processes are described herein as including a number of modules or mechanisms. A module or a mechanism may be a unit of distinct functionality that can provide information to, and receive information from, other modules. Accordingly, the described modules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Modules may also initiate communication with input or output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information). The modules can be implemented as hardware circuitry, optical components, single or multi-processor circuits, memory circuits, software program modules and objects, firmware, and combinations thereof, as appropriate for particular implementations of various embodiments.
Thus, an example system, method and machine readable medium for managing a multi-layer network has been described. Although specific example embodiments have been described, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) and will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
In the foregoing description of the embodiments, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting that the claimed embodiments have more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Description of the Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate example embodiment.
