Dynamic streams for network analysis
AssigneeIxia
InventorGerald Pepper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Dynamic streams for network analysis may be implemented as a method on a device. The device may include a control unit and a blaster unit. The control unit may initiate a session with a remote device by sending session initiation information to the blaster unit over a control line. The control unit may send session control information and session data to the blaster unit via a bus to control which sessions of a stream of data units are enabled and to control the content of the data units sent over the sessions of a stream.
Claims24
An apparatus for generating dynamic streams for network analysis comprising
- a blaster unit to send at least one outgoing stream of data units representing at least one session over a network when respective session status information for the sessions indicate that the sessions are enabled
- a control unit to control over which sessions the blaster unit will send the outgoing data units, including sending to the blaster unit
- session configuration information to instruct the blaster unit how to form data units for the respective sessions
- session status information to individually enable and disable the sessions.
An apparatus for generating dynamic streams for network analysis, the apparatus comprising
- a blaster unit comprising
- an overlay memory
- a background memory
- a session status table to store a plurality of session status information for respective sessions
- a background overlay engine to form data units for respective sessions based on templates stored in the background memory and overlays stored in the overlay memory for the respective sessions, the background overlay engine coupled to each of the overlay memory, the background memory and the session status table
- a scheduler coupled to the background overlay engine to signal when the blaster unit should cause a data unit to be transmitted
- a transmit engine to transmit the data units
- a control unit comprising
- a processor configured
- to direct the templates to the background overlay engine for storage in the background memory
- to direct the overlays to the background overlay engine for storage in the overlay memory
- to direct session status information to the background overlay engine for storage in the session status table, to thereby instruct the background overlay engine whether to send or not send data units belonging to a specified session.
A method of generating traffic in at least one stream on a network, the stream representing plural sessions, comprising
- providing a blaster unit and a control unit
- assigning a session identifier to each of the sessions
- the control unit loading first session status information into the blaster unit, the first session status information causing the sessions to be disabled
- the control unit negotiating the sessions
- the control unit loading first session configuration information for the sessions into the blaster unit
- the control unit loading second session status information into the blaster unit, the second session status information causing the sessions to be enabled
- the blaster unit transmitting data units for the enabled sessions in accordance with the first session configuration information
- the control unit loading third session status information into the blaster unit, the third session status information causing at least one selected session to be disabled
- assigning the session identifiers of selected disabled sessions to a corresponding number of new sessions to be generated
- the control unit negotiating the new sessions
- the control unit loading second session configuration information for the new sessions into the blaster unit, whereby the second session configuration information replaces the first session configuration information of the selected sessions
- the control unit loading fourth session status information into the blaster unit, the fourth session status information causing the new sessions to be enabled
- the blaster unit transmitting data units for the new sessions in accordance with the second session configuration information.
A method of generating traffic in at least one stream on a network comprising
- a control unit negotiating a first plurality of sessions
- the control unit providing first session configuration information to a blaster unit for the first plurality of sessions
- the blaster unit forming data units for transmission in the first plurality of sessions
- the control unit causing a second plurality of the first plurality of sessions to be disabled, whereby a third plurality of the first plurality of the sessions remain enabled
- the control unit negotiating a fourth plurality of sessions
- the control unit providing second session configuration information to the blaster unit for the fourth plurality of sessions in substitution for the first configuration information of the second plurality of sessions
- the blaster unit forming data units for transmission in the third plurality of sessions and the fourth plurality of sessions.
The apparatus for generating dynamic streams for network analysis of claim 22 further comprising means for deactivating the session by changing the session status information for the session to indicate that the session is disabled.
The apparatus for generating dynamic streams for network analysis of claim 22 wherein the session status information is a session status bit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.