Method for measuring the availability of router-based connectionless networks
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorKevin L D'Souza
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The availability of a connectionless network (10) is determined by first identifying all possible data destinations. Stated another way, all possible network endpoints are determined. Thereafter, the routing tables (36, 38 and 40) within the routers (12, 14, 16) of the network are examined to determine whether a route exists to each endpoint. The availability of the network is then established by comparing the available routes to endpoints to the number of endpoints. If a route exists to every endpoint, then the network 10 is fully available. The lack of a route to an endpoint diminishes network availability.
Claims6
A method for monitoring a data network that includes a plurality of routers that collectively operate to route data packets over logical paths between data sources and data destinations in accordance with information contained in a routing table in each router that specifies the downstream destination for a data packet in accordance with information contained in said packet, comprising:
- (a) establishing for the network a list of data destinations for which a data packet originating at the data source is destined;
- (b) examining the routing table of each router to determine whether the routing information collectively contained in said router routing tables specifies an available route to a data destination;
- (c) repeating step (b) until the routing tables of all the routers are examined;
- and
- (d) establishing a data network monitoring parameter that is a function of the number of available routes between endpoints determined in step (b) and is a further function of the number of endpoints.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.