System and method for analyzing and tuning a communications network

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for network measurement and planning, said method comprising:

• sending probative test packets across a live communications network to derive network evaluation parameters including apparent bandwidth and current available bandwidth;
• determining capacity, utilization and performance of said network as a function of said network evaluation parameters and of queue delay selectively determined with respect to single or multiple links apparent queue factor;
• testing for network prioritization based on type of service selected from a set including interactive service, browser service, batch service, and real time service;
• including
• calculating apparent bandwidth using highest priority packets, where said highest priority packets are those for the service with best long minus best short packets;
• calculating utilization at highest priority from average long packets minus best short packets;
• calculating utilization of second highest priority from average second level packets minus best highest level packets, where total perceived minus highest priority utilization is said total second level packets;
• and
• repeating said calculating steps for all levels of service.

A method for evaluating a communications network interconnecting a workstation and a target station, comprising the steps of:

• communicating long ping bits;
• communicating short ping bits;
• determining the best long ping time;
• determining the best short ping time;
• and
• calculating apparent bandwidth as a function of the number of long ping bits, the number of short ping bits, said best long ping time, and said best short ping time.

Method for evaluating a communications network, comprising the steps of:

• probative testing a live communications network by selectively sending and receiving a plurality of network evaluation signals through said network;
• calculating and applying single and multiple links apparent queue factor to said network evaluation signals, for deriving network evaluation parameters including apparent bandwidth and current available bandwidth, current propagation delay, latency, utilization by priority, hop count, duplex, and multiserver factors;
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing average message length for all priorities, arrival rates, utilization, current window size, optimal window size, expected current average network response time, and utilization at which a response time requirement is not met;
• and
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing the throughput of said network.

A method for evaluating a communications network, comprising the steps of:

• selectively sending and receiving a plurality of network evaluation signals through said network, said network evaluation signals being selected from the set of signals including discrete one-way echoed packets, discrete echoed packets, streamed one-way packets, streamed echoed packets, multistreamed one-way packets, multistreamed echoed packets, uni-directional file transfers, bi-directional file transfers, and multistreamed file transfers;
• responsive to said network evaluation signals, selectively recording network evaluation parameters selected from the set of parameters including number of packets sent, number of packets received, packet send time stamp, packet receipt time stamp, packet size, packet one-way trip time, packet round trip time, standard deviation, and bytes transferred per unit of time;
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing the response time of said network, including determining at least one of factors defining the apparent bandwidth, current available bandwidth, current unavailable bandwidth, apparent utilization, apparent average message size, apparent maximum user window size, estimated current user window size, apparent jitter, estimated path propagation delay, estimated optimal network service level, estimated current network service level, estimated network utilization level at which service level compliance is compromised, average queue time, apparent queue depth, apparent queue factor, and apparent device latency of said network;
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing the throughput of said network, including determining the hop count factor, duplex factor, throughput factor, and multi-server factor of said network;
• responsive to user selection, executing one or more service level and capacity planning routines selected from the set including routines for planning network characteristics, calculating the change in network traffic before network response time level is compromised, calculating the additional file load capacity of said network, and for determining window size for file transfer to fill remaining capacity;
• and
• further responsive to user selection, selectively executing optimized ping, ping extensions, transaction, file echo, bursts, multistreaming, and unidirectional transmission and recording routines.

A system for evaluating a communications network, comprising:

• means for probative testing a live communications network by selectively sending and receiving a plurality of network evaluation signals through said network;
• means for calculating and applying single and multiple links apparent queue factor to said network evaluation signals for selectively deriving and recording network evaluation parameters including apparent bandwidth and current available bandwidth, current propagation delay, latency, utilization by priority, hop count, duplex, and multiserver factors;
• means responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters for analyzing average message length for all priorities, arrival rates, utilization, current window size, optimal window size, expected current average network response time, and utilization at which a response time requirement is not met;
• and
• means responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters for analyzing the throughput of said network.

A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for evaluating a communications network, said method steps comprising:

• probative testing a live communications network by selectively sending and receiving a plurality of network evaluation signals through said network;
• calculating and applying single and multiple links apparent queue factor to said network evaluation signals, for deriving network evaluation parameters including apparent bandwidth and current available bandwidth, current propagation delay, latency, utilization by priority, hop count, duplex, and multiserver factors;
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing average message length for all priorities, arrival rates, utilization, current window size, optimal window size, expected current average network response time, and utilization at which a response time requirement is not met;
• and
• responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters, analyzing the throughput of said network.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for evaluating a communications network, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising:
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect probative testing a live communications network by selectively sending and receiving a plurality of network evaluation signals through said network;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect calculating and applying single and multiple links apparent queue factor to said network evaluation signals for selectively deriving and recording network evaluation parameters including apparent bandwidth and current available bandwidth, current propagation delay, latency, utilization by priority, hop count, duplex, and multiserver factors;
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters analyzing average message length for all priorities, arrival rates, utilization, current window size, optimal window size, expected current average network response time, and utilization at which a response time requirement is not met;
• and
• computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to selected said network evaluation parameters analyzing the throughput of said network.