System, analyzer, and method for synchronizing a distributed system

A synchronized analyzer for synchronizing a distributed system comprising:

• a control unit having processing resources adapted to:
• send multicast information and communication packets over a network connection of the distributed system to be analyzed;
• a synchronization decoder circuit having processing resources adapted to:
• receive and decode the multicast information received over the network connection of the distributed system to be analyzed;
• responsive to the multicast information, generate local signals;
• and
• one or more packet capture, analysis and generation circuits having processing resources adapted to:
• receive the local signals at signal receipt times;
• and
• responsive to local signals addressed to one or more selected packet capture, analysis and generation circuits:
• capture portions of monitored data packets received over the network connection at monitored data receipt times, the monitored data packets transmitted in monitored data streams, the monitored data streams disposed in the distribution system and selected for analysis;
• simultaneously process and analyze portions of the monitored data packets with other packet capture, analysis and generation circuits that receive the multicast information over the network connections;
• based on the analysis of the portions of the monitored data packets, generate analysis data;
• and
• send the analysis data to the control unit over the network connection used to send the multicast information, the analysis data corresponding to the analysis of the portions of the monitored data packets.

A system for synchronizing a distributed system, comprising:

• data streams comprising transmitted data packets;
• a control unit having processing resources adapted to generate and transmit multicast information over a network connection of the distributed system under analysis, the multicast information including synchronization information, control information, or both;
• synchronized analyzers including:
• synchronization decoder circuits having processing resources adapted to:
• receive and decode the multicast information;
• responsive to the multicast information, generate local signals;
• and one or more packet capture, analysis and generation circuits having processing resources adapted to:
• receive the local signals at signal receipt times;
• and responsive to local signals addressed to one or more selected packet capture, analysis and generation circuits:
• capture from the network connection portions of monitored data packets from data streams selected for analysis at monitored data receipt times, and
• label portions of the received monitored data packets with time-stamps to form time-stamped portions, the time-stamps corresponding to the monitored data receipt times;
• process the portions of the monitored data packets, the processing of the portions of the monitored data packets adapted to analyze and manage the distributed system;
• a first network link connecting the control unit to the synchronized analyzers and the synchronized analyzers to each other, the control unit processing resources transmit the multicast information over the network connection to the synchronized analyzers through the first network link;
• and
• the analyzing including:
• generate analysis data:
• store segments of the time-stamped portions and corresponding analysis data in a memory;
• and
• transmit analysis information corresponding to the analysis data to the control unit.

A method for synchronizing a distributed system, the distributed system having synchronized analyzers, and data streams, the distributed system supporting multicast communications, the method comprising:

• selected synchronized analyzers receiving the multicast information and communication packets, each selected synchronized analyzer having processing resources including a synchronization decoder circuit, and one or more packet capture, analysis and generation circuits, the multicast information including synchronization packets, control packets and destination data corresponding to addresses of the selected synchronized analyzers, and the multicast information received from a control unit via a network link common to each selected synchronized analyzer and within the distributed system to be analyzed;
• the synchronization decoder circuit decoding the multicast information;
• responsive to the multicast information, the synchronization decoder circuit generating local signals, the local signals include synchronization signals and control signals;
• and
• the synchronization decoder circuit transferring the local signals to the one or more selected packet capture, analysis and generation circuits;
• responsive to the local signals, using the one or more selected packet capture, analysis and generation circuits to analyze the data streams;
• and
• sending to the control unit analyze data over the network link common to each selected synchronized analyzer.