Method of automatically baselining business bandwidth
AssigneeInfrastructure Innovations, LLC
InventorJoseph M. Kryskow, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic baselining process for business bandwidth measures business bandwidth as monitored by a plurality of bandwidth monitoring devices positioned throughout a networked environment. The process includes autodiscovery of the business bandwidth sources and sinks (destinations), autolearning application bandwidth and utilization therefrom, and autobaselining end-to-end bandwidth. Autopartitioning of the observed data and end-to-end top level service level agreements into specific component metrics is also possible.
Claims40
A method for use in a global network comprising two or more networks, wherein information is communicated via packets of one or more types associated with a corresponding application, each packet of the packets of the one or more types having a corresponding header with at least one portion of said header indicative of business bandwidth of the corresponding application, each of said two or more networks having various devices operating as sources of packets, destinations for packets, or both, each of said two or more networks interconnected to one or more other networks via at least one switch fabric, said method for providing on a run-time bases an indication of an actual service level in at least a portion of said global network for comparison with a service level agreement for at least said portion of said global network, said method comprising the steps of:
- on a run-time basis intercepting packets traversing said at least one switch fabric;
- on a run-time basis extracting information indicative of business bandwidth, including information concerning any new connection, break/disconnect, abort or timeout on a connection between a source of packets and a destination of packets, of said corresponding application from said at least one portion of said header of each of said intercepted packets as well as component modeling of components that make up an end-to-end path of said intercepted packets and returning each said intercepted packet to the switch fabric from which each intercepted packet was intercepted so as to allow the packet to continue to a destination associated with each said intercepted packet;
- on a run-time basis determining from said extracted information, information about application business bandwidth between a source and a destination of said intercepted packets;
- on a run-time basis providing said indication of the actual service level in said at least a portion of the global network according to the determined application bandwidth for comparing said indication to said service level agreement;
- utilizing the actual service level to determine if repartitioning of end-to-end metrics are required;
- and
- recommending a change in network service offering including a change in partitioning of end-to-end metrics to a user of the global network if said repartitioning is required.
The method as defined in clam 27, wherein said knowledge base is combined to form a template defining desired characteristics of the global network with respect to communication of particular packet types over said global network between sources and destinations.
A system for measuring business bandwidth representing an actual service level for comparison with a service level agreement, said business bandwidth associated with an interconnection of a plurality of networks forming a global network sending packets of information associated with a corresponding application from sources to destinations, said packets of one or more types, each packet of the packets of the one or more types having a corresponding header with at least one portion of said header indicative of business bandwidth of the corresponding application comprising:
- a plurality of bandwidth monitoring devices for determining characteristics of packets passing from at least one device on one of said plurality of networks to another device on the same network or a different network of said plurality of networks, each bandwidth monitoring device comprising:
- memory for saving monitored information;
- a bandwidth interconnection module connected to said one of the networks of the plurality of networks for retrieving information regarding part of substantially all packets of at least one type passing through said one of said plurality of networks at a first location, including information concerning any new connection, break/disconnect, abort or timeout on a connection between a source of packets and a destination of packets as well as component modeling of components that make up an end-to-end path of said extracted packets, and a master control module for analyzing said retrieved information;
- and
- at least one director console the director console having:
- means for communicating with at least one of the plurality of bandwidth monitoring devices,
- means for analyzing the retrieved information so as to determine business bandwidth baseline information regarding characteristics of said retrieved information analyzed so as to provide an indication of an actual service level in at least a portion of the global network,
- means for utilizing the actual service level to determine if repartitioning of end-to-end metrics are required;
- and
- means for recommending a change in network service offering including a change in partitioning of end-to-end metrics to a user of the global network if said repartitioning is required.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.