Correlating packets in a data-communications environment

#To set up various types of data communications calls, several parameters often need to be negotiated over various protocols. Packets of data will be sent from various sources to destinations according to the various protocols. Call failures can be caused by latency and other forms of delays (e.g. lost packets, etc) throughout a packet based communications system. Inasmuch as providers desire to reduce call failures and other types of ailments associated with a communications network, it is desirous to be able to analyze packet streams and their corresponding attributes as they pass though one or more networks. But tracking packet streams as they are communicated from a first protocol to a second protocol (and so on) has been problematic. So too has been providing a way for multiple entities to access the packet-stream data, especially in a way that is scaleable and free from proprietary code and solutions.

#The presenting invention is defined by the claims below. Embodiments of the present invention solve at least the above problems by providing a system and method for, among other things, correlating packet streams even as they pass from being communicated in one protocol to another providing the opportunity to perform delay/performance analysis on data packets. The present invention has several practical applications in the technical arts including allowing for various packet streams of various protocols to be correctly correlated, exposing the gathered data to multiple entities who can work on the data simultaneously, providing a solution that is robustly scaleable and free of proprietary code, and ultimately allowing for the integrity of a communications network to be increased.

#In a first aspect, a set of computer-useable instructions are provided to perform a method of correlating sets of packets in a communications networking environment The method includes providing a first set of packets sent from a source device, providing a first set of packet attributes that describe the packets, storing the first set of packet attributes, providing a second set of packets that are related to the first set of packets and that are to be received by a destination device, providing a second set of packet attributes that describe a first packet in the second set of packets, storing the second set of packet attributes, and determining which of the first set of packet attributes corresponds to the second set of packet attributes.

#Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a combination diagram that depicts the communication of packet streams and storing of data relating to their attributes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2A depicts illustrative tables that store attributes of packet streams according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for evaluating a performance of a communications network. Performance evaluation is facilitated by being able to analyze attributes of packet streams even when those packet streams are communicated using multiple protocols.

#As one skilled in the art will appreciate, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as, among other things: a method, system, or computer-program product. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of a hardware embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. In one embodiment, the present invention takes the form of a computer-program product that includes computer-useable instructions embodied on one or more computer-readable media.

#Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and nonremovable media, and contemplates media readable by a database, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches, routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are means of communicating with the same. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media comprise computer-storage media.