Using measurements from real calls to reduce the number of test calls for network testing
AssigneeAvaya Inc.
InventorsRohan Lenard, Michael J. Thomas, Bradley Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a network diagnostics system, network topology discovery determines the links that make up the network, artificial call quality management determines the set of test calls that need to be made to test the network, and real call quality management collects call-quality data about real calls in the network. The set of test calls is reduced by calls that would duplicate paths, or portions of paths, of the real calls, and artificial call quality management performs only the test calls of the reduced set and collects call-quality data thereon. Analysis analyzes the combined data of the real calls and the test calls to determine the possibly-bad call paths in the network.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- obtaining call-quality data about real calls having call paths in a communications network;
- determining a set of test calls having call paths that would test the network;
- reducing the set of the test calls by those test calls whose call paths duplicate the call paths of ones of the real calls;
- performing the test calls of only the reduced set and obtaining call-quality data about the performed test calls;
- and
- analyzing the call-quality data about the test calls and about the real calls to determine possibly-bad paths in the network.
A diagnostics apparatus comprising:
- means for obtaining call-quality data about real calls having call paths in a communications network;
- means for determining a set of test calls having call paths that would test the communications network;
- means for reducing the set of the test calls by those test calls whose call paths duplicate the call paths of ones of the real calls;
- means for performing the test calls of only the reduced set and obtaining call-quality data about the performed test calls;
- and
- means for analyzing the call-quality data about the test calls and about the real calls to determine possibly-bad paths in the network.
A diagnostics apparatus comprising:
- a real-call quality management system for obtaining call-quality data about real calls having call paths in a communications network;
- at least one of a test-call quality management system and an analysis system for determining a set of test calls having call paths that would test the communications network, and for reducing the set of the test calls by those test calls whose call paths duplicate the call path of ones of the real calls,
- the test-call quality management system further for performing the test calls of only the reduced set and obtaining call quality data about the performed test calls;
- and
- the analysis system further for analyzing the call-quality data about the test calls and about the real calls to determine possibly-bad paths in the network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.