US 8,751,619 B2Granted

Autonomous performance probing

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorsEmmanuel P. Tychon, L. Alexander Clemm

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Abstract

A method, device, and computer-readable medium are disclosed for automatically activating a probe configured to generate test network traffic in response to evaluating a policy that accounts for aggregated information that describes traffic that was processed by a network device. The method includes storing a policy, and evaluating the policy based at least in part on an item of received aggregated information that describes a set of packets that were processed by the network device and sent or received on a network. The probe is activated at least partially in response to evaluating the policy. The probe generates test packets to emulate one or more applications, services, or devices communicating on the network.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A network device comprising:

one or more processors;
a storage device coupled to the one or more processors and configured to store a first policy and a second policy;
policy evaluating logic coupled to the one or more processors, the policy evaluating logic configured to receive aggregated information that describes a first set of packets that was processed by the network device, and evaluate the first policy based at least in part on a first item of the aggregated information;
a probe controller coupled to the one or more processors and configured to, at least partially in response to the policy evaluating logic evaluating the first policy based at least in part on the first item of the aggregated information, automatically activate a first probe that is configured to generate one or more test packets and that emulates a first set of one or more applications, services, or devices;
monitoring logic monitoring performance of one or more second applications, services, or devices based on information about the one or more test packets;
wherein the policy evaluating logic is configured to receive a second item of second aggregated information that describes a second set of packets that were processed by the network device, and evaluate the second policy based at least in part on the second item of second aggregated information;
wherein the probe controller is configured to, at least partially in response to evaluating the second policy, deactivate a second probe that generated test packets for a second set of one or more applications, services, or devices.

4 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause:

storing a first policy and a second policy;
receiving aggregated information that describes a first set of packets that was processed by one or more network devices;
evaluating the first policy based at least in part on a first item of the aggregated information;
automatically and at least partially in response to evaluating the first policy based at least in part on an item of the aggregated information, activating a probe that is configured to generate one or more test packets and that emulates a first set of one or more first applications, services, or devices;
monitoring performance of one or more second applications, services, or devices based on information about the one or more test packets;
receiving a second item of second aggregated information that describes a second set of packets that were processed by the network device;
evaluating the second policy based at least in part on the second item of the second aggregated information;
at least partially in response to evaluating the second policy, deactivating a second probe that generated test packets for a second set of one or more applications, services, or devices.

5 more elements

A method comprising:

storing a first policy and a second policy;
receiving aggregated information that describes one or more characteristics of a first set of packets that was processed by one or more network devices;
evaluating the first policy based at least in part on a first item of the aggregated information;
automatically and at least partially in response to evaluating the first policy based at least in part on the first item of the aggregated information, activating a first probe that is configured to generate one or more test packets and that emulates a first set of one or more first applications, services, or devices;
monitoring performance of one or more second applications, services, or devices based on information about the one or more test packets;
receiving a second item of second aggregated information that describes a second set of packets that were processed by the network device;
evaluating the second policy based at least in part on the second item of the second aggregated information;
at least partially in response to evaluating the second policy, deactivating a second probe that generated test packets for a second set of one or more applications, services, or devices;
wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/149,728Filed 31 May 2011
Published: US 2012/0311132 A16 Dec 2012
Granted: 10 Jun 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 43/10
Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks: active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
H04L 43/026
Capturing of monitoring data: using flow identification
H04L 43/50
Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks: testing arrangements
H04L 43/55
Testing arrangements: testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage

Family

US 2012/0311132 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Dec 2012
US 8,751,619 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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