Identification of underutilized network devices

An article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable non-transitory medium which, when implemented, cause a computer to carry out the steps of the method of indicating underutilized network devices that provide services in a data communications network, the method comprising:

• receiving network traffic data, wherein the network traffic data comprises:
• for a connection established with a device within the data communications network, (i) a source device identifier and a destination device identifier for the established connection, (ii) data identifying a service provider and a service consumer for the established connection, and (iii) traffic rate data indicating a traffic flow rate on the established connection;
• filtering the network traffic data to eliminate data for predefined connections;
• producing, from the filtered network traffic data, a graph representing a connection between a first device and a second device within the data communications network, wherein the graph includes:
• (i) a link and a set of nodes representing the connection between the first and second devices, and (ii) the traffic rate data for a connection that is associated with a corresponding link in the graph;
• analyzing the graph to identify a set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network, wherein the identified set of interconnected nodes that is outside the network is a set of nodes that is not connected to another node that represents a device within the data communications network;
• and
• indicating an underutilized network device by producing an output dependent on traffic rate data associated with a link to the identified set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network.

A data processing system for indicating underutilized network devices that provide services in a data communications network, the data processing system comprising:

• memory for storing network traffic data, wherein the network traffic data comprises:
• for a connection established with a device within the data communications network, (i) a source device identifier and a destination device identifier for the established connection, (ii) data identifying a service provider and a service consumer for the established connection, and (iii) traffic rate data indicating a traffic flow rate on the established connection, and
• control logic adapted to:
• filter the network traffic data to eliminate data for predefined connections;
• produce, from the filtered network traffic data, a graph representing a connection between a first device and a second device within the data communications network, wherein the graph includes:
• (i) a link and a set of nodes representing the connection between the first and second devices, and (ii) the traffic rate data for a connection that is associated with a corresponding link in the graph;
• analyze the graph to identify a set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network, wherein the identified set of interconnected nodes is a set of nodes that is not connected to another node that represents a device within the data communications network;
• and
• indicate an underutilized network device by producing an output dependent on traffic rate data associated with a link to the identified set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network.