US 9,178,783 B1 · Measuring network performance using inter-packet gap metric

Abstract

Techniques for measuring network performance using the inter-packet gap metric are described. According to one approach, a computer-implemented method comprises a plurality of inter-packet gap buckets, along with their associated counts and inter-packet gap value ranges, being created and stored at a network node. Two or more network packets are received at a network node as a part of at least one unidirectional flow. For each successively received packet, the network node then determines the inter-packet gap value. Next, the network node compares the inter-packet gap value with the different discrete inter-packet gap value ranges that are associated with the stored inter-packet gap buckets. If the inter-packet gap value is included in an inter-packet gap value range associated with a particular inter-packet gap bucket then the that bucket is updated. The network node then exports the inter-packet gap metric data to a computer system.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method comprising:

using an internetworking element, creating and storing a plurality of inter-packet gap buckets each configured to store a count that is associated with one of a plurality of different discrete inter-packet gap value ranges;
using the internetworking element, receiving at least a unidirectional flow comprising two or more network packets each received at a different particular arrival time;
determining, using the internetworking element, an inter-packet gap value for each of the two or more network packets as a difference between the particular arrival time of one of the two or more network packets and the particular arrival time of a next consecutive network packet among the two or more network packets;
updating of one of the inter-packet gap buckets that is associated with a particular different discrete inter-packet gap value range that includes the inter-packet gap value;
repeating the receiving, determining and updating for successively received packets of the same flow or different flows.

2 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

using an internetworking element, creating and storing a plurality of inter-packet gap buckets each configured to store a count that is associated with one of a plurality of different discrete inter-packet gap value ranges;
using the internetworking element, receiving at least a unidirectional flow comprising two or more network packets each received at a different particular arrival time;
determining, using the internetworking element, an inter-packet gap value for each of the two or more network packets as a difference between the particular arrival time of one of the two or more network packets and the particular arrival time of a next consecutive network packet among the two or more network packets;
updating of one of the inter-packet gap buckets that is associated with a particular different discrete inter-packet gap value range that includes the inter-packet gap value;
repeating the receiving, determining and updating for successively received packets of the same flow or different flows.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Measuring network performance using inter-packet gap metric

Life of this patent

Measuring network performance using inter-packet gap metric

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16