Patent US5886643A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5886643A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for discovering network topology
Assignee: CA Inc
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Filing: 1996-09-17
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Granted: 1999-03-23
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Expires: 2016-09-17
Abstract
Abstract A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, which includes a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, the method including the steps of polling the probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, each of the records identifying at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected source-destination node pair, determining which of the plurality of probes produced a most complete report of traffic associated with that selected source-destination node pair; identifying those records among the plurality of records that designate both the probe which produced the most complete report of traffic and the selected source-destination node pair; and distinguishing within the plurality of records the identified records from the other records.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert S. Diebboll
- 👤 Richard B. Wallace
- 👤 Ferdinand Engel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 14:37
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L45/00; H04L45/02; H04L41/00; H04L41/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, said method comprising: polling said probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, wherein each of said plurality of records identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected source-destination node pair, determining which of said plurality of probes produced a most complete report of traffic associated with that selected source-destination node pair; identifying those records among said plurality of records that designate both the probe which produced the most complete report of traffic and the selected source-destination node pair; and distinguishing within said plurality of records the identified records from the other records.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, said method comprising: polling said probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, wherein each of said plurality of records identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected source-destination node pair, determining which of said plurality of probes produced a most complete report of traffic associated with that selected source-destination node pair; identifying those records among said plurality of records that designate both the probe which produced the most complete report of traffic and the selected source-destination node pair; and distinguishing within said plurality of records the identified records from the other records.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the distinguishing step comprises tagging the identified records.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising performing the determining step for each of a plurality of different source-destination node pairs.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 3 further comprising generating a report about network activity by using only the tagged records.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising identifying a plurality of different source-destination node pairs for which the plurality records have data and performing the determining step for each of said plurality of different source-destination node pairs.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
81 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining comprises: for each of said plurality of probes, aggregating the measure of traffic from all records which report traffic for the selected source-destination node pair to thereby generate a total measure of traffic; and determining which one of said plurality of probes yields a highest total measure of traffic, wherein the probe that yields a highest total measure of traffic is the probe that produced the most complete report of traffic.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, said method comprising: polling said probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, wherein each of said plurality of records identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected one of said plurality of nodes, determining which one of said plurality of probes produced a highest total measure of traffic associated with that selected node; forming a list for the identified probe; and adding the selected node to that list.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of processing data from a plurality of probes which monitor traffic over a network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, said method comprising: polling said probes for monitoring data; receiving polled data from the plurality of probes; storing the polled data in a plurality of records, wherein each of said plurality of records identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record; for a selected one of said plurality of nodes, determining which one of said plurality of probes produced a highest total measure of traffic associated with that selected node; forming a list for the identified probe; and adding the selected node to that list.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising performing the determining, forming, and adding steps for other nodes of said plurality of nodes to thereby generate a plurality of lists, each associated with a different one of said probes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8 further comprising performing the determining, forming, and adding steps for all nodes of said plurality of nodes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8 further comprising using information stored in said plurality of lists to generate a report about network activity.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of generating a view of a network from monitoring data collected from a plurality of probes which monitored traffic over the network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, wherein said view is generated from data that was collected from said probes and is stored in a plurality of records, each of which identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record, said method comprising: for a selected one of said plurality of nodes, determining which one of said plurality of probes produced a highest total measure of traffic associated with that selected node; and forming a list for the identified probe and adding the selected node to that list.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of generating a view of a network from monitoring data collected from a plurality of probes which monitored traffic over the network, said network including a plurality of segments to which are connected a plurality of nodes, wherein said view is generated from data that was collected from said probes and is stored in a plurality of records, each of which identifies at least a probe, a source node, a destination node, and a measure of traffic between the identified source node and destination node in that record, said method comprising: for a selected one of said plurality of nodes, determining which one of said plurality of probes produced a highest total measure of traffic associated with that selected node; and forming a list for the identified probe and adding the selected node to that list.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-03-22 | 2002-09-21 | 2003-03-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-03-22 | 2006-09-21 | 2007-03-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-03-22 | 2010-09-21 | 2011-03-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |