System and method for identifying and isolating faults in a video on demand provisioning system
View Patent ↗A system and method for identifying and isolating faults in a video on demand (VOD) provisioning system. Transaction errors statistics are used to determine whether a fault has occurred in the VOD provisioning system. A high transaction error rate is associated with transaction error rates in components of the VOD provisioning system permitting identification of a likely cause of a high transaction error rate. Remedial action to repair the cause of the system fault is then directed to the likely cause of the high transaction error rate.
1. A method for identifying faults in a network path used to provide video on demand (VOD) provisioning comprising:
accessing a transaction log comprising information of VOD transactions between set-top boxes (STBs) and a VOD provisioning system, wherein the VOD transactions comprise request for content from the STBs and responses to the requests by the VOD provisioning system, and wherein the VOD transaction information comprises transaction error entries for requests from STBs that are not fulfilled;
parsing the log for transaction error entries;
parsing a transaction error entry for identifying information of an STB for which a request was not fulfilled;
querying a first datastore for hub identifying information associated with the STB identifying information; and
defining a network path connecting the STB to the hub and connecting the hub to the VOD provisioning system, wherein the network path is identified as experiencing a fault.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein STB identifying information is selected from the group consisting of an IP address, a MAC address, and a serial number.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein querying a first datastore for hub identifying information associated with the STB identifying information comprises:
querying the first datastore to obtain a QPSK modulator identifier associated with the STB identifying information; and
identifying a hub location from the QPSK modulator identifier.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining a network path connecting the STB to the hub and connecting the hub to the VOD provisioning system, wherein the network path is identified as experiencing a fault comprises:
querying a second datastore to obtain a location of the STB; and
defining a network path connecting the STB location to the hub location and connecting the hub location to the VOD provisioning system, wherein the network path is identified as experiencing a fault.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hub identifying information associated with the STB identifying information comprises a QPSK modulator identifier, a QPSK demodulator identifier, a QAM identifier, and a service group identifier.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
establishing a transaction error sampling period;
for each transaction log entry during the sampling period, creating a record comprising:
a MAC address of the STB for which a request is not fulfilled; and
determining a number of transaction log entries comprising the MAC address;
if the number of transaction log entries comprising the MAC address exceeds a MAC address threshold value, then taking remedial action directed to the STB.
7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
establishing a transaction error sampling period;
for each transaction log entry during the sampling period, creating a record comprising:
QPSK modulator identifier associated with the MAC address of the STB for which a request is not fulfilled; and
determining a number of transaction log entries comprising the QPSK modulator identifier;
if the number of transaction log entries comprising the QPSK modulator identifier exceeds a QPSK modulator threshold value, then taking remedial action directed to the QPSK modulator.
8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
establishing a transaction error sampling period;
for each transaction log entry during the sampling period, creating a record comprising:
a QPSK demodulator identifier associated with the MAC address of the STB for which a request is not fulfilled;
determining a number of transaction log entries comprising the QPSK demodulator identifier;
if the number of transaction log entries comprising the QPSK demodulator identifier exceeds a QPSK demodulator threshold value, then taking remedial action directed to the QPSK demodulator.
9. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
establishing a transaction error sampling period;
for each transaction log entry during the sampling period, creating a record comprising:
a QAM identifier associated with the MAC address of the STB for which a request is not fulfilled;
determining a number of transaction log entries comprising the QAM identifier;
if the number of transaction log entries comprising the QAM identifier exceeds a QAM threshold value, then taking remedial action directed to the QAM.
10. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
establishing a transaction error sampling period;
for each transaction log entry during the sampling period, creating a record comprising:
a service group identifier associated with the MAC address of the STB for which a request is not fulfilled;
determining a number of transaction log entries comprising the service group identifier;
if the number of transaction log entries comprising the service group identifier exceeds a service group threshold value, then taking remedial action directed to the service group.