Application level interface to network analysis tools
View Patent ↗A user interface to a network simulator facilitates the use of application layer parameters and application layer logic. The user interface is configured to allow the user to define the input in a graphic form, or a text/programming form, or a combination of both. Preferably, the user interface provides common graphic forms for both inputting the data to the simulator as well as for displaying the resultant data from the simulator, thereby easing the progression from the analysis of output from one simulation to the generation of new input for a subsequent simulation.
1. A method comprising:
simulating, on a simulation machine, a propagation of a plurality of messages corresponding to an application among nodes of a modeled network,
providing a graphic representation of the propagation of the plurality of messages,
providing a user interface to the graphic representation to facilitate receiving user-defined message operations, each message operation defining a source and a destination for one or more created messages,
receiving one or more of the user-defined message operations, and
resimulating, on the simulation machine, the propagation of the plurality of messages based on the one or more user-defined message operations,
wherein at least one of the user-defined message operations causes the simulation machine to generate a plurality of packets for propagation from the source to the destination during the resimulation.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein simulating the propagation of the messages includes at least one of:
determining an analytic steady-state condition of the network,
performing a discrete-event simulation of the network,
performing a mix of discrete-event simulation and analytic determination,
generating test messages on an embodiment of some or all of the modeled network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the graphic representation includes a data exchange chart that illustrates the propagation of the messages between tiers.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the user interface includes a graphic interface that facilitates creation of additional messages on the data exchange chart.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the user interface includes a graphic interface that facilitates modification of the messages on the data exchange chart.
6. The method of claim 1 , including determining a delay associated with each message, and displaying each message on the graphic representation based on the delay.
7. The method of claim 1 , including extracting the messages corresponding to the application from among a plurality of messages that includes other traffic on the network.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein extracting the messages is based on dependencies between messages.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein simulating the propagation of messages includes modeling the propagation at a transport-protocol layer.
10. A system comprising:
a user interface that is configured to facilitate a user's creation of a plurality of messages corresponding to an application via a graphic representation of propagation of the messages among tiers of a network,
an input processor that is configured to process the plurality of messages to provide a model of traffic associated with the application, and
a network simulator that is configured to simulate propagation of packets on a modeled network, based on the model of the traffic associated with the application;
wherein the user interface is configured to receive user input to facilitate the creation and manipulation of elements of the graphic representation, and
the model of the traffic causes the network simulator to generate a plurality of the packets corresponding to at least one message of the plurality of messages.
11. The system of claim 10 , including an application extractor that is configured to extract messages corresponding to the application from an output of the network simulator.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the application extractor is configured to provide a graphic representation of the messages, and the user interface is configured to facilitate editing of the graphic representation to facilitate creation of additional messages that are added to the plurality of messages for subsequent input processing and network simulation.
13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the network simulator is configured to simulate the propagation of packets at a transport-protocol-layer level.
14. The system of claim 13 , including a plurality of network simulators that are each configured to model the network at different levels of precision.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the application extractor is configured to provide a graphic representation of the messages, and the user interface is configured to facilitate modification of one or more attributes of at least one of the messages in the graphic representation for subsequent input processing and network simulation.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more attributes include at least one of: a time parameter, a size parameter, a source parameter, a destination parameter, and a dependency parameter.
17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the input processor is further configured to process one or more scripts that facilitate generation of at least a portion of the plurality of messages.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the input processor is configured to process at least one script of the one or more scripts that is written in a general-purpose programming language.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the input processor is configured to facilitate modification of one or more attributes of at least one message based on at least one script of the one or more scripts.
20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the model of the traffic includes traffic that is generated by at least one script of the one or more scripts.
21. The system of claim 10 , wherein the user interface is configured to facilitate identification of dependencies between two or more of the messages of the plurality of messages.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that is configured to store a computer program that, when executed on a processing system, is configured to cause the processing system to:
provide a user interface that facilitates a user's creation and manipulation of elements of a graphic representation of a propagation of a plurality of messages associated with an application,
process the graphic representation to create a model of traffic associated with the application, and
simulate a propagation of packets on a modeled network, based on the model of the traffic associated with the application,
wherein the model of the traffic causes the processor to simulate the propagation of a plurality of the packets corresponding to at least one message of the plurality of messages.
23. The medium of claim 22 , wherein the program is configured to cause the processor to process one or more scripts that facilitate generation of at least a portion of the plurality of messages.
24. The medium of claim 23 , wherein the program is configured to cause the processor to modify one or more attributes of at least one message based on at least one script of the one or more scripts.
25. The medium of claim 23 , wherein the model of the traffic includes traffic that is generated by at least one script of the one or more scripts.
26. The medium of claim 22 , wherein the user interface is configured to facilitate identification of dependencies between two or more of the messages of the plurality of messages.
27. The medium of claim 22 , wherein the program is configured to cause the processor to provide the graphic representation based on a simulation of the modeled network, and the user interface is configured to facilitate editing of the graphic representation to facilitate creation of additional messages that are added to the plurality of messages for subsequent input processing and network simulation.
28. The medium of claim 22 , wherein the program is configured to cause the processor to provide the graphic representation based on a simulation of the modeled network, and the user interface is configured to facilitate modification of one or more attributes of at least one of the messages in the graphic representation for subsequent input processing and network simulation.
29. The medium of claim 28 , wherein the one or more attributes include at least one of: a time parameter, a size parameter, a source parameter, a destination parameter, and a dependency parameter.
30. The medium of claim 22 , wherein the graphic representation includes a data exchange chart that illustrates the propagation of the messages between tiers.
31. The medium of claim 30 , wherein the user interface includes a graphic interface that facilitates creation of additional messages on the data exchange chart.
32. The medium of claim 30 , wherein the user interface includes a graphic interface that facilitates modification of the messages on the data exchange chart.