Methods and apparatus for capturing and/or using packets to facilitate fault detection
Methods and apparatus for controlling monitoring operations performed by various devices, e.g., access points, in a communications network and for using information obtained by the devices which perform the monitoring are described. The methods are well suited for use in a system with a variety of access points, e.g., wireless and/or wired access points, which can be used to obtain access to the Internet or another network. An access point, which has been configured to monitor in accordance with received monitoring configuration information, e.g. on a per access point interface basis, captures packets, stores captured packets, and monitors to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said access point. In response to detecting a communications failure, the access point generates, an event failure notification indicating the type of detected failure and sends the event failure notification to the network monitoring node along with corresponding captured packets.
1. A method of capturing and providing information relating to communications, the method comprising:
operating a first access point including multiple different interfaces to receive information from a network monitoring node, said information indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect, said information from said network monitoring node indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect is provided on a per access point interface basis, said information indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect indicating one or more of: association failures, authentication failures, authorization failures, DHCP failures, or DNS look up failures;
operating the first access point to receive, from the network monitoring node, information indicating a number of packets corresponding to a communications device to capture during an attempt by the communications device to achieve network connectivity;
operating said first access point to capture packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point;
operating the first access point to monitor to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said first access point; and
in response to detecting a communications failure corresponding to a first communications device, generating, at the first access point, an event failure notification indicating the type of detected failure; and
sending, from the first access point, the event failure notification to a said network monitoring node.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first access point is configured to forward captured packets corresponding to communications devices for which communications failures are detected without forwarding captured packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point for which communications failures are not detected.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
operating the first access point to receive, from the network monitoring node, information indicating a total number of packets and an indicator of the length of packets to be captured and buffered for each communications device using the first access point.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
operating the first access point to receive, from the network monitoring node, a command used to enable or disable packet capture at the first access point.
5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
operating the first access point to receive an instruction to capture packets for an identified communications device on multiple different interfaces; and
operating the first access point to forward captured packets corresponding to the identified communications device to the network monitoring mode irrespective of whether or not a communications failure corresponding to the identified communications device is detected.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the identified communications device is a multi-mode communications device and wherein a communications failure on a first interface causes said identified communications device to switch to a second interface.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
operating the network monitoring node to communicate packet capture instructions to said first access point to configure said first access point to capture and buffer packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point; and
operating the network monitoring node to communicate at least a first monitoring command to configure the first access point to monitor to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said first access point.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple different interfaces of the first access point include: a WiFi interface and a Bluetooth interface.
9. A communications system comprising:
a first access point including multiple different interfaces and a first processor, said first processor being configured to:
operate the first access point to receive information from a network monitoring node indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect, said information from said network monitoring node indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect is provided on a per access point interface basis and wherein said information indicating communications failures said first access point is to monitor to detect indicating one or more of: association failures, authentication failures, authorization failures, DHCP failures, or DNS look up failures;
operate the first access point to receive, from the network monitoring node, information indicating a number of packets corresponding to a communications device to capture during an attempt by the communications device to achieve network connectivity;
operate the first access point to capture packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point;
operate the first access point to monitor to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said first access point; and
generate, at the first access point, an event failure notification indicating the type of detected failure, in response to detecting a communications failure corresponding to a first communications device; and
send, from the first access point, the event failure notification to the network monitoring node.
10. The communications system of claim 9 , wherein said first processor is configured to forward captured packets corresponding to communications devices for which communications failures are detected without forwarding captured packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point for which communications failures are not detected.
11. The communications system of claim 9 , wherein said first processor is further configured to: operate the first access point to receive, from the network monitoring node, information indicating a total number of packets and an indicator of the length of packets to be captured and buffered for each communications device using the first access point.
12. The communications system of claim 9 ,
wherein the system further comprises
said network monitoring node; and
wherein said network monitoring node includes a second processor configured to:
operate the network monitoring node to communicate packet capture instructions to said first access point to configure said first access point to capture and buffer packets corresponding to communications devices using said first access point; and
operate the network monitoring node to communicate at least a first monitoring command to configure the first access point to configure the first access point to monitor to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said first access point.
13. The communications system of claim 9 , wherein the multiple different interfaces of the first access point include: a WiFi interface and a Bluetooth interface.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising machine executable instructions which when executed by a processor of an access point causes the processer to control the access point to:
receive information from a network monitoring node indicating communications failures said access point is to monitor to detect, said information from said network monitoring node indicating communications failures said access point is to monitor to detect is provided on a per access point interface basis and wherein said information indicating communications failures said access point is to monitor to detect indicating one or more of: association failures, authentication failures, authorization failures, DHCP failures, or DNS look up failures;
receive, from the network monitoring node, information indicating a number of packets corresponding to a communications device to capture during an attempt by the communications device to achieve network connectivity;
capture packets corresponding to communications devices using said access point;
monitor to detect communications failures corresponding to communications devices using said access point;
generate an event failure notification indicating the type of detected failure, in response to detecting a communications failure corresponding to a first communications device; and
send, from the access point, the event failure notification to the network monitoring node.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising machine executable instructions which when executed by the processor of the access point causes the processer to control the access point to:
forward captured packets corresponding to communications devices for which communications failures are detected without forwarding captured packets corresponding to communications devices using said access point for which communications failures are not detected.