Obtaining local area network diagnostic test results
View Patent ↗Diagnostic test results are obtained in respect of local area networks (LANs), the LANs having user-devices located therein having interfaces and being operable to communicate via those interfaces and via a LAN gateway device with remote devices in a communications network outside their respective LANs. A method comprises comparing performance measures obtained in respect of communication flows with a performance threshold whereby to identify communication flows whose performance measures are indicative of performance below a predetermined level, and for any such communication flows, obtaining a diagnosis in respect of the LAN in question in dependence on a comparison of the performance measure obtained in respect of the identified communication flow and performance measures obtained in respect of other communication flows, the diagnosis being obtained in dependence on respective portability levels and network interface types determined in respect of the user-devices involved in said communication flows.
1. A method of obtaining diagnostic test results for one or more local area networks, each local area network having at least one user device located therein having at least one interface and being operable to communicate via said at least one interface and via a local area network gateway device with one or more remote devices in a communications network outside the local area network, the method comprising:
for each of a plurality of communication flows, each communication flow comprising a flow of data between a user device in a local area network and a remote device outside the local area network, inspecting data in said respective communication flow to obtain, at a monitoring device outside the local area network:
a performance measure indicative of the performance of the communication flow between the user device and the remote device;
a device category of the user device, said device category being selected from a plurality of predetermined device categories in dependence on data in said communication flow; and
a network interface type indicative of the type of network interface being used by the user device for the communication flow, the network interface type being selected from a plurality of predetermined network interface types in dependence on data in said communication flow;
for each user device involved in one or more of said communication flows, determining a portability level of the user device, the portability level of the user device being one of a plurality of predetermined user device portability levels, the portability level of the user device being determined in dependence on the device category of the user device;
comparing the performance measures of said communication flows with a performance threshold to identify any communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level, and in the event of any such communication flow being identified, obtaining a diagnosis of the local area network in which the user device is located in dependence on a comparison of the performance measure of said identified communication flow and one or more performance measures of other communication flows, the diagnosis being obtained in dependence on the respective portability levels and network interface types determined for the user devices involved in said communication flows.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication flows comprises flows of data between one or more user devices in the same local area network and one or more remote devices outside said local area network.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication flows comprises flows of data between respective user devices in different local area networks and one or more remote devices outside the local area network of the respective user device.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the inspection of data in said communication flows comprises deep packet inspection.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the performance measure indicative of the performance of the communication flow comprises measures of one or more of bandwidth, loss, latency and jitter.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the device category of the user device used for a communication flow is determined from information in one or more packet headers of one or more packets of which the communication flow is comprised.
7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network interface type used for the communication flow is determined in dependence on the device category of the user device used in the communication flow.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network interface type used for the communication flow is determined from analysis of the communication flow.
9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the network interface type used for the communication flow is determined from information in one or more packet headers of one or more packets of which the communication flow is comprised.
10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the diagnosis of a local area network in which is located a user device involved in a communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level is obtained in dependence on the performance measure of said communication flow and one or more performance measures of one or more other communication flows involving one or more other user devices in the same local area network.
11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the diagnosis of a local area network in which is located a user device involved in a communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level is obtained in dependence on the performance measure of said communication flow and one or more performance measures of one or more other communication flows involving one or more other user devices in one or more other local area networks.
12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the diagnosis of a local area network in which is located a user device involved in a communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level is obtained in dependence on the performance measure of said communication flow and one or more performance measures of one or more other communication flows involving one or more other user devices having corresponding portability levels and/or network interface types.
13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the diagnosis of a local area network in which is located a user device involved in a communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level is obtained in dependence on the performance measure of said communication flow and one or more performance measures of one or more other communication flows involving one or more other user devices having different portability levels and/or network interface types.
14. Apparatus for obtaining diagnostic test results for one or more local area networks, each local area network having at least one user device located therein having at least one interface and being operable to communicate via said at least one interface and via a local area network gateway device with one or more remote devices in a communications network outside the local area network, the apparatus comprising:
one or more processors configured to inspect data in each of a plurality of communication flows, each communication flow comprising a flow of data between a user device in a local area network and a remote device outside the local area network to obtain, at a monitoring device outside the local area network:
a performance measure indicative of the performance of the communication flow between the user device and the remote device;
a device category of the user device, said device category being selected from a plurality of predetermined device categories in dependence on data in said communication flow; and
a network interface type indicative of the type of network interface being used by the user device for the communication flow, the network interface type being selected from a plurality of predetermined network interface types in dependence on data in said communication flow;
the one or more processors further being configured to determine, for each user device involved in one or more of said communication flows, a portability level of the user device, the portability level of the user device being one of a plurality of predetermined user device portability levels, the portability level of the user device being determined in dependence on the device category of the user device;
the one or more processors further being configured to compare the performance measures of said communication flows with a performance threshold to identify any communication flow whose performance measure is indicative of performance below a predetermined level, and in the event of any such communication flow being identified, to obtain a diagnosis of the local area network in which the user device is located in dependence on a comparison of the performance measure of said identified communication flow and one or more performance measures of other communication flows, the diagnosis being obtained in dependence on the respective portability levels and network interface types determined for the user devices involved in said communication flows.
15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program code to, when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method as claimed in claim 1 .
16. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the performance measure indicative of the performance of the communication flow comprises measures of one or more of bandwidth, loss, latency and jitter.
17. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the device category of the user device used in the communication flow is determined from information in one or more packet headers of one or more packets of which the communication flow is comprised.
18. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the network interface type of the communication flow is determined in dependence on the device category of the user device used in the communication flow.
19. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the network interface type used for the communication flow is determined from information in one or more packet headers of one or more packets of which the communication flow is comprised.
20. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the network interface type used for the communication flow is determined in dependence on the device category of the user device used in the communication flow.