TWI394402B - Network detecting device and method of network quality detecting thereof - Google Patents

Description

Network detection device and method for actively detecting network quality

The present invention relates to a network device, and more particularly to a network detection device and a method for actively detecting network quality.

In recent years, with the development of VoIP technology, the Internet can not only transmit data information, but also transmit voice information over the Internet through Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP).

In a VoIP call, the Media Gateway Controller (MGC) and the Media Gateway (MG) are two key devices. The MGC belongs to the central office device and is responsible for the call control function. The MG belongs to the user. The end device is responsible for the service bearer function. In the prior art, since the establishment of a VoIP call needs to be connected to the MGC through an IP network, it is necessary to establish a Between two different gateways by a specific VoIP protocol before establishing a VoIP call between different users. Communication link. For example, the MG and the MGC corresponding to different users detect whether each other exists by means of a KA (Keep Alive Message) signaling mechanism, that is, mutually transmit KA signaling, when the MG does not receive the KA signaling within a predetermined time. When the message is replied, or the MGC does not receive the KA signaling message within the specified time, all user status in the MG will be restored to the initial value, which will cause service interruption.

Therefore, how to predict the status of the network environment in advance, and then quickly troubleshoot, is very important for VoIP services.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a network detection device, which can predict the status of the network environment in advance, and quickly perform troubleshooting, thereby improving service quality.

In addition, it is necessary to provide a method for proactively detecting network quality, which can predict the status of the network environment in advance, and quickly perform troubleshooting to improve service quality.

The network detection device provided by the embodiment of the present invention is configured to actively detect network quality, including a monitoring setting module, a continuous monitoring module, a monitoring and determining module, a monitoring timeout module, and a monitoring alarm module. The monitoring setting module is configured to set parameters for monitoring the target device, including a threshold value of the target device's IP address, response time, and response timeout number. The continuous monitoring module is configured to send a request message to the target device according to the IP address, and continuously monitor the target device, where the target device responds to the response message after receiving the request message. The monitoring and determining module is configured to determine whether the response message is received from the target device within the response time. The monitoring timeout module is configured to accumulate the number of times the response times out when the response message is not received from the target device within the response time, and determine whether the accumulated number of times of the response timeout exceeds a threshold. The monitoring alarm module is configured to issue an alarm when the accumulated number of times of response timeout exceeds a threshold.

The method for actively detecting network quality by the network detecting device provided by the embodiment of the present invention is used for continuously monitoring the target device to actively detect network quality, including the following steps: setting parameters required for monitoring the target device , including the IP address of the target device, the response time, and the threshold value of the response timeout number; sending a request message to the target device according to the IP address The target device returns a response message after receiving the request message; determining whether the response message is received from the target device during the response time; if the response message is not received from the target device within the response time The response message considers that the response times out, accumulates the number of times the response times out; determines whether the accumulated response timeout times exceed the threshold; if the accumulated response timeout does not exceed the threshold, then The request message is continuously sent to the target device for continuous monitoring; and if the accumulated response timeout exceeds the threshold, an alarm is issued.

The above and many advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is an application environment and a structural diagram of an embodiment of a network detection device 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the network detecting device 10 is connected to the target device 30 through the communication network 20 for use in a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call. In the present embodiment, the network detection device 10 is exemplified by a media gateway (MG), and the target device 30 is exemplified by a media gateway controller (MGC). In other embodiments, the network detection device 10 may also be a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) such as a media gateway controller. The target device 30 may also be a media gateway or a default gateway (Default Gateway). ) and reliable network devices such as routers.

In this embodiment, the network detection device 10 includes a monitoring setting module 100, a continuous monitoring module 102, a monitoring and determining module 104, a monitoring timeout module 106, and a monitoring alarm module 108.

The monitoring settings module 100 is used to set parameters required to monitor the target device 30. In the present embodiment, the parameters required to monitor the target device 30 include the IP address of the target device 30, the response time, and the threshold value of the response timeout number.

In this embodiment, the parameters are all set on the MG, where the response time is used to indicate the time from when the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) request message is sent to when the response message is received. When the UE does not receive the response packet within the response time, it indicates that the response times out. According to the network status, different response time values can also be set. The threshold for responding to the number of timeouts is used to indicate the maximum number of times the response is allowed to be timed out during the monitoring process.

In other embodiments, the monitoring setting module 100 can also be used to provide a selection option for the user to monitor whether the target device needs to be monitored. If the user selects that the target device is not required to be monitored, the user can still utilize the original KA letter. Let the mechanism continuously monitor the existence of each other. If the user selects to monitor the target device, the device may stop the original KA signaling mechanism and start the target device monitoring mechanism in the embodiment, that is, set the IP address and response time of the target device on the MG corresponding to the user. And parameters such as the threshold value of the response timeout number. In other embodiments of the present invention, the KA signaling mechanism and the target device monitoring mechanism may also operate in parallel.

Referring to FIG. 2, an implementation environment diagram of an embodiment of a network detecting device according to the present invention is shown. In Figure 2, the user selects the target device monitoring mechanism in the present embodiment, that is, the MGC is used to monitor the MGC. As shown in the figure, MG1 and MG2 are network detecting devices, and the user equipment is used to connect different users. , MGC is the target device, belonging to the central office equipment, which is through the IP network. Multiple MGs can be connected. The parameters of the MGC's IP address, response time, and response timeout threshold can be set on both MG1 and MG2.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, the continuous monitoring module 102 is configured to send an ICMP request message to the target device 30, and continuously monitor the target device 30, wherein the target device 30 will respond to the response message after receiving the ICMP request message. Text. In this embodiment, for example, when the MG is used to monitor the MGC, the continuous monitoring module 102 of the MG sends an ICMP request message to the target device MGC, and the target device MGC sends the ICMP request message to the user after receiving the ICMP request message. The end device MG returns a response message. Due to the delay in the actual network, the MG may receive the response packet within the preset response time, and may not receive the response packet within the preset response time.

The monitoring judging module 104 is configured to determine whether a response message is received from the target device 30 within the response time. In this embodiment, for example, when the MGC is used to monitor the MGC, if the response message is not received from the MGC within the response time, it cannot be determined that the line is faulty, which may be caused by other reasons, in order to reduce In the present embodiment, the method of continuously determining multiple times is used, that is, the number of times of the response timeout is accumulated, and only when the number of times of the accumulated response timeout exceeds the set threshold value, it can be determined that the line is faulty.

The monitoring timeout module 106 is configured to accumulate the number of response timeouts when the response message is not received from the target device 30 within the response time, and determine whether the number of times the cumulative response timeout exceeds the threshold. In this embodiment, the monitoring and determining module 104 is further configured to: when receiving the response message from the target device 30 within the response time, indicating that the status of the line is unblocked at this time, and the number of times the accumulated response timeout is heavy Set to zero and send to target device 30 ICMP requests messages for continuous monitoring.

The monitoring alarm module 108 is configured to send an alarm when the number of times the cumulative response timeout exceeds the threshold, wherein the monitoring and determining module 104 is further configured to periodically send the target device to the MGC when the number of response timeouts does not exceed the threshold. Request a message for continuous monitoring. In this embodiment, for example, the threshold value of setting the response timeout number on the monitoring setting module 100 is 10, and when the cumulative response timeout period exceeds 10 times, it is determined that the communication line between the MG and the MGC has occurred. If the fault occurs, the MG will immediately send an alarm to the Equipment Management System (EMS) server through the monitoring alarm module 108 to notify the operator to perform troubleshooting, as shown in Figure 3.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a diagram showing an implementation environment in another embodiment of the network detecting device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the MG1 is a client device, and the MGC is a central office device, wherein the MG1 can detect the target device MGC through the IP network, and the MG1 is also connected to the EMS server, and the EMS server can receive The alarm signal sent by MG1 allows the operator to quickly troubleshoot the communication line according to the alarm signal displayed by the EMS server, thereby improving the service quality of the VoIP.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a flowchart of a method for actively detecting network quality by the network detecting device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the method is implemented by each module of the network detecting device 10 in FIG. 1. The network detecting device 10 takes an MG device as an example, and the target device 30 uses an MGC device as an example. example. In other embodiments, the network detection device 10 may also be a customer gateway device (CPE) such as a media gateway controller, and the target device 30 may also be a media gateway, or Reliable network devices such as the Default Gateway and routers.

In step S402, the monitoring setting module 100 sets parameters required for monitoring the target device 30, including the IP address of the target device 30, the response time, and the threshold value of the response timeout number. In this embodiment, if the MGC is used to monitor the MGC, the parameters are all set on the MG, including the IP address of the MGC, the response time, and the threshold of the number of response timeouts. The response time is used to indicate the time from the issuance of the ICMP request message to the receipt of the response message. When the MG does not receive the response message within the response time, the MG indicates that the response timeout and the response timeout threshold. Used to indicate the maximum number of times a response timeout is allowed during monitoring.

In step S404, the continuous monitoring module 102 sends an ICMP request message to the target device 30 to continuously monitor the target device 30, wherein the target device 30 responds to the response message after receiving the ICMP request message. In the present embodiment, if the MG is used to monitor the MGC, the MG continuous monitoring module 102 sends an ICMP request message to the MGC, and the MGC returns a response message to the MG after receiving the ICMP request message. Due to the delay in the actual network, the MG may receive the response message within the preset response time, and may not receive the response message in the preset response.

In step S406, the monitoring determination module 104 determines whether a response message is received from the target device 30 within the response time. In this embodiment, if the response message is not received from the target device 30 during the response time, it cannot be determined that the line is faulty, which may be caused by other reasons, so in the present embodiment, continuous use is adopted. Multiple judgments That is, the number of times the response timeout is accumulated, as shown in step S410, it is only possible to determine that the line is faulty when the number of times the accumulated response timeout exceeds the set threshold.

In step S408, if the monitoring and determining module 104 determines that the response message is received from the target device 30 within the response time, it indicates that the state of the line is unblocked at this time. In this embodiment, the accumulated response timeout is The number of times is reset to zero and the ICMP request message is resent to the target device 30 for continuous monitoring. In this embodiment, the continuous monitoring of the target device 30 enables real-time monitoring of the communication line.

In step S412, the monitoring determination module 104 determines whether the number of times the accumulated response timeout exceeds the threshold. In the present embodiment, if the number of times of response timeout does not exceed the threshold, the process returns to step S404, and the ICMP request message is continuously transmitted to the target device 30 periodically for continuous monitoring. In this embodiment, when a response timeout occurs, it is not determined that the communication line is faulty. Only when the response timeout occurs continuously and the accumulated response timeout times exceed the threshold value, it can be determined that the line has failed. .

In step S414, if the number of accumulated response timeouts exceeds the threshold, the monitoring alarm module 108 issues an alarm. In this embodiment, for example, the threshold value of setting the response timeout number on the monitoring setting module 100 is 10, and when the cumulative response timeout period exceeds 10 times, it indicates that the communication line between the MG and the MGC has failed. At this time, the MG immediately sends an alarm to the EMS server by the monitoring alarm module 108 to notify the operator to perform troubleshooting. In this embodiment, after the MG sends an alarm, Returning to step S404, a request message is sent to the target device to continuously monitor it until the user stops monitoring the target device.

In other embodiments, before the step S402, the user may also be provided with a selection option of whether the target device needs to be monitored. If the user selects that the target device does not need to be monitored, the MG corresponding to the user can still utilize the original KA. The signaling mechanisms monitor each other for the presence of each other. If the user selects to monitor the target device, the original KA signaling mechanism may be stopped to start the target device monitoring mechanism in this embodiment. In other embodiments of the present invention, the KA signaling mechanism and the target device monitoring mechanism may also operate in parallel to implement monitoring of the target device.

The network detection device and the method for actively detecting the network quality provided by the embodiments of the present invention can predict the status of the network environment in advance, thereby quickly performing troubleshooting and improving the service quality of the VoIP.

In summary, the present invention complies with the requirements of the invention patent and submits a patent application according to law. The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and equivalent modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art will be included in the following claims.

10‧‧‧Network detection equipment

100‧‧‧Monitor setting module

102‧‧‧Continuous monitoring module

104‧‧‧Monitoring and Judging Module

106‧‧‧Monitoring timeout module

108‧‧‧Monitoring alarm module

20‧‧‧Communication network

30‧‧‧Target equipment

FIG. 1 is an application environment and a structural diagram of an embodiment of a network detecting device according to the present invention.

2 is an implementation environment diagram of an embodiment of a network detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an implementation environment in another embodiment of a network detecting device according to the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for actively detecting network quality by a network detecting device according to the present invention Figure.

10‧‧‧Network detection equipment

100‧‧‧Monitor setting module

102‧‧‧Continuous monitoring module

104‧‧‧Monitoring and Judging Module

106‧‧‧Monitoring timeout module

108‧‧‧Monitoring alarm module

20‧‧‧Communication network

30‧‧‧Target equipment

Claims (9)

A network detecting device for actively detecting the network quality by communicating with a target device, wherein the network detecting device includes: a monitoring setting module, configured to provide a user with a target device a selection option for monitoring, wherein if the user selects to monitor the target device, the monitoring setting module continues to provide the user with a selection option of whether to stop the original monitoring mode, and the monitoring setting module sets parameters for monitoring the target device. And including a threshold value of the IP address, response time, and response timeout number of the target device; and a continuous monitoring module, configured to send a request message to the target device according to the IP address, and continuously monitor the target device The target device responds to the response message after receiving the request message; the monitoring and determining module is configured to determine whether the response message is received from the target device during the response time; monitoring the timeout module, When the response message is not received from the target device within the response time, the number of times the response is timed out is accumulated, and the accumulated response is determined. Whether the number of timeouts exceeds the threshold; and the monitoring alarm module is configured to issue an alarm when the accumulated number of times of the response timeout exceeds the threshold. The network detecting device of claim 1, wherein the network detecting device is a media gateway. The network detecting device of claim 1, wherein the target device is a media gateway controller. The network detecting device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and determining module is further configured to receive a response from the target device within the response time. When the message is received, the accumulated number of times of the response timeout is reset to zero, and the request message is resent to the target device for continuous monitoring. The network detecting device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring and determining module is further configured to periodically send a request message to the target device when the accumulated number of times of the response timeout does not exceed a threshold value. Continuous monitoring. A method for actively detecting network quality by a network detecting device for continuously monitoring a target device to actively detect network quality, wherein the method includes: providing a selection option for monitoring whether the target device needs to be monitored, wherein If the user chooses to monitor the target device, continue to provide the option of whether to stop the original monitoring mode, and set parameters required to monitor the target device, including the IP address, response time, and response timeout of the target device. a threshold value, sending a request message to the target device according to the IP address, wherein the target device returns a response message after receiving the request message; determining whether the response is received from the target device within the response time If the response message is not received from the target device within the response time, the response is considered to be timed out, and the number of times the response is timed out is accumulated; and whether the accumulated response timeout period exceeds the threshold value is determined; If the number of response timeouts after the accumulation does not exceed the threshold, the request message is continuously sent to the target device to advance. Continuous monitoring; and if the accumulated response timeout exceeds the threshold, an alarm is issued. The method for actively detecting network quality as described in claim 6 wherein the network detecting device is a media gateway. A method for actively detecting network quality as described in claim 6 wherein the target device is a media gateway controller. The method for actively detecting network quality according to claim 6 of the patent application, wherein the method further comprises: if the response message is received from the target device within the response time, the accumulated response is timed out The number of times is reset to zero; and the request message is resent to the target device for continuous monitoring.