Hewlett-Packard Company

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Allan Wallace Dodge

Robert Geoffrey Ward

Michael D Kwan

Roger William Ruhmow

A method and apparatus to monitor and analyze inverse multiplexing over asynchronous transfer mode (IMA) links of an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network; and determine statistics regarding cells transmitted through the IMA links. An operational status of one or more individual links of one or more monitored groups of IMA links is also determined. An apparatus to determine statistics regarding one or more IMA multiplexed links of an ATM network includes one or more IMA link pre-processors to process cells from the respective one or more IMA links according to a type of the cells; a select and collapse unit to select which of the one or more IMA links to receive the processed cells from, and collapse the processed cells of the selected IMA links into one stream; and an aligner to receive the one stream of processed cells from the select and collapse unit and determine statistics regarding the processed cells of the one stream.

Method and apparatus to monitor and analyze network information of an inverse multiplexed asynchronous transfer mode network

A method of detecting fractional channels in a telecommunications circuit. A non-idle data rate is measured for each channel in the telecommunications circuit. Channels having matching non-idle data rates are grouped into sets. Non-idle data rates are measured again for the channels within each set. In each set, any channels having non-matching non-idle data rates (with a small predetermined range of permissible variability) are eliminated. The measurement for each set is repeated multiple times. Each remaining set has channels that have substantially identical non-idle data rates over multiple time periods and each remaining set is assumed to constitute a fractional channel. Non-idle data rates are measured by counting non-idle octets over a fixed period of time, or by measuring throughput (non-idle octets per second) or by measuring utilization (throughput/capacity). In an alternative embodiment, idle flags or shifted idle flags for non-encrypted HDLC or SDLC protocols are used to identify provisional sets of channels. In still another embodiment, channels identified as voice channels are removed from provisional sets.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Allan Wallace Dodge