3com Corporation

Peter I Oliver

Ronald Brown

Jonathan G G Tams

Iain Hogg

Mark A Pearce

Hamish D S Martin

A method and apparatus for identifying a device acting as a server on a network is disclosed which uses network data representing communications on the network. The network data contains source device, destination device, data transfer protocol and data volume information for each communication represented therein and may be collected by network traffic monitors or packet capture devices such as RMON2 probes on the network. Data relating to relevant server protocols is identified within the network data, and using the identified data, a device is determined to be acting as a server if it has the highest data volume for communications in which it is the source or destination device and which communications involve at least a threshold number of other devices. The method may be conveniently implemented in a computer program and may be used in conjunction with a network management application.

System for identifying servers on network by determining devices that have the highest total volume data transfer and communication with at least a threshold number of client devices

Apparatus and method for use in a network of, for example, computers, for generating summary data, such as traffic summary information, from a plurality of data records, the data records having a different temporal basis, for example, one hour or one day or one week, and different start and end times. The summary data is generated for a requested time interval having a requested start time and a requested end time by selecting a data record with a record start time corresponding to the requested start and an end time as far as possible from the record start time but equal to or before the requested end time. The data from that selected data record is processed, and the initial time is then set to the end time of that particular data record and the process repeated. In this way one can gather and process such data with a minimum number of steps.

Generating summary data for a requested time period having a requested start time and end time a plurality of data records

A method graphically presents a selected group of data values of a series of data values in a predetermined presentation area. The largest data value within the selected group of data values is determined. A scaling factor for the determined largest data value to correspond with a lateral dimension of the presentation area is determined. The determined scaling factor is applied to all the data values in the group of data values. The scaled group of data values within the presentation area is graphically presented. Advantageously, the graphical presentation of the data values is scaled according to the data presented in the presentation area, thus maximizing the detail shown in the graphical representation. The method is preferably implemented in the form of a computer program.

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Falkirk, United Kingdom

Peter I Oliver