Vigilant Networks LLC

Adc Telecommunications, Inc.

Lecroy Corporation

William M Richardson

Leslie H Swanson

Sandeepan Mukherjee

Neil Judell

Ashwin Kovummal

Ashwin Kovummall

Dorian LeCroy

A network analysis device for a digital communication network includes a digitizer to digitize a waveform representing a signal to produce a plurality of digital samples indicative of the waveform. The signal is communicated on the network. The network analysis device also includes a processor operable to analyze the digital samples to identify signal events, determine analog characteristics of the signal events, and decode the signal events, which are digital communications between network devices, based on the data, to selectively predict a failure mode.

Packet network monitoring device

A network diagnostic device is disclosed that digitally samples the voltages on the cabling of the network, but does so at a much higher rate and with greater resolution then is required to minimally detect digital transmissions on the cabling. This sampling provides information on the analog characteristics of digital, noise, and interference signals on the network. Thus, network problems can be precisely diagnosed. The device includes a fast digitizer with a long memory and a system processor that statistically analyzes the signal events captured by the digitizer. The invention is also capable of performing time domain reflectometry (TDR) analysis of a functioning network. This is accomplished by placing a TDR signal on the network surrounded by a transmission that the network devices will interpret as a broadcast diagnostic packet. This will cause the network nodes to ignore the transmission. The digitizer, however, is able to detect the networks response to the TDR signal. Methods for identifying unknown network sources and Manchester decoding are also disclosed.

The location of a termination in a properly terminated LAN can be remotely detected. The cable's skin effect produces a detectable signature at the sending-end when a step function, for example, reaches the termination. Accordingly, a network analysis device is connected to the network to inject the step function onto the network cabling. The voltage response of the cabling to this is first digitally sampled and then analyzed in a system controller. The system controller reviews the sampled data for an inflection point and then locates the termination by reference to the delay between when the signal was placed on the cable and the detection of the inflection point.

Method and system for computer network link with undefined termination condition

A method and system for computer network physical layer analysis is describe using signal analysis techniques and beginning with time-domain responses to yield highly quantitative analysis of the computer network's physical layer. Specifically, multiple transmissions are accumulated into a composite response of the computer network link. This composite response is then used as the basis for analysis of the computer network link. Further, an automated process is described for location of an arbitrary termination of a link.

Computer network physical-layer analysis method and system

A method for performing time domain reflectometry contemporaneously with recurrent transmissions, such as idle transmissions, on a computer network, such as a 100 BASE T protocol network is disclosed. This method comprises detecting the recurrent transmissions and then storing representations of those transmissions. A probe signal, such as a TDR signal, is then generated onto the computer network during the recurrent transmissions. A response of the network to the probe signal combined with the recurrent transmissions is then detected. The signal transmission characteristics of the network are then analyzable based on the response to the probe signal using the stored representations of the recurrent transmissions, using deconvolution, for example.

Method and system for performing time domain reflectometry contemporaneously with recurrent transmissions on computer network

Method and system for characterizing terminations in a local area network

A cross-connect panel for a computer network is disclosed that provides a mechanism for connecting to the signal transmission media of the network. In the typical scenario, the inventive cross-connect panel replaces the common cross-connect panel that receives the various cables running between the remote nodes and the hub, switch, or other network communications device. The panel has a series of panel-node connectors that are adapted to receive the signal transmission media from the network nodes. The cross-connect panel also has panel-device connectors that in most embodiments will be of a standard type to connect to the network communications device. The panel-node connectors and the panel-device connectors are electrically interconnected to each other via a backplane to complete the communications links. The panel further includes a monitoring port that is also preferably connected to the backplane to provide physical layer access to the communications links. In this way, a network monitoring device interfacing with the port may be connected directly to the network's communications links or disconnected when monitoring is not necessary.

Growing community of inventors

Bolton, MA, United States of America

William M Richardson