Method and apparatus for processing requests for statistics in a communication network

Abstract

A method and apparatus of initiating a plurality of requests for statistics to be sent to an associated plurality of nodes in a segment of a communication network is provided. One or more requests are associated with an individual node. Each node has one or more node attributes. The method includes defining a sequence for initiating the requests to be sent to the nodes. The sequence is based on a value of a selected node attribute of each node. The method also includes initiating the requests according to the sequence.

1 . A method for collecting statistics from nodes of a communication network having a plurality of heterogeneous nodes, comprising: 
 defining for the network a node level limitation pertinent to statistics collection;    for each node involved in statistics collection, mapping a respective value of the node level limitation to a corresponding node identification; and,    sending statistics requests to each node based on the respective value, wherein each node processes a number of requests according to the respective value.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the node level limitation includes a maximum number of outstanding packets to be transmitted from each node.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the node level limitation includes a maximum number of requests per second that can be processed by the node.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the defining includes determining the respective value from node information retrieved from the network.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the defining includes determining the respective value for each node based on network level limitations pertinent to statistics collection.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each node includes a respective number of statistics collecting counters, each counter for maintaining statistics pertinent to a node attribute.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  and further comprising, for maximizing collection of statistics over a predetermined time interval: 
 defining for each node a set of attributes for which statistics need to be collected;    mapping a set of attributes collectable for each node to the corresponding node identification and generating a table with the mapping;    storing in the table for each node identification a default value for each attribute in the set of attributes based on past performance of each node;    ordering the statistics requests in a sequence of statistics requests according to a predetermined ranking calculated from the table; and,    pooling the nodes each time interval according to the sequence of statistics requests for updating the table with current values of the attributes.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the predetermined ranking is re-calculated for each time interval.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein criteria for the predetermined ranking is one or more of: per node attributes, a number of subcomponents on a node, a number of requests per node, an average response time for a node, and a number of timeouts per node.  
   
   
       10 . A system for collecting statistics from nodes of a communication network having a plurality of heterogeneous nodes, comprising: 
 a computer coupled to the communication network; and,    a program executed on the computer, the program including:    a module for defining for the network a node level limitation pertinent to statistics collection;    a module for, for each node involved in statistics collection, mapping a respective value of the node level limitation to a corresponding node identification; and,    a module for sending statistics requests to each node based on the respective value,    wherein each node processes a number of requests according to the respective value.    
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the node level limitation includes a maximum number of outstanding packets to be transmitted from each node.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the node level limitation includes a maximum number of requests per second that can be processed by the node.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the module for defining includes a module for determining the respective value from node information retrieved from the network.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the module for defining includes a module for determining the respective value for each node based on network level limitations pertinent to statistics collection.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 10  wherein each node comprises a respective number of statistics collecting counters, each counter for maintaining statistics pertinent to a node attribute.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the program further includes, for maximizing collection of statistics over a predetermined time interval: 
 a module for defining for each node a set of attributes for which statistics need to be collected;    a module for mapping a set of attributes collectable for each node to the corresponding node identification and generating a table with the mapping;    a module for storing in the table for each node identification a default value for each attribute in the set of attributes based on past performance of each node;    a module for ordering the statistics requests in a sequence of statistics requests according to a predetermined ranking calculated from the table; and,    a module for pooling the nodes each time interval according to the sequence of statistics requests for updating the table with current values of the attributes.    
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the predetermined ranking is re-calculated for each time interval.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein criteria for the predetermined ranking is one or more of: per node attributes, a number of subcomponents on a node, a number of requests per node, an average response time for a node, and a number of timeouts per node.