Ethernet oam performance management

Abstract

Maintenance entities may be defined between customer and provider flow points to allow performance management to take place on an Ethernet network. The maintenance entities may be defined for access link, intra-domain, and inter-domain, and may be defined on a link or service basis. The maintenance entities may be used to monitor performance within a network or across networks, and may be used to monitor various performance parameters, such as frame loss, frame delay, frame delay variation, availability, errored frame seconds, service status, frame throughput, the number of frames transmitted, received or dropped, the status of a loopback interface, the amount of time a service has been unavailable, and many other parameters. Several management mechanisms may be used, and the measurements may be collected using a solicited collection method, in which a response is required and collected, or an unsolicited collection method in which a response is not required.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of determining availability in an Ethernet network, the method comprising:
 associating at least one performance index with a maintenance entity defined between flow points on the Ethernet network;   obtaining measurements for determining at least one performance parameter for the maintenance entity, the at least one performance parameter being related to frames transmitted over the maintenance entity;   using the at least one performance parameter and the at least one performance index to determine an availability metric for the maintenance entity; and   determining an availability ratio representing a ratio of time that the maintenance entity is deemed to be available to time over which availability metrics are determined.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises at least one performance threshold. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one performance parameter comprises a performance parameter related to service frames transmitted over the maintenance entity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the at least one performance parameter and the at least one performance index to determine an availability metric for the maintenance entity comprises comparing the at least one performance parameter to the at least one performance index and determining the availability metric based on a result of the comparison. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises an unavailability threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the maintenance entity is defined between customer user network interface (C-UNI) points in the Ethernet network. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one performance parameter comprises a frame loss ratio. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises at least one frame loss ratio threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the availability ratio is determined for an availability ratio determination time that comprises a plurality of measurement time intervals; and   obtaining measurements for determining at least one performance parameter comprises obtaining at least one measurement for each measurement time interval.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , comprising determining at least one respective performance parameter for each measurement time interval from the at least one measurement obtained for each measurement time interval in the availability ratio determination time. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , comprising determining a respective availability metric for each measurement time interval based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time interval. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the respective availability metric for each measurement time interval based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time interval comprises determining the respective availability metric based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time time interval and the at least one performance index. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the availability ratio representing the ratio of time that the maintenance entity is deemed to be available to the time over which the availability metrics are determined comprises determining a ratio of a number of measurement time intervals for which the maintenance entity is deemed available based on the respective availability metrics for those measurement time intervals over a number of measurement time intervals in the time over which availability metrics are determined. 
     
     
         14 . A system for determining availability in an Ethernet network, the system comprising program code stored on at least one processor readable medium, the program code operating when executed by at least one processor:
 to associate at least one performance index with a maintenance entity defined between flow points on the Ethernet network;   to obtain measurements for determining at least one performance parameter for the maintenance entity, the at least one performance parameter being related to frames transmitted over the maintenance entity;   to use the at least one performance parameter and the at least one performance index to determine an availability metric for the maintenance entity; and   to determine an availability ratio representing a ratio of time that the maintenance entity is deemed to be available to time over which availability metrics are determined.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises at least one performance threshold. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one performance parameter comprises a performance parameter related to service frames transmitted over the maintenance entity. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the program code operates when executed to use the at least one performance parameter and the at least one performance index to determine an availability metric for the maintenance entity by comparing the at least one performance parameter to the at least one performance index and determining the availability metric based on a result of the comparison. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises an unavailability threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the maintenance entity is defined between customer user network interface (C-UNI) points in the Ethernet network. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one performance parameter comprises a frame loss ratio. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one performance index comprises at least one frame loss ratio threshold. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the program code operates when executed:
 to determine the availability ratio for an availability ratio determination time that comprises a plurality of measurement time intervals; and   to obtain measurements for determining the at least one performance parameter by obtaining at least one measurement for each measurement time interval.   
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the program code operates when executed to determine the at least one respective performance parameter for each measurement time interval from the at least one measurement obtained for each measurement time interval in the availability ratio determination time. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the program code operates when executed to determine a respective availability metric for each measurement time interval based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time interval. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the program code operates when executed to determine the respective availability metric for each measurement time interval based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time interval by determining the respective availability metric based on at least the at least one respective performance parameter determined for that measurement time interval and the at least one performance index. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the program code operates when executed to determine the availability ratio representing the ratio of the time that the maintenance entity is deemed to be available to time over which the availability metrics are determined by determining a ratio of a number of measurement time intervals for which the maintenance entity is deemed available based on the respective availability metrics for those measurement time intervals over a number of measurement time intervals in the time over which availability metrics are determined.