Patent ID: 9246772
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method for visualization of network flow, comprising: rendering, on a computer system display, a graphical user interface including a network topology, the network topology including multiple network devices and showing connections between multiple network devices; acquiring, using a computer, a plurality of network flow records from each of the multiple network devices for a specified period of time, wherein each of the plurality of network flow records is generated by a corresponding one of the multiple network devices and is uniquely associated with the corresponding one of the multiple network devices and is stored by the corresponding one of the multiple network devices, wherein each of the plurality of network flow records includes information about a corresponding network flow through the corresponding one of the multiple network devices, and wherein each of the plurality of network flow records is generated and stored separate from data of the corresponding network flow, and wherein each of the plurality of network flow records includes data fields for correlating separate ones of the plurality of network flow records based on content of the data fields so as to create a common network data communication flow record as a combination of the correlated separate ones of the plurality of network flow records for the specified period of time; repeating the correlating of separate ones of the plurality of network flow records based on content of the data fields so as to create a plurality of common network data communication flow records for the specified period of time; aggregating some of the plurality of common network data communication flow records based on identical content in one or more data fields of the plurality of common network data communication flow records to create an aggregated network communication flow record for the specified period of time; applying the network flow parameter filter to the plurality of network flow records so as to filter the aggregated network communication flow record for the specified period of time and generate a filtered aggregated network communication flow record for the specified period of time; and rendering, on the computer system display within the network topology, a graphical representation of the filtered aggregated network communication flow record, wherein rendering the network topology includes rendering interface objects corresponding to each internal interface of the multiple network devices including each ingress interface and each egress interface of the multiple network devices and including each local interface of the multiple network devices, and wherein rendering of the graphical representation of the filtered aggregated network communication flow record includes rendering of arrows directly between interface objects corresponding to some of the ingress and egress interfaces of the multiple network devices and rendering of at least one arrow directed toward at least one local interface.