Patent ID: 8797876
Filing Date: 2014-08-05
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method of indicating underutilized network devices that provide services in a data communications network, wherein the method is implemented in a data processing system and comprises: receiving network traffic data, wherein the network traffic data comprises: for a connection established with a device within the data communications network, (i) a source device identifier and a destination device identifier for the established connection, (ii) data identifying a service provider and a service consumer for the established connection, and (iii) traffic rate data indicating a traffic flow rate on the established connection; filtering the network traffic data to eliminate data for predefined connections; producing, from the filtered network traffic data, a graph representing a connection between a first device and a second device within the data communications network, wherein the graph includes: (i) a link and a set of nodes representing the connection between the first and second devices, and (ii) the traffic rate data for a connection that is associated with a corresponding link in the graph; analyzing the graph to identify a set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network, wherein the identified set of interconnected nodes is a set of nodes that is not connected to another node that represents a device within the data communications network; and indicating an underutilized network device by producing an output dependent on traffic rate data associated with a link to the identified set of interconnected nodes that is outside the data communications network.