Patent ID: 7839861
Filing Date: 2010-11-23
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of analysing traffic at least one node in a packet data network, the method comprising: monitoring the volume of traffic passing the node over time so as to determine an arrivals process for that node, generating a concave hull function representative of the arrivals process from the determined arrivals process, the concave hull function defining a first data set, the concave hull function being dynamically updated by the iterative arrival of traffic passing the node, and using the concave hull function in an analysis of the traffic, wherein the node is a buffer in the network, the first data set is used to calculate the delay experienced by packets traversing the buffer for a supplied service rate, the service rate determining the rate at which traffic arriving in the buffer is to be removed from the buffer, the supplied service rate is represented as a tangent to the concave hull of the arrivals, and the delay experienced by the arriving packet is defined by the point of intersection of the tangent with the x-axis.