Patent ID: 8095640
Filing Date: 2012-01-10
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method of monitoring traffic flows in a service provider domain of a communications network, the domain being logically configured as a virtual router network having virtual interfaces at edge nodes of the virtual router network, comprising the steps of: a) configuring said virtual interfaces with a respective real-time flow measurement meter, said respective real-time flow measurement meter having a uniform behavior with respect to a real-time flow measurement, b) determining at said virtual interfaces and in dependence upon a flow monitoring rule set consistent for all of said virtual interfaces, whether a packet belongs to a flow to be monitored; c) accounting, responsive to the packet belonging to a flow to be monitored, the packet in a flow record corresponding to that flow maintained by said respective real-time flow measurement meter; and d) aggregating the flow records from all virtual interfaces at a master virtual interface for transmission to a collector for enabling said service provider to identify if a specified flow record abides to terms of a corresponding service level agreement pertaining to said specified flow record.