Patent ID: 7831709

Claim:
A computer implemented method for flexible grouping for port analysis, comprising: parsing router configurations to create port data for each port on each router in a service provider network, wherein the port data for each port on each router includes a customer name; integrating the port data with customer data to create an integrated database, wherein each customer data is associated with one of a plurality of customers, and wherein the integrating comprises matching the customer name included in the port data for each port to a corresponding one of the plurality of customers associated with each customer data; assigning a plurality of ports to a plurality of groups for one of the plurality of customers in the integrated database based on applying a set of user defined rules, wherein at least one of the plurality of ports is assigned to multiple groups, wherein each rule of the set of user defined rules specifies particular customer data, particular port data, or a particular combination of customer data and port data, and wherein some of the plurality of ports are assigned to one of the plurality of groups based on the some of the plurality of ports haying the particular customer data, the particular port data, or the particular combination of customer data and port data specified in a corresponding one of the set of user defined rules for the one of the plurality of groups; and displaying port data and customer data associated with a group selected from the plurality of groups.