Transaction Signature Formation for VoIP Network Interoperability Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network service providers face challenges in efficiently identifying and addressing call failures in VoIP networks due to network complexities, message variations, and the need for interoperability testing, which can be time-consuming and costly, especially when switching to new network architectures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system that automatically monitors and classifies network communications by generating and analyzing transaction signatures, allowing for the identification of successful or failed transactions, and creating new signature patterns for unknown transactions, enabling proactive issue detection and minimizing call failures during network architecture changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional monitoring approaches are used, then network service providers can identify call problems, but the process is inefficient, inflexible, and incomplete given the vast number of calls and network complexities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex network monitoring task into manageable units by creating signature patterns that represent specific call flow sequences. Each signature pattern breaks down the overwhelming complexity of monitoring millions of calls into discrete, analyzable transaction sequences that can be independently evaluated and matched against known good or bad call patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining signature patterns for both successful and failed call transactions before actual monitoring begins. These pre-established patterns serve as reference templates that enable rapid comparison and classification of incoming call transactions, eliminating the need to analyze each call from scratch and significantly improving identification efficiency.
2Reliability
If interoperability testing is performed between two network service providers, then network compatibility can be ensured, but the process is very complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating signature patterns that represent ideal call transaction sequences. Instead of performing exhaustive interoperability testing between entire networks, the system copies successful call flow patterns and uses them as templates for validation. This allows rapid comparison of actual transactions against known-good patterns, ensuring interoperability without the time and complexity of traditional end-to-end testing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If network architecture is switched to improve service capabilities, then network performance can be enhanced, but additional interoperability testing is required which increases time and expense
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing signature patterns that represent successful call transactions across different network architectures. When switching to a new architecture, these pre-defined patterns serve as immediate reference points for validation, eliminating the need for extensive re-testing and reducing deployment costs associated with architectural changes.
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If conventional systems are used to identify network problems, then some issues can be detected, but the systems cannot quickly or efficiently identify problems arising from message variations in protocols like SIP
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the call transaction into discrete signature components that can be individually analyzed. This segmentation allows the system to detect message variations at the component level rather than treating entire messages as monolithic units. By breaking down SIP messages into signature elements, the system can identify specific variations and mismatches that conventional systems overlook, improving detection capability while maintaining information completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of a method for use in performing interoperability testing between two network architectures includes forming multiple transaction signatures that each characterizes a communication transaction conducted over the two networks and analyzing each of the transaction signatures to determine if the transaction signature matches a previously classified pattern. The method may further include generating a report identifying each of the communication transactions and indicating that each of the communication transactions is classified with a classification associated with a previously classified pattern or are of unknown classification. Another method includes receiving a transaction signature composed of multiple transaction elements, and determining whether the received transaction signature corresponds to a previously identified transaction signature pattern. If the transaction signature does not correspond to a previously identified transaction signature pattern, a new transaction signature pattern is created, and classified as one of a plurality of classifications indicative of completion or failure of the communication transaction.