BR112016022453B1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AN ERROR RATE OF A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK - Google Patents

Abstract

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING AN ERROR RATE OF A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK. The embodiments described here generally refer to communication between an element manager and a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP). The WLAN AP can be configured with one or more counters. The one or more counters may measure events such as the transmission and/or reception of data at the WLAN AP, or a carrier sensing multiple access and collision avoidance procedure (CSMA/CA) by the WLAN AP. The element manager may be configured to read one or more of these counters and compute one or more values based on the values read from the one or more counters. The element manager may be configured to communicate the one or more computed value(s) to a network manager. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED ORDERS

[0001] This application claims priority to United States patent application U.S. Patent Application No. 14/575,876, filed on December 18, 2014, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MEASURE AN ERROR RATE OF A WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK”, which claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application No. 61/985,396, entitled “Method and System To Measure Wlan Packet Error Rate” and filed April 28, 2014, the specifications of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference for all purposes, except sections, if any, that are incongruous with this specification.

TECHNICAL AREA

[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the technical field of data processing and, more particularly, to computer devices operable for communicating data over a network.

HISTORIC

[0003] The background description provided here serves the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors, as described in this technical background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing of the application, are not expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art. prior to this disclosure. Except as expressly noted herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims included in this disclosure and their inclusion in this section does not imply that they are prior art.

[0004] Wireless local area networks are being considered to complement existing radio access networks. For example, network operators can deploy a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) nodes to mitigate traffic congestion caused by an increase in mobile data traffic. Consequently, measurements related to the performance of base stations and/or access points can be beneficial from the point of view of monitoring offloading effectiveness from a radio access network (RAN) for a WLAN. Since mobile data traffic can fluctuate rapidly and/or dynamically, performance measurements are collected and/or correlated on a regular basis in order to identify any potential issues that could degrade offloading performance. In turn, more WLAN nodes can be deployed in an area to improve offloading performance, or fewer WLAN nodes can be deployed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the attached drawings, where like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to "one" or "an" embodiment of the invention in the present disclosure are not necessarily made to the same embodiment, but may mean at least one.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment in which an element manager is configured to receive measurements associated with one or more WLAN access points, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an environment in which an element manager must read one or more values from one or more counters on a WLAN AP and send the calculated values to a network manager based on the counter values, from according to various embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating systems and operations for computing an error rate value based on a plurality of counter values originating from a WLAN access point, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating systems and operations for computing values associated with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) based on a plurality of counter values originating from a WLAN access point, according to various embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for computing an error rate value based on a plurality of received counter values, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for computing values associated with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance - CSMA/CA based on one or more received counter values, from according to various embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device adapted to function in a communications network, in accordance with various embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a transmitting and receiving device in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] In the detailed description below, reference is made to the attached drawings that are an integral part of this document, in which a certain reference number corresponds to a certain element, and where practicable embodiments are presented by way of illustration. It should be understood that other embodiments may be used and that structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of the embodiments being defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0015] Various operations may be described as multiple actions or discrete operations, in a way that is more useful for understanding the subject matter of the claim. However, the order of the description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations necessarily depend on the order. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation. The described operations may be carried out in an order other than that of the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed and/or the described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0016] For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A or B” and “A and/or B” shall mean (A), (B) or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A, B and/or C" shall mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or (A, B and C).

[0017] The description may use the phrases "in an embodiment" or "in embodiments", each of which may designate one or more equal or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising", "including", "having" and the like, as used in connection with embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

[0018] As used herein, the terms “module” and/or “logic” may refer to being part of or including an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated or group) to execute one or more software programs or firmware, a combinatorial logic circuit and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality.

[0019] Starting with FIG. 1, a block diagram showing an environment 100 in which an element manager 105 is configured to receive measurements associated with one or more WLAN Access Points (AP) 130-135, in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the element manager 105 may be a computing system, such as a server. The element manager 105 can be implemented using any combination of hardware and software on any network computing system, such as those shown in FIG. 1 and others that are not shown, but are frequently found in wireless communications networks. Furthermore, in various embodiments, one or more of the entities shown in FIG. 1 can be implemented on the same or different computing systems.

[0020] Element manager 105 can be configured to communicate with WLAN APs 130-135. Each of the WLAN APs 130-135 may be any computing device that allows wireless devices to connect, for example, to a wired network (e.g., a core network), in accordance with one or more 3rd Generation technical specifications. Partnership Project (3GPP) and/or other similar standard. The WLAN APs 130-135 may be configured to connect the User Equipment (UE) 140-146 to a communications network in accordance with a third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G) or beyond that adheres to one or more standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 or other similar standard. In various embodiments, the standard or standards may be promulgated by 3GPP.

[0021] In one embodiment, one of the WLAN APs 130-135 may be a femtocell or other low power radio access base station. In one embodiment, one of the WLAN APs 130-135 may include a router and/or be communicatively coupled to a router. In one embodiment, the element manager 105 may be integrated with one or both of the WLAN APs 130-135. In one embodiment, one of the WLAN APs 130-135 may be configured to receive an instruction from an evolved Node B so that traffic can be offloaded by the eNB to that Private AP among WLAN APs 130-135.

[0022] Each of the UE 140-146 may be any type of computing device equipped with high-bandwidth circuitry and adapted to operate in a cell in accordance with, for example, 3GPP technical specifications. For example, one or both of the UE 140-146 may be a netbook, a tablet computer, a portable computing device, a web-enabled device, a gaming device, a cell phone, a smartphone, a e-book reader, a personal data assistant (PDA) or similar. In another embodiment, one or both UE 140-146 may be a computing device that is not adapted primarily for user communications (e.g., voice calls, text/instant messaging, web browsing), such as a smart metering device, a payment device (e.g. a "pay-as-you-drive" device), a vending machine, a telematics system (e.g. a system adapted for monitoring and tracking of vehicles), a security system (e.g. a surveillance device) and the like.

[0023] In various embodiments, traffic associated with UEs 140-146 may be communicated via WLAN APs 130-135. Such traffic may comply with, for example, a cellular protocol (e.g., an LTE and/or LTE-A protocol, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [IEEE] 802.11 protocol), a wireless protocol, and /or other wireless communications protocol. In embodiments, the WLAN APs 130-135 may be adapted to perform various measurements associated with the UEs 140-146. These measurements can be defined by one or more groups. In various embodiments, one or more counters may be defined for measuring data by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and/or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[0024] A specification promulgated by the IEEE may define a plurality of counters. IEEE 802.11 provides a management information database (Management Information Database IEEE802dot11-MIB) that defines counters to measure data transmitted and received to and from WLAN APs 130-135. A first counter (dot11TransmittedFrameCount) may measure a number of successfully transmitted Media Access Control [MAC] Service Data Units (MSDUs), for example, MSDUs associated with an acknowledgment. indicating successful transmission. A second counter (dot11FailedCount) may measure a number of MSDUs that have not been successfully transmitted, for example, MSDUs not associated with an acknowledgment indicating successful transmission. A third counter (dot11ReceivedFragmentCount) can measure a number of data-type or management-type Media Access Control [MAC] Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) successfully received. A fourth counter (dot11FCSErrorCount) can measure a number of MPDUs that were received with a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) error.

[0025] Additionally, IEEE 802.11 can define counters (for example, in IEEE802dot11-MIB) associated with multiple access with carrier sensing and collision avoidance (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance - CSMA/CA). CSMA/CA can enable multiple nodes (e.g., WLAN APs 130-135 and UEs 140-146) to access a common wireless carrier without conflict. Measurements related to the CSMA/CA protocol may count a number of successful Request To Send (RTS), unsuccessful RTS responses, and/or unsuccessful ACK responses that are associated with performance. (e.g., the performance of the WLAN APs 130-135 in communicating with the UEs 140-146). For example, a relatively high number of unsuccessful RTS and/or acknowledgment (ACK) responses may indicate that one of the UEs 140-146 and/or one of the WLAN APs 130-135 encounters difficulties in successfully transmitting data packets. A first counter (dot11RTSSuccessCount) can measure a number of Clear To Send (CTS) messages that are received in response to one or more RTS messages. A second counter (dot11RTSFailureCount) can measure a number of Clear To Send (CTS) messages that are not received in response to one or more RTS messages. A third counter (dot11ACKFailureCount) may measure a number of ACK responses that are not received after transmitting data from one of the WLAN APs 130-135. This third counter can directly track a number of incoming acknowledgment (ACK) responses that are lost.

[0026] The WLAN APs 130-135 may be configured to increment, decrement, and/or otherwise modify a respective value of one or more of these counters based on the UE 140-146. In various embodiments, one or more of the counters maintained at the WLAN APs 130-135 may increment based on traffic from the WLAN APs 130-135. As traffic to and from the UEs 140-146 is transmitted and received at the MAC layers of the WLAN APs 130-135, the WLAN APs 130-135 may increment their corresponding counter. In some embodiments, one or more of the counters may continuously increment. For example, dot11TransmittedFrameCount may continuously increment by one (1) when each octet is respectively transmitted and received, and reset to zero (0) when the counter threshold value is reached.

[0027] In embodiments, the element manager 105 may be adapted to read one or more of the WLAN AP counters. For example, the element manager 105 may be adapted to transmit a request to one of the WLAN APs 130-135 asking for one or more values of one or more counters. Based on the request, that particular AP among the WLAN APs 130-135 may return the one or more requested values of the one or more counters. The element manager 105 can be adapted to store these values and/or compute the other values, based on the counter values.

[0028] With reference to FIG. 2, a block diagram illustrating an environment 200 in which an element manager 205 is to read one or more values from one or more counters 232-234 on a WLAN AP 230 and send the calculated values to a network manager based on in counter values, according to various embodiments. The element manager 205 may be an embodiment of the element manager 105 and the WLAN AP 230 may be an embodiment of one of the WLAN APs 130-135, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0029] In various embodiments, the network manager 220 may be a computing system, such as a server. Network manager 220 can be implemented using any combination of hardware and software on any network computing system, such as those shown in FIG. 2 and others that are not shown, but are frequently found in wireless communications networks. Furthermore, in various embodiments, one or more of the entities shown in FIG. 2 can be implemented on the same or different computing systems.

[0030] The network manager 220 may include an Integration Reference Point Manager 225. The IRPManager 225 may be configured to manage the WLAN AP 230, e.g., sending and/or receiving management data to/from the element manager 205 via a Type-2 interface. The IRPManager 225 may be configured to receive one or more values from the element manager 205.

[0031] One or more of: network manager 220, element manager 205 and/or WLAN AP 230 may be controlled and/or managed by a network operator (e.g., a cellular operator). To be able to supplement an operator's network (e.g., a cellular network) with WLAN, measurements related to the performance of the WLAN AP 230 may be useful to the operator. Furthermore, measurements related to the performance of the WLAN AP 230 may enable monitoring of the quality of service experienced by users. As described herein, values associated with performance may be measured by one or more counters. For example, it may measure a packet error rate or statistics associated with CSMA/CA to reflect the performance of the WLAN AP 230. In some embodiments, counters 232-234 may be any of: dot11TransmittedFrameCount, dot11FailedCount, dot11ReceivedFragmentCount , dot11FCSErrorCount, dot11RTSSuccessCount, dot11RTSFailureCount and/or dot11ACKFailureCount. In another embodiment, one or both counters 232-234 may be another counter that is incremented, decremented, and/or otherwise modified based on whether the transmission or reception of data by the WLAN AP 230 is successful. or unsuccessful. In another embodiment, one or both counters 232-234 may be another counter that is incremented, decremented, and/or otherwise modified based on a CSMA/CA procedure by the WLAN AP 230.

[0032] The element manager 205 may include an arrangement of processor(s) and memory 208. The arrangement of processor(s) and memory 208 is intended to represent a wide range of processor(s) and memory arrangements, including , but not limited to, arrangements with simple processors or with multiple cores of different execution speeds and energy consumption, and memory of different architectures with one or more levels of caches and of different types, such as dynamic random access (Dynamic Random Access Memory - DRAM), FLASH and so on.

[0033] The processor(s) and memory arrangement 208 may be communicatively coupled to storage circuits 214. The storage circuits 214 may include one or more machine-readable storage media (e.g., a computer), such as memory read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media and/or flash memory devices. The storage circuits 214 may be configured to store one or more values in one or more data structures.

[0034] Additionally, the processor(s) and memory arrangement 208 may be communicatively coupled to a network interface 216. The network interface 216 may include circuitry adapted to transmit and/or receive signals over a network (e.g., transmitter circuits and/or receiver circuits). The network interface 216 can be configured to communicate signals over various types of wired and/or wireless networks, such as a wireless network, a WLAN, a fiber optic network, and/or other networks. Accordingly, networks 240-245 are intended to represent a wide range of networks known in this technical area. Examples of networks 240-245 may include wired or wireless, local area or long-distance, private or public networks, including the Internet.

[0035] The processor(s) and memory arrangement 208 may have included within it an Integration Reference Point Agent (IRPAgent) 210 and a timer 212. In some embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may include timer 212. In one embodiment, IRPAgent 210 may cause network interface 216 to communicate data across networks 240-245, according to various approaches. For example, the IRPAgent 210 may cause data to be transmitted and/or received from the WLAN AP 230 through the network 240 in accordance with the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The IRPAgent 210 can cause data to be transmitted and/or received from the network manager 220 through the network 245 via an Itf-N Type-2 interface.

[0036] IRPAgent 210 can be configured to read one or more of counters 232-234. In various embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may be configured to cause the network interface 216 to transmit a request across the network 240 asking for one or more values of one or more of the counters 232-234. In response to the request, network interface 216 may receive, via network 240, one or more values from one or more of counters 232-234. In various embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may forward a value read from one of the counters 232-234.

[0037] In some embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may read one or more of the counters 232-234 after a period of granularity, which may be a predetermined period of time. IRPAgent 210 can be configured to start timer 212 to measure the granularity period. After the timer period 212 has expired, the IRPAgent 210 may read one or more of the counters 232-234. The IRPAgent 210 may be configured to store a value read from one or more of the counters 232-234 in the storage circuits 214, e.g., in a data structure.

[0038] In embodiments, IRPAgent 210 may be configured to transmit stored values to IRPManager 225 on network manager 220. In various embodiments, IRPAgent 210 may store and compute values via a cumulative counter approach. In the cumulative counter approach, the IRPAgent 210 may store an ongoing count of the event being counted (e.g., the transmission or reception by the WLAN AP 230 at the MAC layer) over a period of granularity, such as the time period of timer 212.

[0039] In various embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may be configured to store a plurality of values read in one or more of the counters 232-234, for example, the IRPAgent 210 may store a previous value read in one of the counters 232- 234, as well as a most-recent value read from one of counters 232-234. In some embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may compute another value based on a plurality of values from one of the counters 232-234, e.g., the IRPAgent 210 may compute the other value based on a comparison of a more recent value. (most-recent) with a previous value from one of the 232-234 counters.

[0040] In some embodiments, one or both counters 232-234 may continuously increment by one (1) when an octet or packet is transmitted or received and must be reset (e.g., upon reaching the end of its cycle). [wrap around]) to zero (0) when the counter reaches its limit. Thus, when IRPAgent 210 reads one of counters 232-234 after the time period of timer 212 has expired, that particular counter among counters 232-234 may not reflect a value of the number of octets or packets that were transmitted or received. during the granularity period, but rather reflects a total value relating to the period that has elapsed since that particular counter among counters 232-234 was last initially reset or wrapped around. To address this issue, IRPAgent 210 can be configured to compare a most-recent value and a previous value of the first counter 232 and compute an end value based on that comparison.

[0041] In some embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may transmit the calculated end value to the network manager 220. For example, the calculated end values may be transmitted based on one or more of : dot11RTSSuccessCount, dot11RTSFailureCount and/or dot11ACKFailureCount. These end values may reflect statistics of CSMA/CA related issues, such as unsuccessful RTS messages. After the CSMA/CA related end value is calculated, the IRPAgent 210 can be configured to send the end value to the IRPManager 225 on the network manager 220. The IRPAgent 210 can then release the one or more data structures that will serve to store the most recent value of the particular counter among counters 232-234 and/or the previous value of the particular counter among counters 232-234 or may replace these values of the particular counter among counters 232-234 in the one or more data structures based on subsequent readings of the particular counter among counters 232-234 in a following granularity period.

[0042] In some embodiments, the IRPAgent 210 may use a plurality of calculated end values to compute an error rate value. Subsequently, the error rate value can be sent to the network manager 220. The packet error rate (Packet Error Rate - PER) can be used to measure the performance of wireless networks. WLAN PER-related measurements can be based on successful and unsuccessful MSDU transmissions and/or the number of successful and unsuccessful MPDU receptions. Thus, for each granularity period, the IRPAgent 210 may read a first counter value 232 indicating a successful transmission or reception (e.g., dot11TransmittedFrameCount or dot11ReceivedFragmentCount) and a second counter value 234 indicating an unsuccessful or failed transmission or reception. (e.g. dot11FailedCount or dot11FCSErrorCount). For example, IRPAgent 210 may compute a PER value related to MSDU. This MSDU PER value can be calculated as the quotient of an end value based on dot11FailedCount divided by the sum of the end value based on dot11TransmittedFrameCount plus the end value of dot11FailedCount. Likewise, a PER value of MSDU can be computed as the quotient of the end value of dot11FCSErrorCount divided by the sum of the end value of dot11ReceivedFragmentCount plus the end value of dot11FCSErrorCount.

[0043] After the PER value is calculated, the IRPAgent 210 can be configured to send the PER value to the IRPManager 225 on the network manager 220. The IRPAgent 210 can then release the one or more data structures that will serve to store the most-recent value of the particular counter among counters 232-234 and/or the previous value of the particular counter among counters 232-234 or may override these values of the particular counter among counters 232 -234 in the one or more data structures based on subsequent readings of the particular counter from among counters 232-234 in a following granularity period.

[0044] These calculated values (e.g., values related to PER and/or CSMA/CA) may be performance measurements collected by IRPAgent 210 and/or IRPManager 225 for management of the WLAN AP 230 (and other network management operations). network).

[0045] A calculated value can be a single integer. In some embodiments, one or more of the calculated values may be uniquely identified, for example, so that IRPAgent 210 can specify the calculated value to IRPManager 225. The calculated values may be classes of type WLANManagementFunction. Furthermore, these calculated values may be applicable to packet-switched domains. These calculated values may be applicable to combined systems (Global System for Mobile Communications - GSM), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) and/or evolved packet system (Evolved Packet System - EPS ), regardless of whether the measured event occurred in the GSM, UMTS or EPS parts of the system (e.g. for ifHCInUcastPkts only a total count [e.g. GSM, UMTS and/or EPS] for the measured event is obtained).

[0046] According to embodiments, a first CSMA/CA related value may be a number of CTS messages received in response to at least one RTS message transmitted by the WLAN AP 230, based on dot11RTSSuccessCount. The IRPAgent 210 can calculate this CSMA/CA related value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11RTSSuccessCount. IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11RTSSuccessCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the CSMA/CA related value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dot11RTSSuccessCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 may calculate the value related to CSMA/ CA as the difference between the dot11RTSSuccessCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This CSMA/CA-related value can be uniquely identified by the MAC.SuccRts.WlanAP identifier.

[0047] According to embodiments, a second CSMA/CA related value may be a number of CTS messages that are not received in response to at least one RTS message transmitted by the WLAN AP 230, based on dot11RTSFailureCount . The IRPAgent 210 can calculate this CSMA/CA related value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11RTSFailureCount. IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11RTSFailureCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the CSMA/CA related value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for cyclic reset (wrap around) of dot11RTSFailureCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 can calculate the CSMA/CA related value as the difference between the dimension of dot11RTSFailureCount and the summed start value to the final value (end value). This CSMA/CA-related value can be uniquely identified by the MAC.FailRtsWlanAP identifier.

[0048] According to embodiments, a third CSMA/CA related value may be a number of ACK messages that are not received in response to data transmission by the WLAN AP 230, based on dot11ACKFailureCount. The IRPAgent 210 may calculate a CSMA/CA related value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11ACKFailureCount. The IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11ACKFailureCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the CSMA/CA related value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dot11ACKFailureCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 may calculate the value related to CSMA/ CA as the difference between the dot11ACKFailureCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This CSMA/CA-related value can be uniquely identified by the MAC.FailAckWlanAP identifier.

[0049] According to embodiments, a first measurement value to be used to compute a PER value may be a number of MSDUs that are successfully transmitted by the WLAN AP 230 based on dot11TransmittedFrameCount. The IRPAgent 210 may calculate a first measurement value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11TransmittedFrameCount. IRPAgent 210 may read the dot11TransmittedFrameCount value at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the first measurement value to use to compute a PER value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dot11TransmittedFrameCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 may calculate the first measurement value as the difference between the dot11TransmittedFrameCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This first measurement value to be used to compute a PER value can be uniquely identified by the MAC.SuccMsduWlanAP identifier.

[0050] According to embodiments, a second measurement value to be used to compute a PER value may be a number of MSDUs that are not transmitted successfully (for example, are not associated with an acknowledgment - ACK ]) by WLAN AP 230 based on dot11FailedCount. The IRPAgent 210 can calculate a second measurement value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11FailedCount. The IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11FailedCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the second measurement value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dot11FailedCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 may calculate the second measurement value as the difference between the dot11FailedCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This second measurement value to be used to compute a PER value can be uniquely identified by the MAC.FailMsduWlanAP identifier.

[0051] According to embodiments, a third measurement value to be used to compute a PER value may be a number of MPDUs received with an FCS error by the WLAN AP 230 based on dot11FCSErrorCount. The IRPAgent 210 can calculate a third measurement value, to be used to compute a PER value, based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11FCSErrorCount. The IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11FCSErrorCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the third measurement value. However, IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dot11FCSErrorCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then IRPAgent 210 may calculate the third measurement value as the difference between the dot11FCSErrorCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This third measurement value can be uniquely identified by the identifier MAC.failedMpduWlanAP.

[0052] According to embodiments, a fourth measurement value to be used to compute a PER value may be a number of data-type or management-type MPDUs successfully received at the WLAN AP 230, based on dot11ReceivedFragmentCount. The IRPAgent 210 may calculate a fourth measurement value based on the cumulative counter approach by reading dot11ReceivedFragmentCount. The IRPAgent 210 may read the value of dot11ReceivedFragmentCount at the beginning and end of each granularity period and calculate the difference between these two values as the fourth measurement value. However, the IRPAgent 210 may be responsible for wrapping around dedot11ReceivedFragmentCount, for example, if the end value is less than the start value, then the IRPAgent 210 may calculate the fourth measurement value as the difference between the dot11ReceivedFragmentCount dimension and the initial value added to the end value. This fourth measurement value can be uniquely identified by the identifier MAC.SuccMpduWlanAP.

[0053] With reference to FIG. 3, a sequence diagram illustrating systems and operations for computing a PER value based on a plurality of counter values originating from a WLAN AP 330, in accordance with various embodiments. The element manager 305 may be an embodiment of the element manager 105 and/or the WLAN AP 330 may be an embodiment of one of the WLAN APs 130-135 of FIG. 1 and/or network manager 320 may be an embodiment of network manager 220 of FIG. 2 and described here.

[0054] Network manager 320 may need to collect error rate values (e.g., PER values) from one or more counters on WLAN AP 330. Network manager 320 may be configured to collect error rate values errors via an Itf-N interface. Thus, the element manager 305 may be configured to read, at a predetermined interval, one or more counters in the WLAN AP 330 and to compute one or more error rate values for a period of granularity.

[0055] Initially, the element manager 305 may reset a begin success value and a begin fail value to zero (0), for example, by configuring and/or initializing one or more data structures in the element manager storage circuits 305 (operation 350). Element manager 305 may start a timer, which may be a duration of a granularity period (operation 352). Subsequently, element manager 305 must determine whether the timer has ended (operation 354). After the element manager 305 detects that the timer time period has ended, the element manager 305 may send a request to the WLAN AP 330 asking for a value of a first counter related to a successful transmission or reception (e.g. , dot11TransmittedFrameCount or dot11ReceivedFragmentCount) (operation 356). In response to the request, element manager 305 may receive the value of the first counter (operation 358). Element manager 305 may store received success counter value in a data structure.

[0056] Additionally, after the element manager 305 detects that the timer time period has ended, the element manager 305 may send a request to the WLAN AP 330 asking for a value of a second counter related to unsuccessful transmission or reception. or failed (for example, dot11FailedCount or dot11FCSErrorCount) (360 operation). In response to the request, element manager 305 may receive the value of the first counter (operation 362). The element manager 305 may store the received failure counter value in a data structure.

[0057] Then, the element manager 305 may compare the received success counter value with the beginning success value (operation 364). If the received success counter value is greater than the start success value (e.g., during a first iteration through operations 350-380), then the element manager 305 may set a final success value ( end success value) as the difference obtained by subtracting the start success value from the received success counter value (operation 366). The element manager 305 can store the end success value in a data structure.

[0058] If the element manager 305 determines that the received success counter value is less than or equal to the start success value, then the element manager 305 may set an end success value ) as the difference obtained by subtracting from the dimension of the success counter to which the value was requested, the initial success value (begin success value) and adding the value of the received success counter (operation 368). The dimension of the counter from which the success value was requested may be a value stored in a data structure in the storage circuitry of element manager 305 and/or received by element manager 305 (e.g., from the WLAN AP 330 in response to a request).

[0059] Additionally, the element manager 305 may compare the received failure counter value with the begin fail value (operation 370). If the received failure counter value is greater than the begin fail value (e.g., during a first iteration through operations 350-380), then element manager 305 may set a final failure value ( end fail value) as the difference obtained by subtracting the start fail value from the received failure counter value (operation 372). The element manager 305 may store the end failure value in a data structure.

[0060] If the element manager 305 determines that the received failure counter value is less than or equal to the start fail value, then the element manager 305 may set an end fail value ) as the difference obtained by subtracting from the dimension of the failure counter to which the value was requested, the initial failure value (begin fail value) and adding the value of the received failure counter (operation 374). The dimension of the counter from which the failure value was requested may be a value stored in a data structure in the storage circuitry of element manager 305 and/or received by element manager 305 (e.g., from the WLAN AP 330 in response to a request).

[0061] Based on the final success and final failure values, the element manager 305 can compute an error rate value, such as a PER value (operation 376). In various embodiments, element manager 305 may compute the error rate value as the quotient obtained by dividing the end fail value by the sum of the end fail value plus the end success value. Subsequently, the element manager 305 may send the calculated error rate value to the network manager 320 (operation 378).

[0062] Element manager 305 may set the initial success value as the value of the received success counter, for example, by defining a data structure, for further iterations through various operations (operation 380). Additionally, element manager 305 may set the initial failure value to the value of the received failure counter, for example, by defining a data structure, for further iterations through various operations (operation 380). Element manager 305 may then reset the timer to read an additional counter value for a next granularity period (return to operation 352).

[0063] Although it is unnecessary to compare the values of the received success and/or failure counters with the initial success/failure values for a first iteration through operations to the element manager 305 (e.g., the values of the success counters and/or failure received will likely be greater than zero [0]), set the initial success and/or failure values to the values of the received success and/or failure counters and compare these defined initial success and/or failure values with following received success and/or failure counter values may be necessary to obtain an accurate error rate value to send to network manager 320. Since the timer (e.g., the granularity period) may have a duration that allows the counter on the WLAN AP 330 to exceed its limit size and return to zero (0) (i.e., restart the wrap around cycle), comparing the received success and/or failure counter values with the Initial success/failure (e.g., a previous counter value) may explain this scenario.

[0064] With reference to FIG. 4, an illustrative sequence diagram of systems and operations for computing CSMA/CA related values based on a plurality of counter values of a WLAN AP 430, in accordance with various embodiments. The element manager 405 may be an embodiment of the element manager 105 and/or the WLAN AP 430 may be an embodiment of one of the WLAN APs 130-135 of FIG. 1 and/or network manager 420 may be an embodiment of network manager 220 of FIG. 2 and described here.

[0065] Network manager 420 may collect CSMA/CA related values (e.g., RTS failures) from one or more counters on WLAN AP 430, such as dot11RTSSuccessCount, dot11RTSFailureCount, and/or dot11ACKFailureCount. Network manager 420 may be configured to collect CSMA/CA related values via a cumulative counter approach via an Itf-N interface. However, the one or more counters of the WLAN AP 430 may not be configured to support a cumulative counter approach (e.g., the counters may simply increment without restarting). Thus, element manager 405 may be configured to sample, at a predetermined interval, the one or more counters and to compute CSMA/CA related values, such as a series of failed RTS messages over a period of granularity.

[0066] Initially, the element manager 405 may set an initial period value to zero (0), for example, by configuring and/or initializing a data structure in the storage circuits of the element manager 405 (operation 450). Element manager 405 may start a timer, which may be a duration of a granularity period (operation 452). Subsequently, element manager 405 must determine whether the timer has ended (operation 454). After the element manager 405 detects that the timer has expired, the element manager 405 may send a request to the WLAN AP 430 for a value of a counter (operation 456). In response to the request, element manager 405 may receive the value of the counter (operation 458). The element manager 405 may store the received counter value in a data structure.

[0067] Then, element manager 405 may compare the received counter value with the initial period value (operation 462). If the received counter value is greater than the initial period value (e.g., during a first iteration through operations 450-470), then element manager 405 may set a CSMA/CA related value as the difference obtained by subtracting from the counter value received the initial period value (operation 466). The element manager 405 may store the CSMA/CA related value in a data structure.

[0068] If the element manager 405 determines that the received counter value is less than or equal to the initial period value, then the element manager 405 may define a CSMA/CA value as the difference obtained by subtracting the counter dimension from the which value was requested, the value of the initial period added to the counter value received (operation 464). The counter dimension from which the value was requested may be a value stored in a data structure in the storage circuitry of element manager 405 and/or received by element manager 405 (e.g., from WLAN AP 430 as response to a request).

[0069] Subsequently, the element manager 405 may report the CSMA/CA related value to the network manager 420 (operation 468). The element manager 405 may then set the initial period value as the received counter value, for example, by defining a data structure, for further iterations through various operations (operation 470). Element manager 405 may then reset the timer to read an additional counter value for a next granularity period (return to operation 452).

[0070] It may be unnecessary to compare the received counter value with the initial period value for a first iteration through operations to element manager 405 (e.g., the received counter value will likely be greater than zero [0]), but setting the starting period value as the received counter value and comparing this defined starting period value with a next received counter value may be necessary to obtain a strict CSMA/CA related value to report to the network manager 420. A since the timer (e.g., the granularity period) may have a duration that allows the counter in the WLAN AP 430 to exceed its limit size and return to zero (0) (i.e., restart the wrap around cycle). , comparing the received counter value with the initial period value (for example, a previous counter value) can explain this scenario.

[0071] Turning now to FIG. 5, an illustrative flow diagram of a method 500 for computing an error rate value based on a plurality of received counter values, in accordance with various embodiments. Method 500 may be performed by an element manager, such as element manager 105 of FIG. 1. Although FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of sequential operations, persons with normal skill in the art will understand that one or more of the operations of method 500 can be transposed and/or performed simultaneously.

[0072] To begin with, method 500 may include operation 505 to start a timer. Operation 510 may include sending, based on the expiration of the timer, a first request to a WLAN AP for a first counter value based on data whose transmission or reception by the WLAN AP failed. For example, the first counter may indicate data received with an error (e.g., dot11FCSErrorCount) or data that was not committed or failed in some other way (e.g., dot11FailedCount). Thereafter, operation 515 may include storing, based on a response to the first request, the first value of the first counter from the WLAN AP. The first value can be stored in a data structure in storage circuits. The first request and the first value can be sent and received respectively using SNMP.

[0073] Operation 520 may include sending, based on the timer expiry, a second request to a WLAN AP for a second counter value based on the data successfully transmitted or received by the WLAN AP. For example, the second counter may indicate data received without errors (e.g., dot11ReceivedFragmentCount) or data that has been acknowledged (e.g., dot11TransmittedFrameCount). Thereafter, operation 525 may include storing, based on a response to the second request, the second value of the second counter from the WLAN AP. The second value can be stored in a data structure in storage circuits. The second request and the second value can be sent and received, respectively, using SNMP.

[0074] In operation 530, method 500 may include computing the value of a value error rate based on the first and second stored values. For example, operation 530 may include computing an error rate by summing the first and second values and dividing the first value (e.g., the value associated with unsuccessful transmissions or receptions on the AP's WLAN) by the result of the sum. Thereafter, operation 535 may include sending the computed error rate value to a network management system. The computed error rate value can be sent using Itf-N.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 6, a flow diagram illustrates a method 600 for computing a CSMA/CA related value based on one or more received counter values, in accordance with various embodiments. Method 600 may be performed by an element manager, such as element manager 105 of FIG. 1. While FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of sequential operations, persons with normal skill in the art will understand that one or more of the operations of method 600 can be transposed and/or performed simultaneously.

[0076] To begin with, method 600 may include operation 605 to start a timer. Operation 610 may include sending a request to a WLAN AP, based on timer expiration, for a value of a counter based on acknowledgment messages associated with CSMA/CA by the WLAN AP. Subsequently, operation 615 may include storing, based on a response to the request, the counter value of the WLAN AP. The request and value can be sent and received respectively using SNMP.

[0077] In operation 620, process 600 may include computing a CSMA/CA related value based on the stored counter value. In various embodiments, operation 620 may include one or more operations for when the counter size has been exceeded and/or the counter has been reset. For example, operation 620 may include operations associated with comparing the first stored value with at least one other value (e.g., a counter value previously received from the WLAN AP) and computing the CSMA/CA related value based on the value received and not at least one other value.

[0078] Thereafter, operation 625 may include sending the first computed value to a network management system. This value can be sent using Itf-N.

[0079] Now referring to FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing device 700, in accordance with various embodiments. The element manager 105 and/or one of the WLAN APs 130-135 of FIG. 1 and/or the network manager 220 of FIG. 2 and described herein may be implemented in a computing device such as computing device 700. Furthermore, computing device 700 may be adapted to perform one or more operations of the method 500 described with respect to FIG. 5 and/or the method 600 described with respect to FIG. 6. The computing device 700 may include a plurality of components, one or more processors 704 and one or more communications chips 706. Depending on the embodiment, one or more of the enumerated components may comprise "circuits" of the computing device 700, such as such as processing circuits, communication circuits and the like. In various embodiments, the one or more processor(s) 704 may be one or more processor core(s). In various embodiments, the one or more communication chip(s) 706 may be physically and electrically coupled to the one or more processor(s) 704. In accordance with other implementations , the communication chips 706 may be part of the one or more processor(s) 704. In various embodiments the computing device 700 may include a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 702. For these embodiments, the one or more processor(s) 704 and the communication chip(s) 706 may be disposed thereon. In alternative embodiments, the various components can be coupled together without using the PCB 702.

[0080] Depending on its applications, the computing device 700 may include other components that may or may not be physically and electrically coupled to the PCB 702. These other components include, but are not limited to, volatile memory (e.g., access memory dynamic random access memory, 708, also referred to as [Dynamic Random Access Memory - DRAM]), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory 710, also referred to as [Read Only Memory - ROM]), flash memory 712, a memory controller input/output (I/O) 714, a digital signal processor (not shown), a cryptographic processor (not shown), a graphics processor 716, one or more antenna(s) 718, a display (not shown), a touch screen 720, a touch screen controller 722, a battery 724, an audio codec (not shown), a video codec (not shown), a global navigation satellite system (Global Positioning System - GPS) 728, a compass 730, an accelerometer (not shown), a gyroscope (not shown), a speaker 732, a camera 734, one or more sensors 736 (e.g., a barometer, counter Geiger, thermometer, viscometer, rheometer, altimeter, or other sensor that may be found in various production environments or used for other applications), a mass storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive, a state disk drive solid disc, a compact disc [Compact Disc - CD] and its read/write unit, a digital versatile disc [Digital Versatile Disk - DVD] and its read/write unit, etc.) (not shown) and the like. In various embodiments, the one or more processor(s) 704 may be integrated on the same die with other components to form a System On a Chip (SOC).

[0081] In various embodiments, the volatile memory (e.g., DRAM 708), the non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM 710), the flash memory 712, and the mass storage device (not shown) may include instructions of programming configured to enable the computing device 700, in response to execution by one or more processor(s) 704, to enact all selected aspects of the data exchanges and methods described herein, depending on the embodiment of the computing device. 700 computing used to implement these data exchanges and methods. More specifically, one or more of the memory components (e.g., DRAM 708, ROM 710, flash memory 712, and mass storage device) may contain temporary and/or persistent copies of instructions that, when executed by a or more processor(s) 704, enable the computing device 700 to operate one or more modules (e.g., control module 738) configured to engage in all aspects or only selected aspects of data exchanges and methods described herein, depending on the embodiment of the computing device 700 used to implement these data exchanges and methods.

[0082] Communication chips 706 may enable wired and/or wireless communication for transferring data to and from the computing device 700. The term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe the circuits, devices , systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc., that can transmit data using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices may not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they may not contain them. The 706 communications chips can implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to LTE, LTE-A, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 702.20, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) , Evolution Data Optimized (Ev-DO), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Evolved High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA+), Evolved High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA+) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Bluetooth and derivatives, as well as other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G and beyond. The computing device 700 may include a plurality of communication chips 706 adapted to perform different communication functions. For example, a first communications chip 706 may be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communications, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while a second communications chip 706 may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications, such as such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, Ev-DO and similar.

[0083] FIG. 8 illustrates a device 800, in accordance with some embodiments. The device 800 may be similar to and/or be included in one or more of the element manager 105 and/or one of the WLAN APs 130135 of FIG. 1 and/or the network manager 220 of FIG. 2 and described here. Device 800 may include processing circuits 802, transmit circuits 805, receive circuits 810, communications circuits 815, and one or more antennas 820 coupled together at least as shown.

[0084] In summary, communications circuitry 815 may be coupled to antennas 820 to facilitate over-the-air communication of signals to/from device 800. Operations of communications circuitry 815 may include, but are not limited to, filtering , amplify, store, modulate, demodulate, transform, etc.

[0085] Transmission circuits 805 may be coupled to communications circuits 815 and may be configured to provide signals to communications circuits 815 for transmission by antennas 820. In various embodiments, transmission circuits 805 may be configured to provide various signal processing operations on the signal to provide a signal for communications circuits 815 with appropriate characteristics. In some embodiments, transmission circuits 805 may be adapted to generate signals. Furthermore, the transmission circuits 805 may be adapted to encrypt, multiplex, and/or modulate various signals prior to transmission by the communications circuits 815.

[0086] The receiving circuits 810 may be coupled to the communications circuits 815 and may be configured to receive signals from the communications circuits 815. In some embodiments, the receiving circuits 810 may be adapted to generate signals. Furthermore, the reception circuitry 810 may be adapted to decrypt, demultiplex and/or demodulate different signals upon reception by the communications circuitry 815.

[0087] Processing circuits 802 may be coupled to transmit circuits 805, receive circuits 810, and/or communications circuits 815. Processing circuits 802 may be adapted to perform the operations described herein with respect to a data manager. elements, a network manager and/or a WLAN AP. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 802 may be adapted to generate, process, and/or manipulate data that is to be transmitted over the air and/or over an electrical connection (e.g., a network), e.g., to and/or from an element manager, a network manager and/or a WLAN AP.

[0088] Some or all of communications circuits 815, transmit circuits 805 and/or receive circuits 810 may be included in, for example, a communications chip and/or communicatively coupled with a printed circuit board, such as described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0089] In various embodiments, Example 1 may be an element manager comprising: storage circuits for storing a first value and a second value associated with successful transmission or reception by a wireless local area network access point. wires and a second value associated with errors in transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; a timer that must end after a predefined period; and an integration waypoint agent associated with the timer and the storage circuit to: start the timer, detect that the timer has ended, read - based on detection that the timer has ended - a value of a first counter associated with the transmission or successful reception of data by the wireless local area network access point, store the first value in the storage circuitry based on the value of the first counter, read - based on detection that the timer has ended - a value of a second counter associated with errors in transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point, storing the second value in the storage circuitry based on the value of the second counter, and computing the value of an error rate based on the first and according to values stored in the storage circuits. Example 2 may include the element manager according to claim 1, wherein the integration waypoint agent is to compute the error rate value based on the first and second values by dividing the second value by the result of the sum of the first value and the second value. Example 3 may include the element manager of claim 1, wherein the first counter is to indicate a number of Media Access Control [MAC] Service Data Units (MSDUs). that have been successfully transmitted by the wireless local area network access point, and wherein the second counter shall indicate a number of MSDUs that have not been successfully transmitted by the wireless local area network access point. Example 4 may include the element manager of claim 1, wherein the first counter is to indicate a number of data or management type Media Access Control Protocol (MAC) data units that been successfully received by the wireless local area network access point and wherein the second counter shall indicate a number of Media Access Control Protocol (MAC) data units that were received with a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) error by the wireless local area network access point. Example 5 may include the element manager according to claim 1, wherein the first counter must indicate a number of Clear To Send (CTS) messages received in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the wireless local area network access point and the second counter shall indicate a number of unreceived clear-to-send messages in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the wireless local area network access point. Example 6 may include the element manager of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the integration reference point agent is to read the value of the first counter via transmission to the wireless local area network access point. , of a request for the value of the first counter and the receipt, from the wireless local area network access point, of the value of the first counter and where the integration reference point agent must read the value of the second counter by transmitting to the wireless local area network access point a request for the value of the second counter and receiving from the wireless local area network access point the value of the second counter. Example 7 may include the element manager of any of claims 1-5, wherein the integration reference point agent is to store the first value in the storage circuits based on comparing the value of the first counter with a previous value of the first counter. Example 8 may include the element manager of any of claims 1-5, wherein the integration reference point agent is to store the second value in the storage circuits based on comparing the value of the second counter to a previous value of the second counter. Example 9 may include the element manager of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the integration waypoint agent is to cause the error rate value to be transmitted to a network manager having a integration reference point. Example 10 may include element manager of example 9, further comprising: a network interface associated with the integration reference point agent for transmitting the error rate value to the network manager.

[0090] In various embodiments example 11 may be an element manager comprising: storage circuitry for storing a first value associated with an unsuccessful data transmission by a wireless local area network access point; a timer that must end after a predefined period; and an integration waypoint agent coupled to the timer and storage circuit to: start the timer, detect that the timer has ended, read - based on detecting that the timer has ended - a value from a counter that is based on the failure to detect one or more acknowledgment messages associated with data transmission by the wireless local area network access point and storing the first value in the storage circuits based on the counter value. Example 12 may include the element manager of claim 11, wherein the counter is associated with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). Example 13 may include the element manager of claim 11, wherein the integration waypoint agent must store the first value based on comparing the counter value to a previous counter value. Example 14 may include the element manager of example 11, wherein the integration reference point agent must read the counter value by transmitting, to the wireless local area network access point, a request for the value meter value and reception from the wireless local area network access point of the meter value. Example 15 may include the element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration reference point agent must transmit the request and receive the counter value using a simple network management protocol (SNMP). Example 16 may include the element manager of any one of claims 11-15, wherein the integration waypoint agent is to cause the first value to be transmitted to a network manager that has a waypoint manager. of integration. Example 17 may include the element manager of claim 16, further comprising: a network interface, coupled to the integration reference point agent, for transmitting the first value to the network manager.

[0091] In various embodiments, example 18 may be one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising executable instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a computing system, cause the computing system to: start a timer; send - based on the expiration of the timer - a request to a wireless local area network access point for a value of a first counter associated with the success of transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; store a first value based on a response to the first request received from the wireless local area network access point; send - based on the timer expiry - a second request to a wireless local area network access point for a value of a second counter associated with unsuccessful transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point ; store a second value based on a response to the second request received from the wireless local area network access point; compute an error rate value based on the first and second values; and send the computed error rate value to a network management system. Example 19 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media(s) of claim 18, wherein computing the error rate comprises instructions to: add the first value to the second value ; and divide the second value by the result of the sum. Example 20 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media(s) of claim 18, wherein the first counter is intended to indicate a number of access control service data units. to media (Media Access Control [MAC] Service Data Units - MSDU) that have been successfully transmitted by the wireless local area network access point and where the second counter must indicate a number of MSDUs that have not been successfully transmitted wireless local area network access point. Example 21 may include the one or more non-transitory machine-readable media(s) of claim 18, wherein the first counter is intended to indicate a number of access control protocol data units. data or management type media (MAC) that has been successfully received by the wireless local area network access point and where the second counter must indicate a number of control protocol data units. access points (MAC) that were received with a Frame Check Sequence (FCS) error by the wireless local area network access point. Example 22 may include the one or more non-transitory machine-readable media(s) of claim 18, wherein the first counter is intended to indicate a number of messages received in association with associated with multiple access. with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) by the wireless local area network access point and the second counter shall indicate a number of messages expected but not received in association with CSMA/CA by the wireless local area network access point.

[0092] In various embodiments, example 23 may be one or more non-transitory computer-readable media(s) comprising executable instructions, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a computing, cause the computing system to: start a timer; send - based on timer expiration - a request to a wireless local area network access point for a value of a counter based on acknowledgment messages associated with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance - CSMA/CA) by the wireless local area network access point; store a first value based on a response to the first request received from the wireless local area network access point; and send the first value to a network management system. Example 24 may include the one or more non-transitory machine-readable media(s) of claim 23, wherein the response is associated with a dot11ACKFailureCount field defined by a specification of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11 . Example 25 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media(s) of any one of claims 23-24, wherein storing the first value comprises instructions for: comparing the response to the request for a previous value associated with the counter; and store the first value based on the comparison.

[0093] In various embodiments, example 26 may be a method comprising starting a timer; detect that the timer has ended; read - based on detection that the timer has ended - a value of a first counter that is based on successful transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; storing a first value based on the value of the first counter; read - based on detection that the timer has ended - a value of a second counter that is based on errors in transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; storing a second value based on the value of the second counter; and computing a value of an error rate based on the first and second values. Example 27 may include the method of claim 26, wherein computing the error rate value based on the first and second values includes: adding the first value to the second value; and divide the second value by the result of the sum of the first value and the second value. Example 28 may include the method of claim 26, wherein the first counter is to indicate a number of Media Access Control [MAC] Service Data Units (MSDUs) that have been transmitted with success by the wireless local area network access point and wherein the second counter shall indicate a number of MSDUs that were not successfully transmitted by the wireless local area network access point. Example 29 may include the method of claim 26, wherein the first counter is to indicate a number of data or management type Media Access Control Protocol (MAC) data units that have been successfully received by the wireless local area network access point and where the second counter shall indicate a number of Media Access Control Protocol (MAC) data units that were received with a frame check sequence (FCS) by the wireless local area network access point. Example 30 may include the method of claim 26, wherein the first counter shall indicate a number of Clear To Send (CTS) messages received in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the point of delivery. wireless local area network access point and the second counter shall indicate a number of unreceived clear-to-send messages in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the wireless local area network access point. Example 31 may include the method of any of claims 2630, wherein reading the value of the first counter comprises: transmitting, to the wireless local area network access point, a request for the value of the first counter; and receiving, from the wireless local area network access point, the value of the first counter. Example 32 may include the method of any of claims 26-30, wherein storing the first value comprises: comparing the first counter value to a previous first counter value; and store the first value based on the comparison. Example 33 may include the method of any of claims 26-30, further comprising: transmitting the error rate value to a network manager with an integration reference point manager.

[0094] Example 34 may be a method comprising: starting a timer; detect that the timer has ended; read - based on detection that the timer has ended - a value of a counter that is based on the inability to detect one or more acknowledgment messages associated with data transmission by the wireless local area network access point; and storing the first value in the storage circuits based on the counter value. Example 35 may include the method of claim 34, wherein the counter is associated with Carrier Sense Multiple Access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). Example 36 may include the method of claim 34, wherein storing the first value comprises: comparing the counter value to a previous counter value; and store the first value based on the comparison. Example 37 may include the method of claim 34, wherein reading the value comprises: transmitting, to the wireless local area network access point, a request for the value of the meter; and receiving, from the wireless local area network access point, the value of the meter. Example 38 may include the method of any one of claims 34-37, further comprising: transmitting the first value to a network manager having an integration reference point manager.

[0095] Example 39 may be an apparatus comprising: means for starting a timer; means for detecting that the timer has ended; means for reading - based on detecting that the timer has expired - a value of a first counter that is based on successful transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; means for storing a first value based on the value of the first counter; means for reading - based on detection that the timer has expired - a value of a second counter that is based on errors in transmission or reception by the wireless local area network access point; means for storing a second value based on the value of the second counter; and means for computing a value of an error rate based on the first and second values.

[0096] Example 40 may be an apparatus comprising: means for starting a timer; means for detecting that the timer has ended; means for reading - based on detecting that the timer has expired - a value of a counter that is based on the inability to detect one or more acknowledgment messages associated with data transmission by the wireless local area network access point; and means for storing the first value in the storage circuitry based on the counter value.

[0097] Some parts of the previous detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits in a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those who master data processing techniques to more effectively transmit the material of their work to other people who master these techniques. An algorithm is, here and generally, conceived to be a self-coherent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. Operations are those that require physical manipulations of physical quantities.

[0098] It should be borne in mind, however, that all these and similar terms must be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically indicated otherwise and evident from the foregoing description, it is to be understood that throughout the description, discussions where terms such as those defined in the claims below are used refer to the action and processes of a system of computer or similar computing system, which manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the records and memories of the computer system into other data equally represented as physical quantities in the memories or records of the computer system or other storage devices, transmission or presentation of similar information.

[0099] Embodiments of the invention also relate to an apparatus for carrying out the operations referred to herein. Such a computer program is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium (e.g., readable by a computer) includes a storage medium (e.g., read-only memory [ROM], random access memory [RAM], magnetic disk storage media, optical storage, flash memory devices).

[00100] The processes or methods illustrated in the previous figures can be carried out by processing logic comprising hardware (e.g., circuits, dedicated logic, etc.), software (e.g., embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium) or a combination of both. Although the processes or methods are described above in terms of some sequential operations, it should be noted that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Additionally, some operations can be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

[00101] Some embodiments of the present invention are not described with reference to any specific programming language. It is to be understood that various programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments of the present invention as described herein. In the above specification, embodiments of the invention were described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It is clear that various modifications may be introduced without needing to depart from the broader spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims. The specification and drawings should therefore be viewed in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims (28)

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media, one or more, characterized by the fact that it comprises instructions that, when executed, cause a device in a cellular network to: collect, at the end of a period of granularity, the first values of the counter associated with Media Access Control Protocol data unit ("MPDU") receptions by each of at least two wireless local area network (WLAN) access points, and second counter values associated with failed MPDU receptions by each of at least two WLAN access points; and store the first and second counter values for each of the at least two WLAN access points in the device storage circuits, the device provided in the cellular network. 2. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the device, for each WLAN access point: to calculate a packet error rate with based on the first and second counter values to determine the performance of a wireless LAN. 3. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the device is an element manager and the instructions, when executed, further cause the element manager, for each access point WLAN: Transmit a report to a network manager based on the first and second counter values. 4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the device to implement an integration reference point ("IRP") agent to collect the first and the second counter values. 5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the device to implement the IRP agent to transmit a report to an IRP manager in a network, the network manager to decide whether to offload cellular traffic to one or more of the WLANs based, at least in part, on the report. 6. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the device to send one or more requests to each WLAN access point to collect the first and the second counter values. 7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the device to: determine an end of the granularity period based on the expiration of a timer. 8. Element manager of a cellular network, characterized by the fact that it comprises: storage circuits; and processing circuitry to implement an integration reference point ("IRP") agent provided on the cellular network, to: collect, at the end of a granularity period, the first counter values associated with protocol data unit receptions media access control ("MPDU") by each of at least two wireless local area network (WLAN) access points and second counter values associated with failed MPDU receptions by each of at least two WLAN access points ; and storing the first and second counter values for each of the WLAN access points in the storage circuits of the element manager. 9. The element manager of claim 8, wherein the IRP agent is further to: calculate a packet error rate based on the first and second counter values to determine the performance of an area network wireless location to at least one of the WLAN access points. 10. The element manager of claim 8, wherein the IRP agent is further, for each of the WLAN access points, transmitting a report to a network manager based on the first and second counter values . 11. The element manager of claim 8, wherein the IRP agent must further transmit a report to an IRP manager on a network manager, the IRP agent to decide whether to offload cellular traffic to one or more of WLANs, based on at least part of the report. 12. The element manager of claim 8, wherein the IRP agent must further send one or more requests to each of the wireless local network access points to collect the first and second counter values . 13. The element manager of claim 8, further comprising: a timer, wherein the IRP agent must determine the end of the granularity period based on an expiration of the timer. 14. Element manager comprising: storage circuitry for storing a first value associated with successful transmission or reception by a wireless LAN access point and a second value associated with errors in transmission or reception by the wireless LAN access point; and an integration reference point agent, together with the storage circuit, to: send, based on the expiration of a predefined period, a first request to a wireless LAN access point for a value of a first counter associated with successful transmission or reception by the wireless LAN access point, receiving, from the wireless LAN access point, a first value of the first counter in response to the first request, storing the first value in the circuit of storage, send, based on the expiration of the predefined period, a second request to the wireless LAN access point for a value of a second counter associated with unsuccessful transmission or reception by the wireless LAN access point, receive , from the wireless LAN access point, a second value of a second counter in response to the second request, store the second value in the storage circuit, calculate a packet error rate value based on at least the first and second values, and determining, based on at least the packet error rate, the performance of a wireless local area network associated with the wireless local area network access point. 15. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration reference point agent is to calculate the error rate value based on the first and second values by dividing the second value by a sum of the first value and the second value. 16. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the first counter is for indicating a number of media access control service data units that have been successfully transmitted by the local network access point wireless, and wherein the second counter shall indicate a number of media access control service data units that were not successfully transmitted by the wireless LAN access point. 17. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the first counter is for indicating a series of data or management type media access control protocol data units that have been successfully received by the peer. wireless LAN access point, and wherein the second counter is to indicate multiple Media Access Control Protocol data units that were received with a frame sequence check error by the wireless LAN access point . 18. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the first counter is for indicating a number of ready-to-send messages received in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the wireless local network access point. wire and the second counter is to indicate a number of ready-to-send messages not received in response to one or more ready-to-send messages by the wireless LAN access point. 19. Element manager according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that the integration reference point agent must store the first value in the storage circuit based on comparing the value of the first counter with a previous value of the first counter. 20. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration reference point agent is for storing the second value in the storage circuits based on comparing the value of the second counter with a value of the second counter. 21. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration reference point agent is for causing the error rate value to be transmitted to a network manager having a reference point manager. integration reference. 22. Element manager according to claim 21, further comprising: a network interface, coupled with the integration reference point agent, to transmit the error rate value to the network manager . 23. The element manager of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first or second counter is associated with carrier sensing multiple access with collision avoidance. 24. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration waypoint agent must transmit the request and receive the counter value using a simple network management protocol. 25. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the integration reference point agent must cause at least one of the first value or the second value to be transmitted to a network manager having a integration reference point. 26. The element manager of claim 25, further comprising: a network interface, coupled with the integration reference point agent, for transmitting at least one of the first value or the second value to the network manager. 27. The element manager of claim 14, wherein the response to the second request is associated with a dotllACKFailureCount field defined by an 802.11 specification of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 28. The element manager of claim 14, further comprising: a timer coupled to the integration waypoint agent, the timer configured to measure the predefined period, in which the waypoint agent The integration process is configured to send the first request and the second request upon detection that the timer has elapsed.