KR20060117030A - Mobile terminal, the system and method to trace network charcteristic from mobile terminals - Google Patents

Abstract

A terminal using a WLAN, a system and a method for collecting traffic characteristics of the same are provided to enable a server to transmit a message, for requesting characteristic information related with traffic, to mobile terminals included in a list of mobile terminals and enable each mobile terminal to transmit traffic characteristic information to the server through a response message, thereby installing WLAN APs so that the location and number of the APs can be suitable to demands of each region by analyzing the service use pattern of a WLAN user and the traffic characteristics. A database management system(120) stores a list of mobile terminals(100) using a WLAN(Wireless Local Area Network) service and characteristics information of corresponding mobile terminals(100). A mobile terminal information transceiver(150) transceives data with the terminal. A mobile terminal identification processor(110) determines whether the mobile terminal(100) uses the WLAN, manages the list of terminals using the WLAN, and stores information about WLAN use of the terminal in the data management system(120). An operator connecting unit(130) is for being inputted with commands of an administrator. According to the command inputted from the operator connecting unit(130), a WLAN characteristic information request/analysis processor(140) collects the characteristic information of the mobile terminal(100) from the terminal through the mobile terminal information transceiver(150) and stores the collected characteristic information in the database management system(120).

Description

Wireless LAN terminal, its traffic characteristic collection system and method {Mobile terminal, the system and method to trace network charcteristic from mobile terminals}

1 is a timing diagram illustrating a signal flow between a terminal and a data server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a detailed configuration diagram of a TIS server according to the present invention.

3 is a detailed configuration diagram of a TIS client according to the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating a message between a terminal and a data server according to the present invention;

5 is a diagram illustrating a command list of a message according to the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a list of status codes of a message according to the present invention.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a data structure for managing a list of mobile terminals according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a system and method for analyzing network traffic characteristics of a WLAN user in a wireless local area network (WLAN) environment and collecting network characteristic data from a user terminal for network management.

Wireless network technologies include the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS), the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (Infrared), and the Infrared (IRS), which have been developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in June 1997. Wireless LAN technology is integrated and standardized to IEEE 802.11.

The WLAN service based on IEEE 802.11 provides high bandwidth and is widely used as an access network technology that allows users to access the Internet anytime and anywhere. Currently, many wireless LANs are installed in small companies, private offices, and homes around the world.

Wireless LAN related product configuration is largely attached to mobile communication terminals such as laptops and PDAs, and connected to other mobile communication terminals or wired LANs to connect to wireless LAN card (NIC or Adapter card) and Ethernet (Ethernet) communication network installed in each terminal. It is composed of a wireless LAN AP (Access point) that serves as a gateway between each terminal and the wired LAN.

Background Art A technology for ensuring terminal mobility based on user information authentication for providing mobile access to the Internet through a wireless LAN service in a specialized region when providing an IP-based high-speed Internet service has been developed in the past. Such technology provides the operator with additional management functions and expandability when expanding the business site. However, as the number of users of the WLAN service increased, problems related to network maintenance and management began to occur, and a necessity of a system capable of monitoring the network in real time emerged.

Researching user's WLAN usage pattern and movement pattern may be very important data for developing and managing WLAN related technologies in the future. When using a WLAN service, a WLAN user may require a quality of service above a certain standard. Currently, there are no studies on which applications are mainly used by wireless users and how much quality of service they require, and there is no data collection system for them.

An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal, a system, and a method for collecting network characteristic data from a mobile terminal for management and analysis of a WLAN network.

Traffic characteristic information collection system according to an aspect of the present invention for solving this problem,

A traffic information collection system for collecting traffic characteristic information from at least one terminal through an access point,

A database management system for storing a list of mobile terminals using the WLAN service and characteristic information of the mobile terminal;

A mobile terminal information transceiver for transmitting and receiving data with the terminal;

A mobile terminal identification processor configured to determine whether to use the wireless LAN of the mobile terminal, manage a list of terminals using the wireless LAN, and store wireless LAN usage information of the terminal in the database management system;

An operator connection unit for receiving an administrator's command;

And a WLAN characteristic information request / analysis processing unit for collecting characteristic information of the mobile terminal from the terminal and storing the characteristic information of the mobile terminal in the database management system according to a command input from the operator connection unit.

Traffic characteristic information collection method according to an aspect of the present invention for solving this problem,

A traffic information collection method for collecting traffic characteristic information from at least one terminal through an access point,

The mobile terminal accessing a wireless LAN service and transmitting an access message;

Receiving, by the server, an access message and knowing that the corresponding mobile terminal is currently using a WLAN service and storing it in a list;

Transmitting, by the server, a message requesting characteristic information related to the traffic to the mobile terminals in the list of mobile terminals stored in the list;

Each mobile terminal transmitting the traffic characteristic information to the server through the response message.

The method may further include transmitting an ALIVE message to the server at regular time intervals to continuously inform that each mobile terminal is using the WLAN service.

Wireless LAN terminal according to one feature of the present invention for solving this problem,

A wireless LAN using terminal providing traffic information to a server collecting traffic characteristic information through an access point,

A user interface for receiving a selection of a user;

An information acquisition unit for collecting and outputting WLAN related information;

A battery information acquisition unit for acquiring and outputting battery information;

When connected to the wireless LAN service according to the input of the user interface, and transmits a connect message, and communicates with the server, the network information transmission and reception unit for transmitting the wireless LAN-related information of the information acquisition unit to the server at the request of the server; do.

The WLAN using terminal further includes a display unit for displaying information. When the WLAN service is connected, the server displays this message when it inquires whether the server agrees to transmit WLAN related information.

In order to collect network characteristic data from the user's terminal, a program for transmitting data to the server must be installed in advance in the terminal, and a space for storing the reported data may be separately installed.

The present invention defines a protocol for collecting WLAN-related data from a user terminal and transmitting it to a server. Next, a data structure for managing information of a mobile terminal in which a system currently uses a WLAN service will be described.

In order to collect data from a mobile terminal in a wireless LAN environment, a method for identifying the mobile terminal is required, and the database management system must manage a list of mobile terminals currently using the WLAN service. Since the mobile terminal always replaces the AP for accessing the Internet while moving from place to place, the mobile terminal is identified and managed in consideration of this. In order to collect necessary data from the mobile terminal, a communication protocol between the mobile terminal and the database management system is used. define.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention. Like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the specification.

Wireless LAN mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented in the form that the client module is installed in the mobile terminal, the traffic characteristic collection system for providing a wireless LAN service through the mobile terminal and an access point (AP) It is implemented in the form of a server or a separate server and includes a database management system.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the IEEE 802.11b WLAN related information of a terminal that cannot be obtained from a router or an AP on a network is obtained, and the obtained information includes an AP to which the terminal is currently accessible, MAC address of each AP, its signal strength, and transmission failure The number of frames, the number of retransmissions, the number of RTS failures, and the number of frame check sequence (FCS) errors. Hereinafter, the traffic characteristic collection system of the present invention will be described as TIS (Terminal Information System) server.

In addition, the mobile terminal executes a TIS client program, operates in a terminal using a WLAN service, and transmits IEEE 802.11b related information to the TIS server.

1 is a structural diagram of a system for collecting traffic characteristic information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a traffic characteristic collection system of a wireless LAN using terminal includes a database management system 120, a mobile terminal identification processing unit 110, a mobile terminal wireless characteristic information request / analysis processing unit 140, and mobile terminal information transmission and reception. The unit 150 includes an operator connection unit 130 and a display unit 160.

The TIS server 100 communicates with the mobile terminal 100 through the mobile terminal information transmission / reception unit 150, and the mobile terminal identification processing unit 110 moves through an ALIVE message transmitted by the mobile terminal 100. It is determined whether the terminal uses the wireless LAN service.

In addition, the mobile terminal identification processor 110 manages a list of terminals currently using a wireless LAN service such as a nespot. In addition, the mobile terminal identification processing unit stores in the database management system 120 information on a WLAN network usage start time, a movement status between the AP, and service end time information of the corresponding terminal.

The mobile terminal network characteristic information request / analysis processing unit 140 transmits a query for the corresponding information to the mobile terminal information transmitting / receiving unit 150 according to a manager's command inputted from the operator connecting unit 130, thereby providing a mobile terminal currently connected ( Receives the network characteristic information from the 200, and stores the information in the database management system 120, and the necessary information is displayed in real time to the administrator through the display unit 160 in accordance with the command of the operator connection unit 130. The system administrator can check the current network status in real time through the display unit 160 by using the operator connection unit 130 constructed as a web environment, and convert and view the network specific information stored in the database management system 120 into a required form. This is possible.

2 is a structural diagram of a mobile terminal equipped with a TIS client.

2, the mobile terminal includes a user interface 210, an information acquisition unit 220, a battery information acquisition unit 230, a network information transmission and reception unit 240, and a display unit 250.

The display unit 250 displays a message for confirming whether the user cooperates with the wireless LAN network information transmission under the control of the network information transceiver 240. Then, when the user selects the unwanted through the WLAN service user interface 200 such as NESPOT, the network information transceiver 240 terminates the TIS client and, if approved, operates the TIS client. .

The network information transceiver 240 communicates with the TIS server 100, receives an inquiry from the server 100, and transmits network characteristic information of the mobile terminal 200. In this case, the WLAN network information is obtained through the IEEE 802.11 information obtaining unit 230, the battery information of the mobile terminal is obtained through the battery information obtaining unit 230, and the obtained information is transmitted to the server 100. .

Here, the communication between the client terminal 100 and the server 200 is made according to the TIS protocol, and the detailed description is as follows. In the present invention, a protocol for exchanging information between a TIS server and a TIS client program is defined as a TIS protocol. The TIS protocol uses User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as a transport protocol.

3 is a diagram illustrating a typical operation process of the TIS when the client accesses the Internet through a WLAN.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the mobile terminal accesses the WLAN service, the mobile terminal 200 transmits a CONNECT message to the TIS server 100, and the TIS server transmits the CONNECT message to the user through the WLAN service. You can see that you are using.

The terminal 200 transmits an ALIVE message to the TIS server 100 at regular time intervals to continuously notify that the WLAN service is in use.

Thereafter, the manager operates the operator connection unit 130 to select a terminal list inquiry using the wireless LAN service managed by the TIS server 100, and the mobile terminal WLAN characteristic information request / analysis processing unit 140 manages a database. The list of terminals stored in the system 120 is displayed on the display unit 130.

Thereafter, according to the manager's selection, the mobile terminal information transmitting and receiving unit 150 transmits a REQUEST message to the corresponding terminal of the inquired terminal list, and acquires necessary information through the REPLY message of the corresponding mobile terminal 100.

In the above process, each message, command, and status code will be described in detail as follows.

4 is a diagram illustrating a message used in an embodiment of the present invention.

CONNET, ALIVE, and REPLY messages are messages transmitted by the TIS client of the mobile terminal 200 to the TIS server 100, and CONNECTED and REQUEST messages are messages transmitted by the TIS server 100 to the TIS client 2000.

The CONNECT message is for informing the TIS client that the TIS client has started using the WLAN network when the mobile terminal starts to use the NESPOT service. ID indicates the type of message, addr indicates the MAC address of the mobile station, and AP indicates the MAC address of the AP.

The CONNECTED message is used for confirmation after the TIS server receives the CONNECT message from the TIS client. This message is used because reliable communication cannot be guaranteed by using UDP as a transport protocol. It also uses the Interval field to tell the TIS client how long to send the ALIVE message.

The ALIVE message is a message for continuously tracking whether a mobile terminal uses a network in a situation where a TIS server has no criterion for determining whether the mobile terminal is continuously using a WLAN network. The content of each field is the same as the CONNECT message.

The REQUEST message is a message that a TIS server queries to obtain current network information of a mobile station. In the Command field, the command code shown in FIG. 3 is used, and detailed additions to each command are recorded through the option field.

The REPLY message is a message sent by the TIS client containing the information according to the REQUEST message of the TIS server. The State code field indicates the state of the corresponding information and follows the state code information of FIG. 4. The Option field is used when there is extra necessary information, and the actual network information is transmitted using the content field.

Next, the command list will be described.

5 is a list of commands used in a REQUEST message.

Referring to FIG. 5, the current mobile terminal 200 uses an AP command to measure MAC addresses of accessible APs and signal strengths of the corresponding APs. The POWER command is to continuously receive the battery at a specific time interval, whether the mobile terminal uses the battery or if the battery is in use. In addition, there is an 802_11_STATE command for acquiring detailed information of the IEEE 802.11 standard such as the number of fragment frames transmitted by the mobile terminal 200 and the number of RTS successes and failures. The AP_STOP, POEWR_STOP, and 802_11_STATE_STOP commands stop transmitting the information at regular time intervals according to the AP, POWER, and 802_11_STATE commands.

6 is a diagram illustrating a code for expressing a state of a REPLY message, that is, an error or additional information when the TIS client transmits information of the mobile terminal 200 to the TIS server 100 through a REPLY message. If the information is successfully acquired according to each command, the code with OK after each command is transmitted. If the information fails, the code with ERROR is transmitted. In the case of battery-related information, the mobile terminal 200 used by the user is a system using a battery, but if the battery information cannot be obtained according to the operating system, the POWER_OK_KNOWN code is used. Use the POWER_OK_UNKNOWN code. Specifically, the POWER_NO code is used for terminals that do not use batteries, such as desktop PCs.

Next, the client list data structure will be described in detail. The TIS server 100 needs to maintain a list of clients currently using the WLAN service, and in particular, the client transmits a command to the client for each AP to which the client is connected and acquires information, so the client for each AP to which the client is connected Should be managed. As shown in FIG. 7, a hash table is created based on the MAC address of the AP to which the client is connected, and a list is formed according to each AP hash value to manage a list of APs currently providing services to the mobile terminal 200. And, using the list for each AP stores the information of the terminal currently accessing the Internet through the AP as a key of the MAC address of the terminal. The mobile terminal 200 transmits the ALIVE message of FIG. 4 to the server 100 at regular intervals to inform the server 100 that the mobile terminal 200 is currently using the Internet. The server 100 determines that the terminal 200 does not transmit the ALIVE message for a predetermined period of time and deletes it from the list. Since UDP is a connectionless protocol, when a client moves to another place and is connected to the Internet through another AP, the server 100 may have two lists for one client by sending CONNECT and ALIVE messages again. . However, when a certain time passes, the previous client list is naturally deleted from the list because the time information is not updated through the ALIVE message.

In addition, the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, but may be modified and modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, by analyzing the characteristics of the service usage pattern and traffic of the WLAN user, it is possible to install the location and number of the WLAN AP to suit the regional demand, the maximum simultaneous user concentration of each AP Through the analysis of trends by time and date, it can be used as a data for determining network reconfiguration necessity. In addition, it is possible to optimize engineering by analyzing traffic increase / decrease trend by service, and it is possible to adjust the balance of capacity of wired network and wireless network. The present invention can enable data collection for such WLAN network analysis in real time.

Claims (15)

A traffic information collection system for collecting traffic characteristic information from at least one terminal through an access point, A database management system for storing a list of mobile terminals using the WLAN service and characteristic information of the mobile terminal; A mobile terminal information transceiver for transmitting and receiving data with the terminal; A mobile terminal identification processor configured to determine whether the mobile terminal uses a wireless LAN, manage a list of terminals using a wireless LAN, and store wireless LAN usage information of the terminal in the database management system; An operator connection unit for receiving an administrator's command; Traffic characteristic information collection including a WLAN characteristic information request / analysis processing unit for collecting characteristic information of the mobile terminal from the terminal through the mobile terminal information transmission and reception unit according to a command input from the operator connection unit and storing the characteristic information of the mobile terminal in the database management system. system. The method of claim 1, And a display unit for displaying information, wherein the WLAN characteristic information request / analysis processor causes the display unit to display the WLAN characteristic information stored in the database according to a command input from the operator connection unit. Graphical Property Information Collection System. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The characteristic information of the terminal is a traffic characteristic information collection system, characterized in that the IEEE 802.11b WLAN-related information of the terminal. The method of claim 3, The IEEE 802.11b WLAN-related information includes the AP to which the terminal is currently accessible, the MAC address of each AP, its signal strength, the number of failed transmission frames, the number of retransmissions, the number of RTS failures, and the number of frame check sequence (FCS) errors. Characterized by the traffic characteristic information collection system. The method of claim 4, wherein The terminal, A user interface for receiving a selection of a user; An information acquisition unit for collecting and outputting WLAN related information; A battery information acquisition unit for acquiring and outputting battery information; When connected to the wireless LAN service according to the input of the user interface, and transmits a connect message, and communicates with the server, the network information transmission and reception unit for transmitting the wireless LAN-related information of the information acquisition unit to the server at the request of the server; Traffic characteristic information collection system. A wireless LAN using terminal providing traffic information to a server collecting traffic characteristic information through an access point, A user interface for receiving a selection of a user; An information acquisition unit for collecting and outputting WLAN related information; A battery information acquisition unit for acquiring and outputting battery information; When connected to the wireless LAN service according to the input of the user interface, and transmits a connect message, and communicates with the server, the network information transmission and reception unit for transmitting the wireless LAN-related information of the information acquisition unit to the server at the request of the server; Wireless LAN using terminal. The method of claim 6, And a display unit for displaying information, wherein the display unit displays this message when the server inquires whether to agree to the transmission of WLAN-related information when the WLAN service is connected under the control of the network information transceiver. Wireless LAN using terminal. The method according to claim 6 or 7, The WLAN-related information includes the AP currently accessible by the terminal, the MAC address of each AP, its signal strength, the number of failed transmission frames, the number of retransmissions, the number of RTS failures, and the number of frame check sequence (FCS) errors. b WLAN-enabled terminal, characterized in that the WLAN-related information. The method of claim 8, The server, A database management system for storing a list of mobile terminals using the WLAN service and characteristic information of the mobile terminal; A mobile terminal information transceiver for transmitting and receiving data with the terminal; A mobile terminal identification processor configured to determine whether the mobile terminal uses a wireless LAN, manage a list of terminals using a wireless LAN, and store wireless LAN usage information of the terminal in the database management system; An operator connection unit for receiving an administrator's command; Wireless LAN using terminal comprising a wireless LAN characteristic information request / analysis processing unit for collecting the characteristic information of the mobile terminal from the terminal through the mobile terminal information transmission and reception unit according to the command input from the operator connection unit for storing in the database management system . A traffic information collection method for collecting traffic characteristic information from at least one terminal through an access point, The mobile terminal accessing a wireless LAN service and transmitting an access message; Receiving, by the server, an access message and knowing that the corresponding mobile terminal is currently using a WLAN service and storing it in a list; Transmitting, by the server, a message requesting characteristic information related to the traffic to the mobile terminals in the list of mobile terminals stored in the list; And transmitting, by the mobile terminal, the traffic characteristic information to the server through the response message. The method of claim 10, And transmitting an ALIVE message to the server at regular time intervals to continuously inform that each mobile terminal is using a WLAN service. The method of claim 11, The traffic characteristic information includes the AP currently accessible by the terminal, the MAC address of each AP, its signal strength, the number of failed transmission frames, the number of retransmissions, the number of RTS failures, and the number of frame check sequence (FCS) errors. Traffic characteristic information collection method characterized in that the WLAN-related information. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, The access message is a traffic characteristic information collection method including the type of message, the MAC address of the mobile terminal, the MAC address of the AP. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, The message requesting the characteristic information includes a command field and an option field for recording detailed additions to each command. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, The response message is a message sent with the corresponding information according to the message requesting the characteristic information, the status code field indicates the state of the information, the option field is used when there is extra necessary information, using the content field Method for collecting traffic characteristic information, characterized by transmitting network characteristic information.

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