KR20120093548A - Apparatus and method for measureing network quality in wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus and method for measuring network quality in a wireless communication system is provided to easily confirm network quality by considering of state information for each node including a basic packet. CONSTITUTION: An MS(Mobile Station) confirms a call for transmitting a standard packet(203). The MS sets variables for transmitting the standard packet(205). The MS creates the standard packet(207). The MS transmits the standard packet using the confirmed call(209). A header includes the configuration information of a basic packet. The basic packet includes one or more state information for each node.

Description

Apparatus and method for measuring network quality in wireless communication system {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASUREING NETWORK QUALITY IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for measuring the quality of a network in a wireless communication system.

Wireless communication systems have been developed in the form of providing various services such as broadcasting, multimedia video, multimedia messages to the user.

The wireless communication system needs to increase not only user data service capacity but also network service capacity in order to satisfy wireless service requirements for providing various services. Accordingly, attention has been paid to methods for solving the problem of network failure and quality deterioration caused by the rapid increase of wireless data to be processed in the wireless communication system.

In general, methods of measuring network quality include active monitoring and passive monitoring. Here, the activity monitoring represents a method of measuring the quality of the network by delivering a probe packet to the network to measure the quality of the network. The passive monitoring represents a method of measuring the quality of a network by observing packets transmitted and received through the network to provide a service.

In the case of using the passive monitoring, the wireless communication system has a problem that it is difficult to measure the quality of the network through the packet transmitted in real time due to the time synchronization problem between the nodes constituting the network. In addition, a problem occurs that requires a call processing interworking procedure for selecting a call of traffic for monitoring of the actual traffic in the wireless communication system.

In the case of using the activity monitoring, there is a problem that the wireless communication system cannot accurately measure and diagnose the network quality of the actual traffic for providing a service with a measurement packet.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for measuring the quality of a network in a wireless communication system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for measuring the quality of a network using a trace packet in a wireless communication system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for measuring network quality by transmitting a reference packet through a call set up for transmitting traffic in a wireless communication system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for adding and transmitting its own state information to a reference packet provided through a call set up for transmitting traffic in a node constituting a wireless communication system.

According to a first aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects of the present invention, a method for confirming network quality in a mobile station of a wireless communication system includes the steps of: identifying a call for transmitting a packet; And forming a basic packet for checking state information of a node of the node, and transmitting the basic packet through the call.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for confirming network quality in a wireless communication system includes, when a call is established, receiving a basic packet including state information of at least one node constituting a network through the call. And checking the state information of each node in the basic packet, and checking the quality of the network in consideration of the state information of each node.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a wireless communication system for confirming the quality of a network may include setting up a call for transmitting a packet and verifying state information of at least one node constituting the network through the call. A mobile station transmitting a basic packet, at least one node constituting a network to add its state information to the basic packet when receiving the basic packet, and a basic received from at least one node through the set call; It is characterized in that it comprises a server for checking the quality of the network in consideration of the status information for each node included in the packet.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for checking network quality in a mobile station of a wireless communication system includes a control unit for checking a call for transmitting a packet, and checking status information of at least one node constituting a network. And a message generator for constituting a basic packet for transmitting and a transmitter for transmitting the basic packet through the call.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for confirming network quality in a wireless communication system includes a receiver configured to receive a basic packet including state information of at least one node constituting a network through the call when a call is set up. And a message processing unit for checking the state information of each node in the basic packet, and a quality checking unit for checking the quality of the network in consideration of the state information of each node.

As described above, by transmitting a tar packet for measuring the quality of a network through a call set up for transmitting traffic in a wireless communication system, a network in which actual traffic is transmitted without time synchronization of nodes constituting the network. There is an advantage that it is easy to perform quality measurement and fault diagnosis by section.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for transmitting a reference packet in a mobile station according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a reference packet according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for processing a reference packet in a node constituting a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for diagnosing network quality using a reference packet in a server according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a block diagram of a mobile station for transmitting a reference packet according to the present invention; and
7 is a block diagram of a server for diagnosing network quality according to the present invention;

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intentions or customs of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a technique for measuring network quality in a wireless communication system.

1 illustrates a configuration of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system includes a mobile station 100, an access network 110, and a server 120.

The mobile station 100 generates and transmits a trace packet to measure network quality. At this time, the mobile station 100 transmits the reference packet through a call set up for transmitting traffic. For example, the mobile station 100 transmits the reference packet through a call according to a user's network quality measurement indication. For another example, the mobile station 100 may periodically transmit the reference packet via a call. Here, the call includes a call set up for other traffic or a call set up for transmitting the reference packet.

The access network 110 adds state information of each node to the reference packet provided from the mobile station 100 and transmits the state information to the server 120. For example, the access network 110 may include gateways 114 that control transmission and reception of signals between the base station 112 and 118 that transmit and receive signals to and from the mobile station 100 or the server 120 through radio resources. , 116). In this case, when the base stations 112 and 118 and the gateways 114 and 116 receive the reference packet, the base stations 112 and 118 add their own state information to the reference packet and transmit the same to the next node.

The server 120 confirms network information and failure information by checking state information of each node constituting the access network 110 in a reference packet provided from the access network 110. For example, the server 120 stores state information of each node constituting the access network 110 in a reference packet in the form of a log file. Thereafter, the server 120 checks network quality and failure information by analyzing log files stored for a predetermined time. In this case, the server 120 may transmit the log file stored for a predetermined time to a separate server that processes network quality and failure information. For another example, the server 120 may check network quality and failure information by analyzing state information of each node constituting the access network 110 in a reference packet.

In the above-described embodiment, the server 120 connects to the access network 110 through a wireless network. In another embodiment, the server 120 may access the access network 110 through a wired network.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile station 100 transmits a trace packet to the server 120 that measures network quality through a call set up to transmit traffic.

In another embodiment, the mobile station 100 may transmit a reference packet to a general mobile station instead of the server 120. That is, the mobile station 100 may also perform the role of the server 120. If the mobile station confirming the reference packet and the network management server confirming the network quality are separately configured, the mobile station transmits the quality and fault information of the network identified through the reference packet to the network management server.

The following description describes the operation of a mobile station for transmitting a reference packet over an established call.

2 illustrates a procedure for transmitting a reference packet in a mobile station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile station determines whether to transmit a reference packet in step 201. For example, the mobile station checks whether a network quality measurement indication command is received from the user. In another example, when transmitting a reference packet periodically, the mobile station 100 checks whether a reference packet transmission period arrives.

In case of transmitting the reference packet, the mobile station proceeds to step 203 to confirm the call for transmitting the reference packet. For example, the mobile station identifies a call set up for other traffic. As another example, the mobile station may set up a call for transmitting a reference packet.

The mobile station then proceeds to step 205 to set a variable for transmitting the reference packet. For example, the mobile station sets a variable for transmitting a reference packet through a graphical user interface (GUI) or a command line interface (CLI). The variable for transmitting the reference packet may include a 5-tuple, a packet size, a packet transmission interval, a packet transmission count, and a network quality measurement interval using the reference packet. It includes. In this case, the network quality measurement section includes a bi-directional or uni-directional.

After setting the variable for transmitting the reference packet, the mobile station proceeds to step 207 to generate the reference packet. For example, the mobile station generates a reference packet including a packet header 300 and basic information 310 as shown in FIG. 3. In this case, the mobile station may configure a reference packet in a form in which extended information 320 is added to the packet header 300 and basic information 310.

After generating the reference packet, the mobile station proceeds to step 209 to transmit the reference packet through the call identified in step 203.

The mobile station then terminates this algorithm.

3 illustrates a configuration of a reference packet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reference packet includes a packet header 300, basic information 310, and extended information 320.

The packet header 300 includes configuration information of the reference packet. For example, the packet header 300 includes a magic number field, a sequence number field, a tail offset field, a flow ID field, and a direction field. It is configured by.

The magic number field includes identification information for indicating a reference packet. The sequence number includes a value for determining a packet loss or an out of sequence packet. The tail offset field indicates the length of a reference packet. That is, the tail offset field indicates the length from the start of the packet header 300 to the end of the reference packet. The flow identifier field includes identification information of a flow for transmitting a reference packet. The direction field includes network section information measured using the reference packet. That is, the direction field includes information on whether to measure the network quality in one direction or the network quality in both directions through the reference packet.

The basic information 310 includes state information that the mobile station 100 and nodes that receive the reference packet should be fixedly added to the reference packet. For example, the basic information 310 may include a trace info bit map field, a trace point ID field, a timestamp field, and a loss count field.

The information bitmap field indicates whether extension information 320 is present. For example, each bit included in the information bitmap field may sequentially include a node ID field, a drop count field, a buffer count field, and a buffer count field included in the extension information 320. Indicates whether an out of sequence field is present.

The identification field includes identification information of a node adding status information to the reference packet by using the basic information 310. The timestamp field includes a value for measuring delay. In this case, the timestamp field includes time information of each node, not an absolute time. The number of lost fields includes information about the number of times a packet is lost by a node adding status information to the reference packet using the basic information 310.

The extension information 320 includes state information of a corresponding node that is not represented through the basic information 310. For example, the extension information 320 includes a node ID field, a drop count field, a buffer counter field, and an out of sequence field.

The node identifier field contains an identifier of a node. For example, the node identifier field includes address information of the node. The drop count field includes the number of times a packet is dropped in a corresponding node. The butter counter field includes packet information included in a buffer. The out of order packet field indicates the number of out of order packets calculated at a corresponding node.

The following description describes a method for processing a reference packet in a node constituting the access network 110. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, the node includes base stations 112 and 118 and gateways 114 and 116.

4 illustrates a procedure for processing a reference packet in a node constituting a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the node checks whether a packet is received in step 401.

If no packet is received, the node terminates this algorithm.

On the other hand, if a packet is received, the node proceeds to step 403 to check whether the received packet is a reference packet. For example, the node checks the magic number included in the header 300 of the received packet to determine whether the packet is a reference packet.

If the received packet is not a reference packet, the node terminates this algorithm.

On the other hand, if the received packet is a reference packet, the node proceeds to step 405 to check its status information. For example, the node checks the time information, the number of packet loss, the number of packet drops, the number of out of order packets and the buffer usage information.

In step 407, the node updates the reference packet by adding the checked state information to the received reference packet. For example, the node adds basic information 310 including its status information to the reference packet. In another example, the node adds basic information 310 and extended information 320 including its status information to the reference packet.

After adding state information to the reference packet, the node proceeds to step 409 and transmits the updated reference packet to the next node in step 407.

The node then terminates this algorithm.

The following description describes a method for checking network quality and failure information in a server that receives a reference packet.

5 illustrates a procedure for diagnosing network quality using a reference packet in a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the server checks whether a packet is received in step 501.

If no packet is received, the server terminates this algorithm.

On the other hand, if a packet is received, the server proceeds to step 503 to check whether the received packet is a reference packet. For example, the server checks the magic number included in the header 300 of the received packet to determine whether the packet is a reference packet.

If the received packet is not a reference packet, the server ends the present algorithm.

On the other hand, if the received packet is a reference packet, the server proceeds to step 505 to check the state information of each node included in the reference packet. For example, the server parses the contents of at least one basic information 310 and at least one extension information 320 included in the reference packet to check state information of each node or quality check interval. .

After checking the status information, the server proceeds to step 507 and stores the checked status information. For example, the server stores the state information of the node or the quality check interval in the form of a log file.

Thereafter, the server proceeds to step 509 to confirm whether to check the network quality. For example, the server checks whether a network quality check command is received from an administrator. In another example, the server checks whether a network quality check cycle arrives.

If the network quality is not checked, the server further proceeds to step 501 to check whether the packet is received to check the status information of the nodes constituting the network.

On the other hand, when checking the network quality, the server proceeds to step 511 to analyze the state information of each node or the quality check interval stored (analyze) to check the quality of the network.

The server then terminates this algorithm.

In the above-described embodiment, the server performs both the analysis of the reference packet and the network quality check.

In another embodiment, when the server for analyzing the reference packet and the server for confirming the network quality are different, the server transmits the state information checked in step 505 to the network management server for confirming the network quality. In this case, the server may store the state information in step 507, and transmit the stored state information to the network management server when the network management server requests it.

6 shows a block configuration of a mobile station for transmitting a reference packet according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the mobile station for transmitting the reference packet includes a controller 600, a message generator 610, and a transmission modem 620.

The controller 600 controls the overall operation of the mobile station. In this case, the controller 600 controls the mobile station to transmit a reference packet for confirming network quality. For example, when receiving a network quality measurement instruction command from a user of the mobile station, the controller 600 confirms a call for transmitting a reference packet. For another example, when the reference packet is periodically transmitted, the controller 600 checks a call for transmitting the reference packet when the reference packet transmission period arrives. If the call is not set, the controller 600 sets a call for transmitting the reference packet.

In addition, the controller 600 sets a variable for transmitting a reference packet. For example, the controller 600 sets a variable for transmitting a reference packet through a GUI or a CLI. The variable for transmitting the reference packet may include a 5-tuple, a packet size, a packet transmission interval, a packet transmission count, and a network quality measurement interval using the reference packet. It includes. In this case, the network quality measurement section includes a bi-directional or uni-directional.

 The message generator 610 generates a control message under the control of the controller 600. For example, the message generator 610 generates a reference packet under the control of the controller 600. In this case, the message generator 610 generates a reference packet including the packet header 300 and the basic information 310 in FIG. 3.

The transmission modem 620 converts the transmission data and the control message provided from the message generator 610 into encoding and high frequency signals and outputs them through an antenna.

7 is a block diagram of a server for diagnosing network quality according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, the server for diagnosing network quality includes a reception modem 700, a message processing unit 710, a control unit 720, a storage unit 730, and a quality checking unit 740.

The reception modem 700 converts and demodulates a high frequency signal received through an antenna to a baseband signal.

The message processor 710 extracts control information from a signal provided from the reception modem 700. For example, the message processor 710 parses at least one basic information and at least one extension information included in a reference packet provided from the reception modem 700 to parse each node or quality check interval. Check status information.

The controller 720 controls the overall operation of the server. At this time, the controller 720 controls to check the quality of the network by using the status information of each node or the quality checking interval checked through the reference packet. For example, the controller 720 controls to store the state information of each node or the quality check interval checked by the message processor 710 in the form of a log file. For another example, the controller 720 controls the quality checking unit 740 to check the network quality using a log file stored in the storage unit 730 when a network quality checking command is received from an administrator. For another example, when the network quality checking cycle arrives, the controller 720 may control the quality checking unit 740 to check the network quality using a log file stored in the storage unit 730. .

The storage unit 730 stores the state information of each node or quality checking section checked by the message processing unit 710 in the form of a log file under the control of the controller 720.

The quality checking unit 740 analyzes the log file provided from the storage unit 730 under the control of the controller 720 to check the quality of the network.

In the above-described embodiment, the server includes a message processing unit 710 for analyzing the reference packet and a quality checking unit 720 for confirming network quality.

In another embodiment, when the server is configured to include the message processing unit 710, the controller 720 may control to transmit a log file stored in the storage unit 730 to a network management server.

In the above-described embodiment, the server checks network quality through a reference packet provided from the mobile station.

In another embodiment, when the mobile station checks the status information of each node or the quality check interval through a reference packet provided from another mobile station, the mobile station may be configured in the form of the combination of FIGS. 6 and 7.

Meanwhile, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the scope of the following claims, but also by the equivalents of the claims.

Claims (28)

A method for checking network quality in a mobile station of a wireless communication system,
Identifying a call for transmitting a packet,
Configuring a basic packet for checking status information of at least one node constituting the network;
And transmitting the basic packet over the call.
The method of claim 1,
The basic packet may include a header including configuration information of the basic packet and at least one state information of each node.
The method of claim 2,
The header may include identification information of a reference packet, information for determining packet loss or out-of-sequence packet, length of the reference packet, and identification information of a flow for transmitting the reference packet. And network interval information measured using a reference packet.
The method of claim 2,
The state information may include bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists, identification information of a node adding state information to a reference packet, time information of a node adding state information to the reference packet, and state information to the reference packet. And at least one of packet loss information of an additional node.
The method of claim 1,
Determining at least one variable for transmitting the basic packet before configuring the basic packet;
The at least one variable includes at least one of a 5-tuple, a packet size, a packet transmission interval, a packet transmission count, and a network quality measurement interval using a reference packet. Method comprising a.
6. The method of claim 5,
The process of determining the variable,
And determining at least one variable for transmitting the basic packet using any one of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface (CLI).
In the method for checking the network quality in a wireless communication system,
When a call is established, receiving a basic packet including state information of at least one node constituting a network through the call;
Checking status information of each node in the basic packet;
And checking the quality of the network in consideration of the state information of each node.
8. The method of claim 7,
The basic packet may include a header including configuration information of the basic packet and at least one state information of each node.
The method of claim 8,
The header may include identification information of a reference packet, information for determining packet loss or out-of-sequence packet, length of the reference packet, and identification information of a flow for transmitting the reference packet. And network interval information measured using a reference packet.
The method of claim 8,
The state information may include bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists for each node, identification information of a node for adding state information to a reference packet, time information, and reference packet of a node for adding state information to the reference packet. And at least one of packet loss information of the node adding status information to the node.
The method of claim 1,
After checking the status information for each node, further comprising the step of storing the status information in the form of a log file,
The process of checking the quality of the network,
Analyzing the log file to check the quality of the network.
In the wireless communication system for checking the quality of the network,
A mobile station for establishing a call for transmitting a packet and transmitting a basic packet for checking status information of at least one node constituting a network through the call;
At least one node constituting a network for adding its own state information to the basic packet when receiving the basic packet;
And a server for checking the quality of the network in consideration of the status information of each node included in the basic packet provided from the at least one node through the set call.
13. The method of claim 12,
And the mobile station configures a basic packet including a header including configuration information of the basic packet and state information of the mobile station.
The method of claim 13,
The header may include identification information of a reference packet, information for determining packet loss or out-of-sequence packet, length of the reference packet, and identification information of a flow for transmitting the reference packet. And network section information measured using a reference packet.
The method of claim 13,
The state information may include bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists, identification information of a node adding state information to a reference packet, time information of a node adding state information to the reference packet, and state information to the reference packet. And at least one of packet loss information of an additional node.
13. The method of claim 12,
The at least one node, the wireless communication system, characterized in that for distinguishing the basic packet through a magic number (magic number) included in the header of the basic packet.
13. The method of claim 12,
Each node included in the at least one node includes bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists, identification information of a node adding state information to a reference packet, and a time of a node adding state information to the reference packet. The reference packet includes at least one state information including at least one of packet loss information, drop count information, buffer usage information, and out-of-sequence packet count information of a node adding status information to the reference packet. Wireless communication system, characterized in that the addition to.
13. The method of claim 12,
The server stores the state information for each node identified in the reference packet in the form of a log file, and analyzes the log file to confirm the quality of the network.
An apparatus for checking network quality in a mobile station of a wireless communication system,
A control unit for checking a call for transmitting a packet;
A message generator configured to construct a basic packet for checking status information of at least one node constituting the network;
And a transmitting unit for transmitting the basic packet through the call.
20. The method of claim 19,
And the message generating unit configures a basic packet including a header including configuration information of the basic packet and state information of the mobile station.
The method of claim 20,
The header may include identification information of a reference packet, information for determining packet loss or out-of-sequence packet, length of the reference packet, and identification information of a flow for transmitting the reference packet. And network section information measured using a reference packet.
The method of claim 20,
The state information may include bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists, identification information of a node adding state information to a reference packet, time information of a node adding state information to the reference packet, and state information to the reference packet. And at least one of packet loss information of an additional node.
20. The method of claim 19,
The controller determines at least one variable for transmitting the basic packet by using any one of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface (CLI),
The at least one variable includes at least one of a 5-tuple, a packet size, a packet transmission interval, a packet transmission count, and a network quality measurement interval using a reference packet. Apparatus comprising a.
In the device for checking the network quality in a wireless communication system,
A receiver configured to receive a basic packet including state information of at least one node constituting a network through the call, when a call is established;
A message processing unit for checking state information of each node in the basic packet;
And a quality checking unit for checking the quality of the network in consideration of the state information of each node.
25. The method of claim 24,
The basic packet is configured to include a header including configuration information of the basic packet, and at least one status information for each node.
26. The method of claim 25,
The header may include identification information of a reference packet, information for determining packet loss or out-of-sequence packet, length of the reference packet, and identification information of a flow for transmitting the reference packet. And network section information measured using a reference packet.
26. The method of claim 25,
The state information may include bitmap information indicating whether additional state information exists for each node, identification information of a node for adding state information to a reference packet, time information, and reference packet of a node for adding state information to the reference packet. And at least one of packet loss information of a node adding status information to the node.
25. The method of claim 24,
It further comprises a storage unit for storing the state information for each node confirmed by the message processing unit in the form of a log file,
The quality checking unit, characterized in that for analyzing the log file provided from the storage unit to check the quality of the network.

Images