This disclosure generally relates to network analysis systems, and in particular relates to wireless mesh network analysis systems and methods.
Wireless mesh networking is an emerging technology for enabling wireless interconnections between a variety of devices, such as sensors, actuators, switches, communication devices, and other network devices. The network devices may be implemented to support a variety of applications, such as home automation, building and industrial automation, environmental monitoring, data communication, etc.
Wireless mesh networks typically implement a dynamic topology in which devices are associated and disassociated with other devices in the network and in which the roles and responsibilities of such devices may change over time. Thus there are unique challenges to developing, deploying and managing wireless networks.
Disclosed herein is a novel network analysis system and method that facilitates the capturing of network data for analysis, measurement, and visualization. The capturing of network data may be implemented in-band or out-of-band from the network. Captured network data may be analyzed in real time or stored for later analysis. Measurements obtained from the analysis may relate to network performance, device performance, route performance, or other network characteristics. The topology of the network may be graphically displayed, and measurement data may be accessible via the graphical display of the network topology.
In one embodiment, a system for analyzing a packet-based network includes a correlator processor that is configured to receive packet records corresponding to packets communicated over a network and store the packet records in a data store. The correlator processor is also configured to generate correlated packet records from the packet records stored in the data store, the correlated packet records representative of the order in which the packets were transmitted in the network.
In another embodiment, a system for analyzing a packet-based network includes a wireless network analysis processing device that is configured to receive correlated packet records representative of the order in which corresponding packets are transmitted in a wireless network. The correlated packet records include media access control (MAC) layer data and network layer data for each corresponding packet. The MAC layer data and network layer data are processed to generate network topology data representative of the network topology, generate packet flow data representative of the flow of packets between devices at the MAC layer and across the network at the network layer, and measurement data relating to the packet flow data.
In another embodiment, a system for analyzing a packet-based network includes a packet-based wireless network visualization system. The packet-based wireless network visualization system includes a data store, an input/output subsystem including a display device, and a processing subsystem. The system is configured to receive network topology data, packet flow record data, and measurements data over the input/output subsystem and store the network topology data, packet flow record data, and measurements data in the data store. Based on the stored data, the system generates a visual representation of a network topology on the display based on the network topology data, generates a visual representation of packet flows within the network topology based on the packet flow records, and selectively displays measurement data related to the packet flows and network topology based on the measurements data. The visual representation of the network topology includes device objects, associations of device objects and a plurality of layer representations.
In another embodiment, a system for analyzing a packet-based network includes a plurality of capture devices configured to monitor packets communicated over the network and create the corresponding packet records. Each capture device includes a capture clock and each capture device is further configured to include a timestamp in each packet record corresponding to the capture clock time the capture device detects the start of frame of a packet. In one embodiment, the capture devices may communicate with a correlator processor in-band over the wireless network being observed. In another embodiment, the capture devices may communicate with a correlator processor out-of-band over another data network, e.g. a local area network (LAN). In another embodiment, the capture devices may simultaneously perform an active network device role and perform a passive sniffing role to capture network data.