System for identifying servers on network by determining devices that have the highest total volume data transfer and communication with at least a threshold number of client devices
US6954785B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 17, 2000 |
| Grant date | Oct 11, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 4, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L43/00
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for identifying a device acting as a server on a network is disclosed which uses network data representing communications on the network. The network data contains source device, destination device, data transfer protocol and data volume information for each communication represented therein and may be collected by network traffic monitors or packet capture devices such as RMON2 probes on the network. Data relating to relevant server protocols is identified within the network data, and using the identified data, a device is determined to be acting as a server if it has the highest data volume for communications in which it is the source or destination device and which communications involve at least a threshold number of other devices. The method may be conveniently implemented in a computer program and may be used in conjunction with a network management application.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.