Network analyzer having distributed packet replay and triggering

Patent Number: 7,096,264

Date: August 22, 2006

Inventors: Bonney; Jordan C. (Bloomington, MN), Burnett; Benjamin L. (Prior Lake, MN), Charan; Deborah K. (Minneapolis, MN)

Abstract: A system is described for monitoring and testing computer networks, such as enterprise networks that tend to have a number of geographically dispersed devices and interconnected sub-networks. The system includes a plurality of distributed agents coupled to a computing network. The system further includes a replay module coupled to the network that has a storage medium to store replay data. The replay module communicates respective portions of the replay data to the agents, and issues commands to the agents to control introduction of the network packets on the computing network by the agents. In this way, the system recreates network activity in order to test the computer network. The replay data stored by the storage medium may define a conditional flow for introduction of the network packets by the agents. Accordingly, the replay module may issue commands to the agents in accordance with the conditional flow.