Performance Manager

Performance Manager

Overview

The future of mobile communications is converging upon feature-rich, IP-based voice, video and data (a.k.a. “triple play”) services. In the highly competitive mobile services market, providers urgently need to protect and enhance customers’ experience in order to reduce churn and grow the provider’s average revenue per user (ARPU). NetScout Systems, a long-established leader in IP performance management solutions for the world’s largest private networks, offers the nGenius Performance Management System – a powerful solution for monitoring and troubleshooting your subscriber-facing IP network and all the associated services it supports.

Introduction

Subscribers expect both reliable availability and fast access over the mobile network to use their favored services —whether they’re trying to place a call, send an email on their RIM/Blackberry or send a text message to their spouse or friend. Both enabling (setup) services and content services must operate efficiently in order for a quality customer experience.

When enabling services operate properly, the subscriber is largely unaware of their presence or activity. When any of them fail to perform properly, however, such as slow/unsuccessful AAA authentication or slow DNS lookup, the result is a poor service experience, such as slow internet access, or even worse a failure to connect. Similarly, once a service is successfully accessed, IP-based content delivery must be fast and efficient. Any point of congestion or contention that slows response time or causes delivery errors, such as excessive packet drops, can interrupt the service and adversely affect quality of experience.

The short term result of poor enabling or content delivery service could be a lost opportunity to generate revenue, but if it is more widespread than a single user, the result could be a significantly greater impact on revenue. Long term affects of underperforming enabling services can include increased churn and lower ARPU.

What is needed is a solution specifically optimized for Mobile Operators which harvests key operational intelligence directly from the service delivery infrastructure and provides a standard set of views for the critical service-enabling and service-delivery protocols that can be leveraged by mobile operators around the globe both for real-time operations support and precise, reality-based planning.

Meeting the Need

The nGenius Performance Management System provides the KPI-to-Flow-to-Packet details necessary for effective network, customer, and service assurance with performance monitoring and visibility into all forms of IP-based services. NetScout’s solution leverages deep packet inspection technology to deliver complete visibility into real-time operational intelligence spanning from high level KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and early warning all the way down to actual packets, enabling providers to reduce MTTR and enhance network and service assurance.

Highlights

IP-based global assurance

Going beyond simple analysis of signaling

messages, the nGenius Performance

Management System utilizes a service

content-aware, IP-based understanding

of mobile operator networks to help solve

important problems faster.

Reduce MTTR

Top-down, KPI-to-Flow-to-Packet

workflow streamlines troubleshooting

to resolve problems faster and more

efficiently.

KPIs for proactive, early detection

Proactively detects service performance

degradations and, delivers service-aware

views and early warning of anomalies

before they can become subscriber-

affecting problems.

Flow-based analysis to speed

diagnosis

Utilizes flow-based analysis to provide

users with a better understanding of

performance as well as who and what are

being affected by service degradations

and faults.

Deep packet inspection for efficient

troubleshooting

Combines the advantage of persistent

capture and extended storage capabilities

with a deep understanding of protocols

and packets to help users more quickly

solve even the most complex problems.

Performance monitoring solution for mobile operator networks

Response time analysis in nGenius Performance Manager can be used to determine “How fast is the service running?” For the enabling service DNS, for example, tracking response time over time and response time distribution will help operators uncover service degradations before subscribers are impacted.

Ensuring high-quality performance of applications and services across a provider network core is part of NetScout’s Global Assurance initiative, which allows mobile operators to:

• Gain a holistic perspective of all the services and technologies deployed across the customer facing network for viewing complex environments in full context, speeding problem resolutions via comprehensive operational intelligence.

• Obtain service-relevant information with full application, host and conversation visibility for making strategic decisions about technology resources.

• Reduce operational expenses (OpEx) by consolidating tools and associated costs by incorporating performance monitoring, recording, and reporting of KPIs, flows and packets into a single, unified performance management application.

Reduce MTTR with the Streamlined KPI-to-Flow-to-Packet Workflow

The nGenius Solution, originally built for the largest private IP-based networks in the world and now tailored specifically for the mobile operator market, provides the industry’s first complete and consistent high-definition visibility for KPIs, Flows (service sessions), and Packets traversing the mobile provider’s service delivery environment to help optimize performance and resolve the most challenging issues with speed and accuracy.

Leveraging KPIs for Early Detection of Problems

The modern KPI-to-Flow-Packet workflow utilized by the nGenius Performance Management Solution answers crucial day-to-day performance questions so problems can be averted or quickly corrected in mobile operator networks. nGenius Performance Manager collects and analyzes information from nGenius data sources (including nGenius Probes, AFMons, and InfiniStreams) and presents specific KPIs via service-aware views, maps, and alert lists in the fully integrated nGenius K2. This allows mobile operators to gain early indications of potential performance issues:

• “How fast is the service running?”

• “Is that response time acceptable?”

• “Are there any errors?”

• “What is the success rate?”

For virtually any service over any wireless operator interface, the nGenius Performance Management System presents KPIs for how fast the service is operating in milliseconds using response time analysis. To help analyze if that response time is acceptable, operator-configurable settings are available for red, green, and yellow buckets representing the availability and range of response times over time for that service. For more effective troubleshooting, response time analysis or response time distribution over time can be analyzed over multiple time frames – whether it is for an immediate concern, subscriber-reported problems over the last 15 or 30 minutes or more far reaching, such as for the last 12 or 24 hours. nGenius Performance Manager and nGenius K2 are flexible enough to allow user definable time frames for the most relevant analysis within the context of each individual situation.

Response times that don’t meet acceptable levels, as well as key network errors or unsuccessful transactions, can trigger a Power Alarm, an intelligent alert that also includes contextual evidence, for immediate notification. For example, monitoring AAA Radius for acceptable response times and errors will help troubleshoot subscribers experiencing problems gaining access to the mobile network and thus unable to complete revenue-generating voice calls or internet access. These alerts can be viewed in nGenius Performance Manager, nGenius K2, and/or a third party event management system.

Flow-based Analysis Speeds Diagnosis

Flow-based analysis from monitored mobile services in nGenius Performance Manager helps to answer the questions:

• “How are the resources being utilized?”

• “How much?”

• “By who?”

• “How does one service affect another service?”

With the nGenius Performance Management System, consistent, real-time monitoring and analysis can be performed across any mobile operator interface. Interfaces operating in either GSM/GPRS/UMTS (e.g.: Gn, Gi, Gp, etc.) or CDMA2000 (e.g.: A10/A11, Pi, Xd, etc.) networks, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks, as well as in the MPLS Core Backbones can be monitored by the nGenius System to identify and track overall traffic volume statistics in bytes or percent of available bandwidth to reveal how these resources are being utilized.

nGenius Performance Manager helps mobile operators uncover how their resources are being used. Flow-based analysis across key customer facing segments provides views into Top Services in use that may be used to reveal potential issues such as contention between voice traffic and text messaging.

In some cases it will be necessary to understand how much one particular service is using the network resources for troubleshooting or capacity management. The nGenius Performance Management System again relies on flow-based analysis to track and trend both real-time and historical information on individual services, such as utilization for Ringtone downloads.

Revealing who the top user or users of networked services overall or of a particular service depends on flow analysis as well. nGenius Performance Manager helps mobile operators uncover who is using their resources on key network segments, for example, presenting All Conversations on a selected Gn interface.

nGenius Performance Manager applies further analysis to reveal how much of those resources, whether they are specific interfaces, data centers, or server farms, are most or least consumed by specific individual services. This gives operators the information they need to distinguish how much utilization exists for enabling services, such as AAA Radius or Diameter, DNS, DHCP and LDAP. For example, rolling out a new DNS server or researching troubles with AAA in one part of the network requires tracking and analysis from flow details in key areas of the network to determine their effect on performance, traffic volume and responsiveness. For revenue generating services such as WEB/WAP, MMS, SMS, SMPP, PTT, VoIP, VMail, and Ringtone downloads, flow details will not only show utilization for each service but, at the same time, present how their behavior and volume might affect each other. For instance, flow-based analysis may help identify if video traffic is impacting any other service such as SMS.

There will be occasions when specific conversation flow details are necessary as well, perhaps to determine the busiest data center while analyzing call originations or to reveal an underutilized server which might indicate a poorly performing load balancer. In other situations, focusing in on individual subscriber-related details is necessary for troubleshooting purposes. nGenius Performance Manager relies on flow-based information and in-depth analysis to deliver visibility into the conversation details and per-subscriber flows to answer these questions.

Deep Packet Inspection for Definitive Troubleshooting

For many situations, traditional monitoring approaches provide excellent analysis of networks, services, conversations, response times and trending. However, at times, packet-level details are necessary to troubleshoot and identify the more complicated problems with complex services traversing expansive, global

2.5, 3, and emerging 3.5/4G operator networks. nGenius Performance Manager collects flow monitoring information and continuous packet capture files from nGenius data sources strategically deployed throughout the service delivery network for complete visibility into both monitored traffic flows as well as packet trace files. The addition of 24x7 continuous packet capture, with a choice of different storage capacities, helps answer questions like:

• “What exactly was the conversation exchange for a specific service?”

• “How can we reconstruct a session from the recent past to see what happened?”

• “Is there a poorly designed service causing the degradation?”

The nGenius Solution, with continuously recorded packet flows from target interfaces in the mobile operator network, has complete trace files with both header and payload information for in-depth, post-event forensic data mining with microsecond granularity. In diagnosing the most challenging packet-level problems, mobile operators can launch bounce charts for each enabling and revenue generating service monitored. To improve MTTR and ease of use, contextual drill downs to those trace files, the actual packets, and related Expert analysis are also incorporated.

Packet details are sometimes necessary to resolve very complex, persistent problems. Using NetScout’s advanced intelligence offerings in conjunction with nGenius InfiniStream provides a means to better understanding network and subscriber performance. Using a wide range of subscriber IDs, users can identify specific subscriber sessions, take advantage of NetScout’s ability to correlate packets across the network, review performance in the network registration process, and view data sessions in a ladder diagram format. This view of traffic provides users with an understanding of latency associated with different network components and messages and ultimately their effect on subscriber experience.

About NetScout SystemsNetScout Systems provides advanced network and application service assurance solutions that deliver complete visibility into real-time, packet/flow-based operational intelligence. IT operators at the world’s largest enterprises, government agencies, and service providers use the Sniffer and nGenius solutions to troubleshoot service degradations faster and more efficiently in order to reduce MTTR.

Our world-renowned Sniffer and nGenius solutions include:

n Intelligent Data Sources for high capacity, deep-packet recording and monitoring

n Analysis Software for real-time and historical network and application performance management, troubleshooting, capacity planning, and reporting

n Advanced Intelligence for early detection and in-depth analysis of complex or specialized application services

n Comprehensive, global support, consulting and training services

Corporate Headquarters 310 Littleton RoadWestford, MA 01886-4105Phone: 978-614-4000Toll Free: 888-999-5946www.netscout.com

European Headquarters NetScout Systems (UK) Ltd.100 Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HP United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)20 7321 5660

Asia/Pacific HeadquartersRoom 105, 17F/B, No. 167TunHwa N. RoadTaipei, TaiwanPhone: +886 2 2717 1999www.netscout.cn

©2008 NetScout Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. NetScout, the NetScout logo, Network General, the Network General logo, nGenius, Sniffer, InfiniStream, Business Container, Business Forensics, NetVigil and Quantiva are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetScout Systems, Inc. Other brands, product names and trademarks are property of their respective owners. NetScout reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to make changes at any time in its technical information and specifications, and service and support programs.

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Sniffer Mobile Intelligence extends nGenius Performance Manager’s packet-level capabilities and helps reduce the time to resolve service degradations. Sniffer Mobile Intelligence applies Expert analysis against the packets that have been recorded and stored in nGenius InfiniStreams to provide advanced packet correlation and per-subscriber analysis to help mobile operators troubleshoot issues related to subscriber registration, network latency, dropped packets, application response times, VoIP performance, as well as Mobile IP and GPRS Tunneling Protocols (GTP).

Further enhancing the nGenius Performance Management Solution is its ability to present users with visualizations of subscriber data sessions via ladder diagrams. For user-selected sessions, total elapsed time is presented along with individual delays associated with individual commands and messages. This view of traffic provides users with an understanding of latency associated with different network components and messages and ultimately their effect on subscriber experience.

Summary

The nGenius Performance Management System gives mobile operators the visibility they urgently need to reduce MTTR and protect and enhance customer experience, which will reduce churn and grow ARPU. A unified, highly-scalable network and service performance monitoring solution with real-time and historical reporting, the nGenius Solution is effective for:

• Capacity Planning and Optimization

Offers detailed forecasts for calculating growth trends and identifying when and where bandwidth issues may occur, helping you protect network and services performance from network congestion.

• Service Monitoring and Subscriber Profiling

Provides continuous and complete visibility into services and application performance, including analysis of response time, identification of who is using particular service applications, and how they are impacting the customer facing network, letting you make quantifiable business decisions about network resources.

• Real-Time Troubleshooting and Rapid Service Restoration

Helps quickly isolate and resolve problems when network and service degradations occur, with bottoms-up data collection and top-down workflow processes and finely granular performance information, letting you restore services as quickly as possible and minimize the effect on subscribers, network and service performance.