SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING LINK-PERFORMANCE INFORMATION IN SOCKET-BASED COMMUNICATION DEVICES

摘要

A network socket application programming interface (API) running on a communication device is operative to provide, to applications running on the device, information about the performance of communication links used by sockets for communicating across a network. The socket API receives packets associated with sockets, and retrieves from the packets performance information for corresponding communication links. In response to receiving a request from an application for performance information associated with a particular socket, the API identifies performance information for the particular socket and returns the retrieved information to the application. A performance monitoring network device provides the performance information. The performance monitoring device stores information about the performance of a plurality of communication links used by sockets of communications devices in the network, and inserts the performance information for particular sockets into associated packets before transmitting the packets to corresponding communication devices.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
in response to receiving a request to establish a connection through a socket from an application running on a communication device running a network socket application programming interface (API), establishing a communication link with another communication device for use in communicating packets associated with the socket to or from the other communication device across a communication network; receiving, in the network socket API across the established communication link, a packet associated with the socket and including information about a performance of the communication link; storing, by the network socket API in a memory of the communication device, the received information about the performance of the communication link; and in response to receiving a request from the application running on the communication device for information about the performance of the communication link, retrieving by the network socket API and returning to the application the stored information about the performance of the communication link.