A scalable architecture for performance measurement in broadband networks

Given the competitive nature of the broadband network market, providing better service to consumers in terms of measurably superior end-user experience is crucial for Internet Service providers (ISPs). The large scale and heterogeneity of network infrastructure pose a challenge in collecting data and in assessing performance metrics in such a system of systems. This paper presents our broad architecture called the Network Measurement and Monitoring Architecture (NMMA) and some key implementation details for the measurement of network performance metrics, their collection, aggregation, analysis and presentation. The work presented here was performed for a major ISP and complements the draft standards proposed by the Internet Engineering Task Force´s working group on Large-Scale Measurement of Broadband Performance (IETF-LMAP). Our NMMA architectural framework and implementation details expand on the IETF-LMAP working group´s framework and thus provide a reference implementation. Although not a direct concern of the proposed LMAP draft framework, our implementation also provides guidance for a uniform visual presentation of data collected from the network, for analysis purposes.