Enterprise App Packet Capture for Sporadic Cloud Troubleshooting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud application troubleshooting methods face inefficiencies due to insufficient application-level logging, which makes it difficult for support teams to debug issues, especially when problems are sporadic and not reproducible, leading to delays in resolving user-reported problems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that continuously collect and store packets intercepted by the enterprise application on a user device in PCAP format, allowing users to select issue types and transmit relevant data to a back-end server for troubleshooting, including context-specific information and packet data, to assist in identifying and resolving issues such as DNS resolution, system overheating, slowness, battery drain, and crashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If application-level logging is used for troubleshooting, then the troubleshooting process is simpler, but the logging is insufficient to help debug a wide range of issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines application-level logging with network-level packet capture functionality into a unified troubleshooting system. The enterprise application integrates both application logs and intercepted network packets, merging two different logging approaches to provide comprehensive debugging information that covers both application behavior and network traffic patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary packet capture and stores intercepted packets in PCAP format before troubleshooting is needed. By continuously capturing and storing network packets in advance, the system ensures that relevant debugging information is already available when troubleshooting occurs, eliminating the need for users to reproduce issues and capture packets manually.
2Measurement precision
If live debug sessions are conducted to understand issues, then real-time information is obtained, but additional delay occurs and user time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures and stores network packets in PCAP format in advance, before troubleshooting is initiated. This preliminary action ensures that all relevant network traffic data is already recorded and available when the user reports an issue, eliminating the need for time-consuming live debug sessions and allowing immediate analysis of real-time information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the network traffic in PCAP format that can be analyzed independently without requiring the original live session. This copied data preserves the exact state of network traffic at the time of the issue, allowing support teams to reproduce and analyze problems without involving the user in live debugging.
3Loss of information
If users are required to reproduce issues for troubleshooting, then relevant information can be captured, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The enterprise application automatically performs packet capture and stores network traffic data without requiring user intervention or reproduction of issues. The system serves itself by continuously monitoring and recording network packets, so when troubleshooting is needed, the data is already available, eliminating the need for users to manually reproduce problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary packet capture and storage in PCAP format before any troubleshooting activity. By having the data ready in advance, the system removes the requirement for users to reproduce issues, simplifying the troubleshooting process while ensuring complete information capture.
4Ease of manufacture
If standard logging is used, then the implementation is simpler, but sporadic and non-reproducible issues cannot be effectively debugged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges application-level logging with network-level packet capture into a comprehensive troubleshooting system. This combination maintains the simplicity of standard logging implementation while adding the reliability needed to detect sporadic issues, as the integrated system captures both application behavior and network traffic patterns that may reveal intermittent problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary packet capture and stores network traffic in PCAP format before issues occur. This preliminary action ensures that even sporadic and non-reproducible issues are captured when they happen, providing reliable debugging information without requiring the issues to be reproducible or the implementation to be complex.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include providing functionality for the user device while operating in background on the user device including providing secure connectivity with a cloud-based system over a network; continuously collecting packets intercepted by the enterprise application over a time interval, wherein the collected packets are collected over the time interval; and responsive to an issue with functionality of the enterprise application, transmitting the collected packets to a back end server for troubleshooting of the issue. The time interval is a set amount of time, and each collected packet is deleted at the expiration of the time interval.