Behind-the-Service Endpoint Tracking in Service Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack an efficient method to automatically track the status of individual services within a service chain, leading to potential service downtime and increased maintenance efforts.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a network controller that automatically orchestrates routes to track behind-the-service endpoints in a service chain, using techniques such as overriding HA pairs with tracker IP addresses and configuring custom routes to force packets through the service, thereby verifying its operational status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ping is used to check endpoint reachability, then network connectivity can be verified, but service execution status cannot be confirmed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a behind-the-service endpoint as an intermediary target that receives tracking packets routed through the service. This intermediary endpoint serves as a mediator between the tracking system and the actual service, allowing indirect verification of service execution status by checking whether packets can reach the behind-the-service endpoint through the service path.
2Reliability
If manual tracking mechanisms are implemented, then service status can be monitored, but additional customer orchestration and maintenance effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic route orchestration where the network controller autonomously installs and manages routes to behind-the-service endpoints without requiring customer intervention. The service chain elements automatically generate and maintain tracking packet flows, enabling self-service monitoring that eliminates manual customer orchestration while ensuring continuous service status tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where tracking packets sent to behind-the-service endpoints generate status information that is automatically collected and used to determine service chain health. This closed-loop feedback system continuously monitors service execution status and provides automatic visibility into service chain operational state without manual intervention.
3Loss of information
If service chain status is updated based on endpoint reachability, then network availability can be tracked, but actual service performance cannot be verified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service chain into individual service elements, each with its own behind-the-service endpoint. This segmentation allows tracking of each service element's execution status independently by routing packets through specific service elements to their corresponding behind-the-service endpoints, providing granular visibility into individual service performance rather than aggregate chain status only.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for automatically orchestrating routes configured to track behind-the-service endpoints executing in association with service endpoint devices in a service chain. A network controller may be utilized to override a tracker IP address for each HA pair in a service, allowing customers to configure the tracker IP address to be provisioned behind a service they wish to track, such that packets containing the tracker IP address will be forced to go through the service itself, allowing the network to gauge a status of the service (e.g., up, down, etc.). The network controller may be configured to automatically orchestrate a route that causes packets addressed to a service endpoint device hosting a service through an outgoing interface of the endpoint device, into the service, and to a behind-the-service IP address. These techniques may be utilized with tunnel connected services and/or services connected over physical interface(s) (e.g., IPv4 and/or IPv6).