Cloud Application Path Probing Across Load Balancer Blind Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing synthetic network probing tools fail to provide end-to-end visibility across cloud application environments due to blind spots created by load balancers that prevent visibility into backend services accessed by cloud-hosted applications.
Innovation Solution
Introduce a smart synthetic agent within the cloud environment that triggers a second network probe to backend services, correlating external and backend probing results using a correlation identifier or network address translation to unify the path visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If load balancers are used to distribute traffic to backend services, then service availability and scalability are improved, but end-to-end network visibility is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a load balancer as an intermediary component that receives probes from external probing agents and forwards them to appropriate backend services. The load balancer maintains visibility by capturing probe responses and relaying them back to the external probing agent, thus mediating between the external monitoring system and internal services while preserving end-to-end visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested probing mechanism where external probes are embedded within the load balancer's internal probe flow. The external probing agent's probe is nested inside the load balancer's probe sequence, allowing the external agent to observe the complete path through the load balancer to the backend service and back, creating a nested visibility structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cloud-hosted applications make backend requests to external services, then application functionality is enhanced, but blind spots are created in synthetic probing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the synthetic probing agent universal by enabling it to function both as an external probe initiator and as an internal backend service monitor. The same probing infrastructure is used to monitor both external service availability and internal backend service health, eliminating blind spots and providing comprehensive visibility across all service boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback loops where probe responses from backend services are fed back to the external probing agent through the load balancer. This feedback mechanism ensures that the external probing agent receives complete information about backend service status, network conditions, and response times, eliminating visibility gaps.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If load balancers hide backend service details, then security and abstraction are improved, but path trace analysis capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses probe tagging and identification mechanisms that change the 'color' or identifier of probes as they pass through different layers. External probes are tagged with unique identifiers that are preserved and propagated through the load balancer to backend services, allowing path trace analysis while maintaining security abstraction. The load balancer can track and report these tagged probes without exposing backend service details.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a device identifies a port associated with a backend probing agent for a cloud-hosted application. The device performs external probing of a path to the cloud-hosted application by sending a probe along the path to the port, to generate external probing results. The device triggers the backend probing agent to generate backend probing results by performing backend probing of a backend service used by the cloud-hosted application. The device causes formation of unified probing results that correlate the external probing results and the backend probing results.