Cloud Reachability Analysis Using Simulated Forwarding Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and scale of virtual private clouds (VPCs) require significant network configuration to operate and maintain, and existing methods lack efficient tools for verifying network reachability and detecting misconfigurations.
Innovation Solution
A cloud reachability analyzer that simulates packet forwarding paths within and between VPCs and on-premises networks, providing configuration-based analysis to verify intended reachability and detect inconsistencies or misconfigurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If network configuration is increased to handle VPC scale and complexity, then network functionality and connectivity are improved, but verification difficulty and misconfiguration risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simulated copy of the network environment that mirrors the actual VPC configuration. This simulation includes virtual network components, routing tables, and security rules that replicate production settings. By analyzing this copy rather than the live system, the patent enables comprehensive verification without affecting actual network operations, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining network functionality and reducing verification difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs reachability analysis and configuration verification before deploying changes to the actual network. By simulating packet forwarding paths and detecting misconfigurations in advance, the system prevents errors from reaching production environments. This preliminary verification action reduces the risk of misconfigurations while maintaining the ability to implement complex network functionality.
2Measurement precision
If actual packet transmission is used to verify network reachability, then connectivity verification accuracy is improved, but network performance and security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transmitting actual packets through the live network, the patent creates and analyzes a simulated copy of the network environment. This simulation reproduces the exact forwarding behavior, routing decisions, and security rule evaluations that would occur in production. The simulation provides sufficient verification accuracy for configuration validation without generating any actual network traffic, thus eliminating performance impact and security risks associated with live packet transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical act of actual packet transmission with a computational simulation model. Rather than physically sending packets through network interfaces and observing real-world behavior, the system uses software-based packet tracing algorithms that evaluate configuration rules and determine reachability outcomes. This substitution eliminates the harmful effects of actual network traffic while maintaining verification capability through mathematical modeling of network behavior.
3Reliability
If comprehensive network configuration analysis is performed, then misconfiguration detection capability is improved, but analysis time and computational resources are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the comprehensive network configuration into discrete, analyzable segments including individual routing rules, security policies, and network path components. By segmenting the analysis into manageable units, the system can process configurations more efficiently while maintaining comprehensive coverage. Each segment is evaluated independently for reachability and misconfiguration, allowing parallel processing and reducing overall analysis time compared to monolithic evaluation approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a multi-pass analysis approach where critical path configurations are evaluated first, followed by less critical segments. The system identifies and prioritizes analysis of routing rules and security policies that most directly impact network reachability, performing exhaustive analysis on these high-priority elements while using optimized or sampled analysis for lower-priority configurations. This partial action strategy achieves sufficient misconfiguration detection capability for critical paths without incurring the full computational cost of analyzing every single configuration element in equal detail.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method (1200) for providing cloud network reachability analysis includes receiving a reachability query (20) requesting a reachability status (172) of a target (70, 250, 1110) including a packet header (22) associated with a data packet (24). The packet header includes a source IP address (25a) and a destination IP address (25b). The method also includes generating one or more simulated forwarding paths (80) for the data packet based on the packet header using a data plane model (164). Each simulated forwarding path includes corresponding network configuration information (162). The method includes determining the reachability status of the target based on the one or more simulated forwarding paths and providing the determined reachability status and the one or more simulated forwarding paths to a user device (10) associated with the reachability query which causes the user device to present the network configuration information for each simulated forwarding path.