Connection Service Using Markov Chain for Degraded Link Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection monitoring techniques, such as the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), are inadequate for detecting degraded connections as they add unnecessary traffic and are not representative of actual service traffic, limiting their effectiveness in maintaining smooth user experiences.
Innovation Solution
A connection service that probabilistically determines connection degradation by analyzing past state transitions in ambient network traffic statistics, using a Markov chain and transition matrices to predict future state transitions, allowing for proactive management of connections without artificial traffic generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ICMP ping messages are used to monitor connection health, then connection status can be tested, but network traffic is increased and test packets may be dropped by congested devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the monitoring function from active test packets and implements it through passive observation of ambient traffic statistics. Instead of injecting ICMP packets into the network, the system observes existing traffic patterns, round-trip times, and state transitions to determine connection health, thereby eliminating the harmful traffic generation while maintaining monitoring capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary statistical analysis layer that observes ambient network traffic characteristics without directly participating in the connection. By using round-trip time statistics and state transition models as intermediaries, the system can infer connection health from passive observation rather than active probing, avoiding the packet loss issues of direct ICMP testing
2Reliability
If test traffic is generated to monitor connections, then connection health can be assessed, but the test traffic is not representative of actual service traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the network traffic itself to serve the monitoring function. By analyzing statistics from actual ambient traffic flows, round-trip times, and state transitions, the system allows the service traffic to self-report its own health characteristics. This eliminates the need for separate test traffic and ensures that the monitoring data is inherently representative of actual service conditions
3Reliability
If connection monitoring is performed using traditional methods, then connection status can be determined, but degraded connections cannot be predicted before they become critical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by using state transition models to predict future connection states based on historical ambient traffic patterns. By analyzing past state transitions and probabilistic future states, the system can identify connections that are likely to degrade before they actually do, enabling proactive switching to alternative connections before service quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where ambient traffic statistics are continuously collected, analyzed, and used to update state transition models. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from past connection behavior and improve its predictions of future degradation, enabling earlier detection and response to potential connection issues
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and software technology are disclosed herein for monitoring for and reporting on degraded connections between applications and application resources. In an implementation, a connection service receives requests from an application to ascertain whether or not a connection between the application and an application resource has become degraded. The service probabilistically determines whether or not the connection has become degraded and replies to the application with information indicative of the same.