Endpoint Active Probing With Infrastructure Telemetry for Network Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network assurance systems relying on endpoint agents for synthetic testing provide limited visibility and cannot detect certain network issues, such as congested access points or onboarding failures, due to lack of infrastructure-level telemetry data.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that integrates infrastructure telemetry data from devices like APs, switches, and routers to complement endpoint-based active probing, ensuring privacy and data volume constraints are managed through careful selection of telemetry sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If endpoint agents perform synthetic testing, then network path performance can be assessed, but visibility is limited to a singular vantage point and certain network issues cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines endpoint agent telemetry data with infrastructure agent telemetry data into a unified network assurance system. The infrastructure agent collects additional telemetry data from network infrastructure devices (switches, routers, access points) and merges it with endpoint agent data, allowing the system to detect network issues that are invisible to endpoint-only monitoring while maintaining comprehensive network visibility.
2Loss of information
If infrastructure telemetry data is collected from all network devices, then comprehensive network visibility is achieved, but privacy concerns and data volume constraints are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The infrastructure agent extracts and collects only the specific telemetry data needed for network assurance from infrastructure devices, rather than collecting all available data. The system selectively gathers performance metrics, status information, and event data from switches, routers, and access points that are relevant to detecting network issues, thereby achieving comprehensive visibility while respecting privacy and data volume constraints.
3Ease of manufacture
If endpoint agents are used for monitoring, then implementation is simple, but network issues such as congested access points or onboarding failures cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrastructure agent as an intermediary component that runs on network infrastructure devices (switches, routers, access points). This infrastructure agent supplements the endpoint agent's monitoring capabilities by collecting telemetry data directly from the network infrastructure, enabling detection of issues like congested access points and onboarding failures while maintaining a relatively simple implementation architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
In one implementation, a device identifies an endpoint in a local network configured to execute an endpoint agent that conducts active testing of network paths between the endpoint and one or more target destinations. The device sends a request to an infrastructure agent configured to obtain network telemetry data regarding the endpoint from the local network. The device receives, in response to the request, the network telemetry data. The device provides, to a user interface, an indication of results of the active testing by the endpoint agent based in part on the network telemetry data.