External Probe Packet Path Tracing for ECMP-Consistent Network Flows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing path tracing technologies face challenges in scaling to handle rapid probe generation rates and maintaining accurate traffic flow monitoring across networks, particularly in environments where entities desire to use their own external probing appliances to generate and consume probe packets, necessitating proper encapsulations that match typical traffic flows.
Innovation Solution
An external probing appliance generates probe packets with a packet tracing indication in the next header field, triggering proxy-source and proxy-sink behaviors at network nodes, using encapsulations that match regular traffic data, and collects path tracing data without requiring special SRv6 SIDs, thereby maintaining consistent ECMP paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If path tracing is implemented using existing technologies, then path tracing capability is provided, but hardware load increases and probe generation rate is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external probing appliance as an intermediary device that generates and processes probe packets outside the network core. This mediator handles the complex path tracing operations externally, reducing the hardware load on network devices while enabling high-rate probe generation through dedicated probing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The path tracing functionality is extracted from the network core devices and relocated to an external probing appliance. By taking out the probe generation and processing functions from the network infrastructure, the patent reduces hardware load on network devices while maintaining high probe generation rates through specialized external equipment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If external probing appliances are used to generate probe packets, then probe generation flexibility is improved, but proper encapsulation to match traffic flows becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies the encapsulation format of regular traffic packets for the probe packets. By using the same encapsulation structure as actual data traffic, the external probing appliance can generate probes that naturally follow the same ECMP paths as user traffic without requiring complex special-purpose encapsulations, thus maintaining flexibility while simplifying the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The probe packets are designed with universal encapsulation that matches regular traffic flows. This universal format allows the external probing appliance to generate probes that can traverse any ECMP path used by user traffic, providing adaptability across different network scenarios without requiring protocol-specific or path-specific modifications.
3Reliability
If probe packets use special SRv6 SIDs for path tracing, then path tracing functionality is enabled, but ECMP path consistency with traffic flows is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by making probe packets identical in encapsulation to regular traffic packets. Both use the same format without special SRv6 SIDs, ensuring that probes and traffic flows are treated equally by ECMP routing algorithms. This homogeneity guarantees that probes follow the exact same paths as user traffic, maintaining both path tracing accuracy and ECMP path consistency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for path tracing proxy behavior using an external probing appliance. An example method can include generating, at an external probing appliance of a network, a probe packet, the probe packet including a source address, a destination address, and a packet tracing indication in a next header field of the probe packet, the packet tracing indication triggering a proxy source behavior at a source node having the source address and a proxy sink behavior at a sink node having the destination address; sending the probe packet to the source node to trigger a packet tracing mechanism; and receive an updated probe packet from the sink node, the updated probe packet including probe data associated with one or more data flows in the network as the one or more data flows traverse the network from the source node to the sink node.