Flexible Firewall Filter Pipeline for Hardware Programming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in configuring firewall filters due to invalid combinations, redundant terms, and irrelevant terms, which can lead to resource consumption and security vulnerabilities in network devices.
Innovation Solution
A flexible services-based pipeline for firewall filter processing is introduced, allowing users to define and process filters through a chain of services including validation, optimization, comparison, and conversion services before programming them to hardware, ensuring efficient and secure filtering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users directly configure firewall filters without preprocessing, then configuration speed is fast, but configuration errors increase (invalid combinations, redundant terms, irrelevant terms)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a preprocessing pipeline that validates, optimizes, and converts firewall filter configurations before they are applied to hardware. The validation service checks for errors in advance, the optimization service removes redundant terms beforehand, and the conversion service transforms filters into hardware-compatible formats pre-programming, thereby preventing configuration errors without adding complex runtime processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a services-based processing pipeline as a mediator between user configuration input and hardware programming. This pipeline includes validation services, optimization services, and conversion services that act as intermediate processing layers, translating user-friendly configurations into hardware-ready formats while maintaining configuration accuracy without requiring users to understand hardware constraints directly.
2Reliability
If comprehensive firewall filter processing services are applied, then filter quality improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs filter validation, optimization, and conversion in advance before filters are deployed to hardware. By completing these processing steps preliminarily in a controlled environment, the system ensures filter correctness without adding time to the actual filtering operation. The preprocessing pipeline identifies and corrects issues before they affect production traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the filter processing into distinct services: validation service, optimization service, and conversion service. Each service handles a specific aspect of filter processing independently and in parallel where possible. This segmentation allows the system to apply comprehensive processing without creating a single time-consuming sequential bottleneck, as different filter rules can be processed by different services simultaneously.
3Productivity
If firewall filters are processed through multiple services, then resource optimization improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal services-based pipeline that can handle multiple types of firewall filter processing tasks through a common framework. The same validation, optimization, and conversion services process different filter configurations across various hardware platforms. This multi-functional approach improves resource utilization efficiency by reusing the same services for diverse processing needs while presenting a unified interface that masks the underlying complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating virtual representations of filter processing pipelines that can be configured and tested before actual hardware programming. The system maintains copies of filter configurations at different processing stages, allowing validation and optimization to occur on these copies without affecting the actual hardware. This copying mechanism enables comprehensive resource optimization while keeping the live system simple and stable.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, techniques are described for creating a flexible services-based pipeline for firewall filter processing. A network device may be configured to perform the techniques. In one example, a method includes receiving, by a network device, data defining a plurality of firewall filter processing services, the data defining an order in which to apply services of the plurality of firewall filter processing services to firewall filters; configuring, by the network device and based on the received data, an execution engine pipeline to include the plurality of firewall filter processing services in the defined order; prior to programming a received firewall filter to hardware of the network device for filtering network traffic, processing the firewall filter by the execution engine pipeline to produce a processed firewall filter; and programming, by the network device, the processed firewall filter to the hardware for filtering the network traffic.