Virtual Gateway Cluster Global Failure Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for monitoring virtual gateway clusters fail to detect global failures effectively, leading to prolonged impact times and user experience issues, as they focus on individual device monitoring rather than overall cluster performance.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that set network probes in a target monitoring scenario to collect and analyze response data packets based on preset monitoring indices, determining global failures such as constant network failures, packet loss rates, communication delays, or long connection interruptions, and sending failure information through internal and external networks to an alarm device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If monitoring is performed on each device individually in the virtual gateway cluster, then the status of each service can be detected to a certain extent, but the overall cluster failure cannot be perceived

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice status detection accuracyVSAvoidcluster-wide failure detection capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a dedicated monitoring device as an intermediary that sends probe packets through the virtual gateway cluster and analyzes the responses. This intermediary collects information from multiple devices systematically, enabling detection of cluster-wide failures that individual monitoring cannot detect, while maintaining service-level monitoring precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If separate monitoring of hardware layer, software environment layer and service layer is implemented, then detailed service problems can be identified, but overall device forwarding normality cannot be detected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice problem identification accuracyVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring device performs multiple functions through a unified probe packet mechanism: it monitors hardware layer (device responsiveness), software environment layer (service availability), and service layer (forwarding functionality) simultaneously. This multi-functional approach detects overall device forwarding normality without requiring separate complex monitoring systems for each layer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If configuration is performed on a single device, then that device's status can be monitored, but the normality of the entire virtual gateway cluster cannot be perceived

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring configuration simplicityVSAvoidcluster-wide status information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring device automatically discovers and monitors multiple devices in the virtual gateway cluster by sending probe packets through different routing paths. The system self-adapts to the cluster topology and automatically collects status information from all relevant devices, providing cluster-wide monitoring without requiring manual configuration on each device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Loss of time

If rapid and effective means of perception is not implemented, then the impact time of failure is lengthened, but implementing comprehensive monitoring increases system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefailure impact timeVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary monitoring actions by continuously sending probe packets through the virtual gateway cluster before actual failures occur. This proactive approach detects potential failures early, enabling rapid response and minimizing failure impact time, while the standardized probe packet mechanism keeps system complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3876478B1Method and apparatus for monitoring global failure in virtual gateway cluster
Publication Date: 2024.05.01 BEIJING BAIDU NETCOM SCI & TECH CO LTD
  • EP3876478B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3876478B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3876478B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and apparatus for monitoring a global failure in a virtual gateway cluster. A specific embodiment of the method includes: setting, in response to receiving a network probe setting instruction, a network probe in a target monitoring scenario, the network probe including a sending end probe and a receiving end probe; collecting a response data packet sent by the sending end probe to the receiving end probe via a target virtual gateway cluster; and analyzing the response data packet based on a preset monitoring index, to determine whether a global failure occurs in the target virtual gateway cluster. This embodiment may monitor whether the service cooperation and device forwarding in a virtual gateway cluster is normal, and whether the entire virtual gateway cluster is normal, and may directly and quickly discover a failure problem of the virtual gateway cluster during network application before a user, thus improving the speed of failure discovery.