Historical Data Packet Path Reconstruction for Faulty Node Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying the location of a faulty node in a communication network causing data transfer issues is a time-consuming task, especially when the problem is reported hours after it occurred, due to the complexity and heterogeneity of large-scale networks and the difficulty in recreating network topology and routing tables.
Innovation Solution
A system that efficiently stores and recreates network topology and routing information snapshots at specific times, allowing network analysts to quickly determine the path a data packet would have taken between nodes by accessing stored BGP files and update logs, generating detailed reports on node status and path information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network analysts manually examine network topology and spot inconsistencies to identify faulty nodes, then they can detect network issues, but the process becomes extremely time-consuming and difficult in large-scale networks with thousands or tens of thousands of nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously capturing and storing snapshots of network topology and routing state at various time points. When a fault is reported, the system has already prepared the historical network state data, eliminating the need for manual examination and enabling rapid reconstruction of the network path at the time of interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of the network state by storing snapshots of topology and routing information. Instead of examining the actual live network, analysts can work with these stored copies to reconstruct and analyze the network path at any point in time, significantly reducing troubleshooting time while maintaining accuracy.
2Loss of information
If the system stores and processes complete network topology and routing information for historical analysis, then accurate path reconstruction is enabled, but the complexity of storing and managing large volumes of network data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments network state information into distinct snapshots taken at different time intervals. Each snapshot contains topology and routing information for a specific moment, allowing the system to manage large volumes of data in organized, time-based units that can be efficiently stored, retrieved, and processed without overwhelming complexity.
3Measurement precision
If network snapshots are taken frequently to capture detailed network state, then accurate path determination at any time point is possible, but the storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by taking snapshots at strategically chosen intervals rather than continuously. This provides sufficient information for accurate path determination at any point in time while avoiding the excessive storage requirements and processing overhead of continuous monitoring, achieving the right balance between accuracy and resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure pertains to computer assisted methods, apparatus, and systems for determining a path that a data packet would have traversed through a communication network at a particular point in time, which may be used, for instance, to determine the sources of connectivity failures in a large scale communication network.