HTTPS Cache Intercepts Web Probes to Reduce Server Load

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing user experience monitoring tools face challenges in managing server load and identifying web probe traffic, especially in encrypted tunnels, which can lead to traffic surges and blocking, hindering effective network monitoring and user experience analysis.

Innovation Solution

A cloud-based system that intercepts HTTPS web probe requests, generates synthetic HTTP responses with collected statistics, and uses caching to reduce server load, while differentiating web probe traffic through proprietary headers and SSL inspection to prevent surges and blockages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If web probe requests are sent to monitor user experience, then network visibility and monitoring capability are improved, but server load increases and traffic surges occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork monitoring capabilityVSAvoidserver load

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by intercepting web probe requests before they reach the destination server and generating synthetic responses from cached data. This preliminary handling prevents the actual server from processing multiple monitoring requests, thereby reducing server load while maintaining monitoring capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary component (the caching system) between the web probe requests and the destination server. This intermediary caches probe responses and serves them to monitoring tools, preventing direct traffic surges to the server while maintaining monitoring functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If HTTPS encryption is used to protect network traffic, then security is improved, but web probe traffic identification becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork securityVSAvoidweb probe traffic identification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses proprietary headers as visual markers (analogous to color changes) that identify web probe traffic within encrypted HTTPS connections. These unique headers allow the system to distinguish probe traffic from regular user traffic even when the connection is encrypted, solving the identification problem while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentUS12101385B2Systems and methods for reducing server load with HTTPS cache

Publication Date: 2024.09.24 ZSCALER INC

AI summary

Techniques for processing web probes for monitoring user experience including use of caching to prevent a surge of web probes on destination servers and for detecting web probe traffic. A method implemented by a connector includes intercepting a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) web probe request to a server, identifying a cache hit associated with the request in a cache, generating a synthetic Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response based on information from the identified cache hit, wherein the generated synthetic HTTP response includes an extension header containing collected statistics, and sending the synthetic HTTP response. The method can further include simulating a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) handshake to estimate SSL cost.