Network Interface Utilization Measurement Using Incremented Policers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network traffic analysis techniques are ineffective in detecting and managing bursty, transient patterns of traffic, leading to congestion and degradation in network performance.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for measuring interface utilization using multiple policers with finer time granularity, which monitors and analyzes network traffic to detect and manage bursts by configuring traffic shapers and policers to enforce committed rates of service, providing accurate traffic reports and enabling effective traffic engineering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current network traffic analysis techniques are used, then network monitoring is simple, but bursty transient traffic patterns cannot be detected accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the network interface into multiple virtual interfaces (e.g., 10 sub-interfaces) and places policers at different granularity levels. Each policer monitors traffic at a specific segment, allowing accurate detection of bursty patterns while distributing the monitoring complexity across multiple simpler components rather than requiring a single complex system.
2Measurement precision
If multiple policers with finer time granularity are deployed, then traffic burst detection accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension of measurement by creating virtual interfaces that divide the physical interface bandwidth into multiple channels. This dimensional transformation allows the system to measure traffic utilization at different granularities (e.g., 10%, 20%, 30% thresholds) simultaneously, achieving high precision measurement while maintaining manageable complexity through structured organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures multiple policers with predetermined rate thresholds (e.g., CIR values at 10%, 20%, 30% of interface bandwidth) before traffic monitoring begins. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time calculations and adaptive configuration, allowing accurate burst detection through simple threshold comparisons while reducing operational complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional policing methods are used, then implementation is straightforward, but service level agreement compliance cannot be verified for bursty traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where policers continuously monitor traffic rates and compare them against committed information rate (CIR) thresholds. When traffic exceeds predetermined thresholds, the system generates notifications and maintains utilization history, providing real-time feedback on SLA compliance. This structured feedback approach makes SLA verification systematic and manageable despite the complexity of monitoring bursty traffic patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach is provided for monitoring interface utilization. Bandwidth data for an interface is collected during a configurable time interval, and a peak utilization of the interface over the time interval is determined using a plurality of incremented policers to measure the collected bandwidth data. An implementation of which is system that includes a monitoring module configured to collect bandwidth data for an interface over a configurable time interval, a plurality of incremented policers configured to measure the collected bandwidth data, and an analysis module configured to determine a peak utilization of the interface over the time interval using the measurements of the plurality of incremented policers.