Indirect Route Discovery in Datacenter NAT Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network mapping systems fail to efficiently determine indirect routing paths between virtual machines or devices in datacenters that use network address translation (NAT) or load balancers, as they primarily display direct addressing routes, neglecting the need for efficient methods to handle indirect address translation.
Innovation Solution
A method that identifies and displays indirect routes by determining address translation rules used by NAT or load balancer devices, allowing direct packet flow to translated addresses, and iteratively applies multiple translation rules to establish a path between endpoints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If network mapping systems display only direct addressing routes, then the system complexity remains low and implementation is simple, but the system cannot determine or display indirect routes through NAT devices or load balancers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary process that acts as a mediator between the network mapping system and the NAT devices/load balancers. This intermediary systematically queries address translation rules and iteratively determines indirect routes by translating addresses through multiple hops, enabling the system to discover routes through network address translation without significantly increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-collecting and storing address translation rules from NAT devices and load balancers before route determination is needed. This preliminary gathering of translation rules allows the system to efficiently determine indirect routes on-demand without performing complex real-time analysis, thus balancing versatility with manageable complexity
2Loss of information
If the system determines indirect routes through iterative address translation, then complete route information is obtained, but the time and computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-collecting and caching address translation rules from NAT devices and load balancers before route determination is needed. This preliminary gathering of translation rules allows the system to efficiently determine indirect routes on-demand without performing complex real-time analysis, thus balancing completeness with speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by only performing the necessary number of address translations to reach the destination, rather than exhaustively analyzing all possible translation paths. The iterative process stops as soon as a complete route is determined, avoiding unnecessary computational overhead while ensuring complete route information is obtained
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a novel method of tracking connections in a network. The method receives an identification of a first network endpoint and a second network endpoint. The method then determines that the first network endpoint cannot directly address a packet flow to the second network endpoint. The method identifies an address translation rule of a network device that translates an address of the second network endpoint into a translated address. The method then determines that the first network endpoint can directly address a packet flow to the translated address. The method then identifies a route from the first network endpoint to the second endpoint through the network device that translates the address and displays the route including an identifier of the network device.