Intermediary Device Packet Engine Trace Filter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clients are unable to trace network packets beyond their connection with intermediary devices, as these devices maintain separate connections to backend servers, limiting their knowledge of additional connection layers and preventing end-to-end packet tracing.
Innovation Solution
An intermediary device with a packet engine manages connections between clients and servers, receiving trace requests, evaluating filters, and storing trace information across multiple transport layer connections to capture complete network traffic data, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, and connection states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an intermediary device maintains separate connections to backend servers, then the server's ability to service clients is maximized, but clients are unable to trace network packets beyond their connection with the intermediary device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trace filter mechanism as an intermediary component within the intermediary device that captures and correlates packet information across multiple connections. This trace filter acts as a mediator that bridges the gap between the client's single visible connection and the multiple backend server connections, enabling end-to-end packet tracing without disrupting the connection multiplexing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested tracing by creating a hierarchy of trace filters where an outer trace filter captures packets from the client connection and inner trace filters capture packets from individual backend server connections. The trace information from inner filters is nested within the context of the outer filter, allowing correlation of packet flow across multiple connection layers while maintaining the intermediary device's connection management functionality.
2Loss of information
If the intermediary device consolidates information about network traffic, then complete end-to-end packet tracing is enabled, but the complexity of the intermediary device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the tracing functionality into separate, modular trace filter components. Each trace filter is responsible for capturing packet information at a specific connection level (client connection, individual backend connections). This segmentation allows the intermediary device to implement comprehensive tracing through composition of simple, independent filter modules rather than a single complex tracing system.
Solution Approach 2:
The trace filter mechanism is designed as a universal component that can operate at multiple levels of the connection hierarchy. The same trace filter implementation can capture packets from the client connection, backend server connections, or both simultaneously through the nested configuration. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by reusing a single proven component design across different tracing scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed towards systems and methods for tracing packets via an intermediary device. The systems and methods include an intermediary device that establishes connections with clients and connections with servers. The intermediary device links a connection to a server with a connection to a client to provide a client with access to the server. When the client requests a packet trace, the intermediary device applies the trace to linked connections with the client to obtain full trace information for network packets servicing the client.