Server-Side Intermediary Path Selection for Packet Delay Penalty
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network packets experience significant delays due to heavy processing and buffering at intermediary devices, leading to increased latency, jitter, and packet loss, particularly caused by security appliances that incur additional delays during signature matching and buffering.
Innovation Solution
The system selects an optimal communication path proportional to the penalty delay by identifying the delay penalty from heavy processing or buffering and duplicates packets to be sent through a path with a latency deviation that matches or exceeds the penalty delay, allowing the client-side device to buffer or drop packets based on control signals from the server-side device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If packets are sent through the fastest communication path, then transmission speed is improved, but the path becomes overloaded causing increased latency and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single fastest path into multiple parallel communication paths. Instead of concentrating all traffic on one optimal path, the system divides traffic flow across multiple paths with different latency characteristics, preventing any single path from becoming overloaded while maintaining overall transmission speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the parameter of path selection by introducing a penalty delay parameter that adjusts the effective latency of paths based on current processing delays at intermediary devices. This allows the system to adaptively select paths that balance speed and reliability based on real-time network conditions.
2Reliability
If security appliances perform heavy processing and signature matching on all packets, then security inspection is improved, but processing delay increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing security inspection selectively rather than on all packets. The system identifies packets that require security processing and routes them through paths with security appliances, while other packets can take faster paths without security processing, thus reducing overall processing delay while maintaining security for necessary traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing penalty delay values for different packet types and paths before actual packet transmission. This allows the system to make informed routing decisions without performing time-consuming security inspections on every packet in real-time, reducing processing delay while maintaining security inspection reliability.
3Reliability
If packets are buffered at intermediary devices for processing, then processing completeness is improved, but buffering delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the buffering delay a variable parameter that adjusts based on network conditions and packet priority. Instead of fixed buffering times, the system dynamically calculates penalty delays and uses them to determine optimal path selection and buffering strategies, allowing the system to balance processing completeness with minimal delay based on real-time conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described embodiments provide systems and methods for path selection proportional to a penalty delay in processing packets. A server-side intermediary may identify a delay penalty for processing packets of a server destined for a client. The server-side intermediary may be in communication via links of different latencies with a client-side intermediary. The server-side intermediary may select a second link with a latency that deviates from the lowest latency of a first link by the delay penalty. The server-side intermediary may transmit, to the client-side intermediary, duplicates of the packets via the selected second link with information indicating to hold the duplicates at the client-side intermediary. The server-side intermediary may receive an indication to drop or send the duplicates to the client. The server-side intermediary may transmit the indication to the client-side intermediary to drop or send the duplicates according to the indication.