Middleware Time Information for End-to-End Latency Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional middleware solutions inadequately address end-to-end time requirements in distributed systems, limiting their ability to ensure correct functional behavior and performance by only considering message transfer times and not accounting for all message and data properties.
Innovation Solution
A method where middleware provides time information across multiple processing blocks in a distributed system, enabling end-to-end latency monitoring and real-time requirement management through automated detection of breaches, allowing for appropriate actions such as activating or deactivating actuators based on latency and data age assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional middleware solutions are used to implement QoS guidelines, then message transfer timing can be monitored, but end-to-end time requirements cannot be adequately addressed because the middleware does not know all message and data properties
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments time requirement monitoring into multiple components: generation time stamping at the source, intermediate processing time tracking, and final delivery time measurement. This segmentation allows comprehensive end-to-end monitoring while preserving complete message properties at each stage through structured data containers that maintain both timing information and message metadata.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary time information structure that carries generation time stamps and processing time data between message producer and consumer. This intermediary mechanism enables the middleware to monitor end-to-end timing without losing message properties, as the time information is embedded within or alongside the message data rather than replacing it.
2Reliability
If standalone solutions are used for monitoring time requirements, then communication and computing resources can be monitored individually, but end-to-end latency times cannot be properly handled in a distributed system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual node time monitoring into a unified end-to-end monitoring system by combining generation time stamps from the source node with processing time data from intermediate nodes and final delivery time from the target node. This merging creates a comprehensive view of end-to-end latency while maintaining the distributed architecture through standardized time information exchange protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The time information structure serves multiple functions: it provides generation time stamps for latency calculation, tracks processing times at intermediate nodes, enables QoS compliance verification, and supports both individual and aggregate time requirement monitoring. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate monitoring mechanisms at each node.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional middleware only considers message transfer times, then implementation is simple, but correct functional behavior and performance cannot be ensured due to incomplete time property awareness
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by stamping the generation time at the moment of message creation at the source node. This preliminary time recording enables subsequent latency calculations and QoS verification without adding complexity to the message transfer process itself, as the time information is already available when needed for reliability checks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing an item of time information related to a piece of communication content in a distributed system of at least one application. The method includes: providing the time information about a time of a generation of the communication content, providing the communication content for the purpose of a chained processing of the communication content, comprising at least one interim processing operation and a target processing operation by different processing blocks of the at least one application, wherein the time information is provided for at least one of the different processing blocks in order to evaluate the time information at least during the target processing operation for the purpose of assessing the processed communication content.