Multicast Probe Packet Monitoring for Delay Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multicast networks face challenges in identifying delays and performance issues along transmit paths due to their complex nature, making it difficult to maintain quality of service for time-sensitive applications.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where probe packets are used to monitor performance in multicast networks by reserving a specific IP address for performance measurement, allowing routers to redirect these packets to a CPU for generating performance statistics, enabling latency detection and node-by-node analysis to identify and address delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multicast data is transmitted along multiple transmit paths using a series of routers, then data can be simultaneously delivered to multiple receivers efficiently, but it becomes difficult to detect where delays occur along the multicast tree and transmit paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces probe packets as intermediary elements that travel through the multicast network alongside data packets. These probe packets carry timing information and are processed by intermediate routers to measure transmission delays at each hop, enabling identification of where delays occur in the multicast tree without disrupting normal data flow
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by having routers along the multicast path report performance metrics back to the source router. The source router collects delay measurements from multiple transmit paths and uses this feedback information to identify problematic segments and remediate performance issues
2Reliability
If traditional performance monitoring methods are used in multicast networks, then general network performance can be monitored, but specific delay locations along individual transmit paths cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multicast transmit paths into individual hops between routers. By having each intermediate router measure and report delay for its specific segment, the system achieves precise localization of delays along the path, breaking down the overall transmission into measurable components
Data Source
AI summary
In some aspects, a computer-implemented method for performance monitoring in a multicast network, includes a controller causing a source router to originate a probe data packet. The controller may also originate, at the source router, the probe data packet, where the probe data packet is a data packet intended to measure performance data associated with one or more legs of a multicast distribution tree. Further, the source router may transmit the probe data packet through the multicast distribution tree using a probe identifier, where when received by a last hop router associated with the one or more legs of the multicast distribution tree, the last hop router redirects the probe data packet to a CPU of the last hop router configured to generate performance statistics. The source router may receive from the last hop router, the performance statistics.