Multi-Link Packet Capture Using MLD MAC-Based Link Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional packet capture mechanisms only support packet capture at the radio level and fail to capture packets per multi-link device (MLD), making it difficult to analyze traffic at the MLD level.
Innovation Solution
A packet capture scheme for multi-link devices (MLD) that identifies radio links based on the MLD's MAC address, adds an MLD MAC field to the packet capture header, and supports flexible MLD-level assembly and analysis of captured packets, reducing hardware requirements by capturing packets only from working links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional packet capture mechanisms are used at the radio level, then packet capture is supported, but packet capture per multi-link device (MLD) is not supported, making it difficult to analyze traffic at the MLD level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet capture function by introducing a specific capture mode for MLDs that operates separately from traditional radio-level capture. This is achieved by identifying radio links based on MLD MAC addresses and capturing packets specifically from these identified links, thereby enabling MLD-level packet capture without requiring complete system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that sits between the radio-level packet capture and the analysis stage. This intermediary adds an MLD MAC field to the packet capture header, which serves as a mediator to link radio-level packets with their corresponding MLD, enabling precise MLD-level traffic analysis without direct modification of the underlying radio capture mechanism
2Reliability
If packets are captured from all radio links, then complete packet capture is achieved, but hardware requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling packet capture selectively on specific radio links rather than uniformly across all links. By identifying which radio links are associated with a target MLD through MAC address matching, the system captures packets only from relevant links, thereby reducing hardware resource consumption while maintaining capture completeness for the target MLD
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by capturing packets from only the necessary subset of radio links associated with the target MLD, rather than capturing from all available links. This selective approach reduces the quantity of captured packets and associated hardware requirements while still achieving complete coverage for MLD-level analysis
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations of the present disclosure relate to packet capture for a multi-link device. In the implementations, an access point (AP) obtains a media access control (MAC) address of a multi-link device (MLD) to be monitored. Further, the AP determines a plurality of links of the MLD to be monitored based on the MAC address. Based on the MAC address of the MLD, the AP captures packets transmitted by the AP MLD on the plurality of links, as a monitor AP. For each of the captured packets, the AP inserts the MAC address of the MLD into an MLD MAC field in a packet capture headroom associated with the packet. In this way, the present disclosure can support flexible packet capture (PCAP) for a specific MLD instead of for a specific link.