Network-Aware Path Discovery for Multi-Path Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packet-spraying protocols face challenges in implementing optimized routing decisions due to a lack of efficient mechanisms for accessing network topology data and available paths, leading to suboptimal utilization of network resources.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a lightweight path-discovery mechanism that enables network aware devices to provide endpoints with network data about available paths and network topology, allowing for more optimized implementations of packet spraying transport protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packet spraying protocols are used to distribute packets across multiple paths, then network bandwidth utilization is improved, but routing decision optimization is hindered due to lack of network topology data access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces network-aware network devices as intermediaries between endpoints and the network routing system. These devices provide topology information and path data to endpoints through a controlled interface, enabling optimized routing decisions without requiring endpoints to directly manage complex network topology. The intermediary handles the complexity of network data collection and presentation, allowing endpoints to focus on packet spraying while receiving curated topology information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network-aware functionality from the endpoint devices. Instead of requiring endpoints to have full network awareness, the system separates topology discovery and data provision into dedicated network-aware devices. This segmentation allows endpoints to obtain simplified topology information without managing the complexity of network-wide topology management themselves.
2Ease of operation
If endpoints implement packet spraying without network topology data, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but network resource utilization efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Network-aware devices serve as intermediaries that bridge the gap between simple endpoint implementations and efficient network resource utilization. These devices collect topology data from the network and present it to endpoints in a simplified manner, allowing endpoints to maintain easy implementation while achieving improved resource utilization through informed routing decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary topology discovery and data collection by network-aware devices before endpoints need to make routing decisions. This preliminary action provides endpoints with advance topology information, enabling them to make optimized routing decisions without adding complexity to their own implementation. The topology data is prepared and available when needed, allowing efficient resource utilization without complicating endpoint operations.
3Productivity
If a comprehensive path-discovery mechanism is implemented, then routing optimization is improved, but system complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses network-aware devices as intermediaries that handle the complex tasks of topology discovery and data collection. These intermediaries absorb the system complexity by maintaining their own topology databases and providing simplified queries to endpoints. This approach allows comprehensive routing optimization through detailed topology awareness while preventing that complexity from propagating to endpoint devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex path-discovery and topology management functions from the endpoint devices and concentrates them in dedicated network-aware devices. By taking out these complex functions, the system achieves comprehensive routing optimization without burdening endpoints with complex implementation. The extracted functionality is centralized where it can be managed more efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for interaction between network aware network devices and endpoints to facilitate multi-path communications in a network are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a network aware network device may provide network data associated with paths between an endpoint device and a destination on the network to the endpoint device such that the endpoint device can utilize this network data in the sending of packets to that destination, including using the network data for the determination of entropy values to include in packets in association with the implementation of a packet spraying network protocol.