Network Chip Accelerated Traffic Sampling Offloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Monitoring network traffic in interconnected devices often burdens processors, affecting network device performance due to the workload required for sampling and processing network traffic data.
Innovation Solution
A method where a network chip receives and processes network traffic data units, selects samples based on a sampling rate, generates a flow sample header, stores and truncates data units, constructs flow datagrams, and sends them to collectors, thereby offloading sampling activities from processors and reducing workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If processors perform network traffic sampling and processing activities, then monitoring functionality is achieved, but processor workload increases and network device performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network device into distinct functional components: network chips handle traffic reception and sampling, while processors handle higher-level monitoring tasks. This segmentation offloads sampling operations from processors to dedicated network chips, reducing processor workload and improving overall device performance while maintaining monitoring functionality.
2Productivity
If network chips perform sampling activities, then processor workload is reduced, but network chip complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network chip is designed with self-service capabilities to perform sampling operations autonomously without requiring processor intervention. The chip includes built-in sampling logic and memory structures that enable it to independently select, capture, and store network traffic samples, thereby reducing processor workload while the added complexity is confined to the network chip rather than the entire system.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for accelerating monitoring of network traffic. The method may include receiving, at a network chip of a network device, a network traffic data unit; selecting, by the network chip, the network traffic data unit based on a traffic sampling rate; processing, by the network chip, the network traffic data unit to obtain sample information; truncating the network traffic data unit to obtain a network traffic data unit portion; generating a flow sample header comprising the sample information; storing, in storage of the network chip, a flow sample comprising the flow sample header and the network traffic data unit portion; constructing a flow datagram comprising the flow sample and a plurality of other flow samples; sending the flow datagram to a collector; and clearing the flow sample and the plurality of other flow samples from the storage of the network chip.