Network Core Type Discovery via Test Packet Probing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The addition of IP routing cores to service provider networks, which introduce connectionless datagram service, complicates the detection of network health and performance issues, making it difficult for customers to isolate network problems and assign ownership between customer and service provider equipment.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of test packets with special characteristics to determine whether communication facilities are capable of passing or filtering these packets, allowing the identification of network configurations as connection-oriented or connectionless, thereby aiding in network management and performance monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If IP routing cores are added to service provider networks to provide connectionless datagram service, then network service capability is improved, but network problem detection and ownership isolation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by sending test packets with specific characteristics before actual network operations to pre-determine the network core type and establish baseline behavior. This allows the system to proactively identify whether the network uses connection-oriented or connectionless forwarding, enabling proper configuration and troubleshooting approaches to be established in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces test packets as an intermediary mechanism to indirectly probe network behavior without disrupting actual traffic. These specially designed test packets act as mediators that reveal network core characteristics by observing how the network forwards or filters them, enabling detection of network type and health status without directly interfering with service operations.
2Ease of operation
If test packets with special characteristics are used to detect network configuration, then network management capability is improved, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by sending a limited number of test packets with specific characteristics rather than continuous monitoring of all network traffic. The test packets are designed to provide sufficient information about network core type and health status with minimal overhead, using just enough probing activity to achieve detection goals without excessive communication burden.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for automatically discovering the configuration of network and/or communication facilities are provided. The determination generally involves receiving and/or sending at least one test message or packet with special characteristics that normally would be filtered by filtering/forwarding entities in connectionless routed cores, but normally would be forwarded by connectionless communication facilities. If the communication facilities do not contain the filtering/forwarding entity, the at least one test packet will be forwarded or passed through the communication facilities. If the at least one test packet is filtered or not passed, then at least two scenarios are possible. First, the at least one test packet may be filtered and may be silently discarded in which case a determination that the network did not pass the at least one test packet may be made based upon a timeout of a counter. Second, the at least one test packet may be filtered and may cause the generation of error or control messages indicating that the at least one test packet is not a proper packet for the network and/or communication facilities.