Network Element Latency Measurement via Ingress Egress Timestamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring transit latency in network elements are inadequate, particularly in high-performance computer networking and data center environments, as they rely on external test harnesses and artificial data, which do not scale well and fail to provide accurate real-time latency measurements in production networks.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for continuous measurement of transit latency in individual data switches and multi-device topologies, where network data is time-stamped on ingress and egress within network elements, allowing for real-time latency determination without test harnesses or artificial data, using a combination of data and control planes to generate and correlate timing data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external test harnesses and artificial data are used to measure latency, then measurement capability is provided, but scalability and accuracy in production networks deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The network element performs latency measurement autonomously using its own ingress and egress timing modules without requiring external test harnesses. The system timestamps packets internally at both ingress and egress points, calculates latency differences, and reports results automatically, enabling the network element to serve its own measurement needs while scaling to production environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces timing modules as intermediary components within the network element that capture ingress and egress timestamps. These timing modules act as mediators between the data plane and control plane, enabling accurate latency measurement without requiring external test equipment or artificial data injection
2Measurement precision
If timing data is collected for all network data, then measurement accuracy is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies timing stamps to network data packets, using a subset of the data flow for measurement purposes. By selectively timestamping packets that traverse the network element and comparing ingress/egress times, the system achieves accurate latency measurement without processing or analyzing every single packet, thus avoiding excessive complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and associated apparatus for continuous measurement of transit latency in individual data switches and multi-device topologies is disclosed, which enables an accurate measure of real-word latency on production networks by applying a time stamp to production network data on ingress to a network element and determining a traversal time by capturing the time stamp on egress from the network element. In one embodiment, time stamps applied to network data are removed on egress to avoid undesirable packet growth across multiple hops of the network. Timing information on data flow through the data/forwarding plane of each network node of a production network can be gathered without the use of test harnesses, injected network data, or dedicated ports.