Network Link Fault Detection Using Sub-Interval Debouncing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network management systems face challenges in determining when to disconnect a network link due to errors, leading to premature disconnection of links with temporary issues or continued use of faulty links, resulting in lost bandwidth or decreased reliability.
Innovation Solution
A system that detects fault indications and divides a debounce period into sub-intervals to repeatedly check for persistent faults, allowing the network link to remain active if faults are temporary and discontinuing its use only when faults persist across multiple sub-intervals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a debouncing algorithm waits for a defined time interval and checks for remaining faults before taking down a network link, then the reliability of network link status determination is improved, but the responsiveness to actual link failures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The debouncing time interval is divided into multiple sub-intervals, allowing the system to check for fault persistence at multiple points during the interval rather than at a single endpoint. This segmentation enables earlier detection of persistent faults while still providing a grace period for temporary errors, thus improving responsiveness without sacrificing reliability.
2Reliability
If the network link is taken down immediately upon detecting a fault indication, then the reliability of data transmission is improved, but the loss of bandwidth increases due to premature disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary checks at multiple sub-intervals within the debouncing period to determine whether a fault is persistent before actually taking down the link. This preliminary action allows temporary faults to resolve themselves while still protecting against persistent failures, thereby maintaining bandwidth utilization without compromising transmission reliability.
3Productivity
If the network link continues to be used after detecting a fault indication, then the bandwidth utilization is improved, but the reliability of data transmission deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by repeatedly checking whether the fault indication persists across multiple sub-intervals. Only when the fault persists through these feedback checks does the system take down the link. This feedback mechanism ensures that transient errors do not trigger unnecessary disconnections while persistent faults are eventually detected, balancing bandwidth utilization with transmission reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and methods for determining whether to use a network link are described. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus may detect a fault indication relating to a network link and identify a time interval during which to check a status of the network link. The apparatus may also divide the time interval into a plurality of sub-intervals and check, at the sub-intervals, whether the fault indication remains for the network link. Further, the apparatus may discontinue using the network link upon detecting the fault indication at a plurality of the sub-intervals.