Network Node Time Correction via Packet Trace Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network trace analysis methods rely heavily on manual time correction by service engineers, which is inefficient and prone to errors, as built-in clocks in network equipment are often unsynchronized, increasing the burden on engineers and reducing analysis accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses trace data from multiple nodes to establish an order relation between nodes based on packet timestamps, allowing for numerical analysis to calculate an allowable range of time differences, thereby automating and objective time correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual time correction is performed by service engineers based on experience, then time correction can be applied to network nodes, but the work is inefficient and highly dependent on engineer expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic time correction by having nodes self-report their timestamps and the central device automatically calculates correction values, eliminating the need for manual intervention by service engineers while maintaining accuracy through objective measurement data
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of engineers estimating and applying time corrections is replaced with an automated computational system that uses numerical analysis of timestamp data to objectively determine and apply corrections
2Reliability
If manual time correction is performed by service engineers, then time correction can be applied, but the burden on service engineers increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic time correction where the network infrastructure itself performs the correction task through automated data collection and calculation, completely removing the operational burden from service engineers while maintaining correction capability
3Productivity
If automated numerical analysis is used to estimate time correction, then objectivity and efficiency are improved, but complex calculations are required
Solution Approach 1:
A central analysis device acts as an intermediary that performs the complex numerical analysis calculations, receiving timestamp data from multiple nodes and returning correction values, thereby isolating the computational complexity from the network nodes themselves
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines timestamp data from multiple nodes into a unified analysis at the central device, allowing complex numerical analysis to be performed on aggregated data rather than requiring complex operations at each individual node
Data Source
AI summary
A processor and program for analyzing network trace with the use of data packets transmitted via a network includes: a memory section 32 for storing trace data generated from the data packets; a packet analyzing section 34 for retrieving a pair of packets belonging to the same session from the trace data to generate an order relation between nodes; an array data generating section 36 for using packet pair data and order relation data to generate and store array data used for estimating time difference of the specific time axis of each node; and a solution engine section 38 for calculating an estimated value of the time difference with the use of the array data to store the estimated value in a memory.