Programmable Hardware Processor Network Packet Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network monitoring systems face challenges in efficiently capturing, filtering, and analyzing network traffic data due to the high volume and variety of network packets, often requiring complex configurations and multiple stages of storage to identify and extract data of interest.
Innovation Solution
The use of programmable hardware processors, such as FPGAs, to capture, store, and filter network traffic by identifying network flows and extracting data of interest based on configurable conditions, with multiple stages of storage facilitating fast and efficient analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional network monitoring systems are used to capture and analyze network traffic, then comprehensive data collection is achieved, but system complexity and processing time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary data fields from network packets based on predefined conditions and interests, rather than capturing and processing entire packets. This selective extraction approach reduces processing complexity while maintaining data accuracy for monitoring purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The network monitoring system is divided into multiple stages: packet capture, condition-based filtering, data extraction, and storage. Each stage processes only relevant information, reducing overall system complexity while preserving measurement precision at each step.
2Loss of information
If all network packets are stored for analysis, then complete data availability is achieved, but storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial processing by storing only extracted data fields that meet specific conditions rather than complete packet data. This approach maintains sufficient information for security and analytics purposes while dramatically reducing storage volume requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Relevant data fields are extracted and stored separately from complete packet data. This extraction approach ensures that essential information is preserved for analysis while eliminating redundant data, achieving a balance between data completeness and storage efficiency.
3Productivity
If multiple stages of storage are implemented for network packet analysis, then data retrieval efficiency is improved, but system configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into multiple stages with different retention periods and access frequencies. Frequently accessed recent data is stored in fast storage, while less frequently accessed historical data is moved to slower storage, improving retrieval efficiency for active monitoring while reducing overall system complexity through standardized tiered architecture.
4Loss of time
If real-time network traffic analysis is performed, then security response time is improved, but processing resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only critical data fields from network packets for real-time analysis, rather than processing complete packet contents. This selective extraction dramatically reduces processing resource consumption while maintaining real-time security detection capabilities by focusing computational resources on essential security-relevant information.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples relate to extracting data from network communications. In one example, a programmable hardware processor may: receive a first set of network packets; store each network packet included in the first set in a first storage device; identify, from each network packet included in a subset of the first set of network packets, data included in the network packet, the data meeting at least one condition defined by first programmable logic of the programmable hardware processor; and for each network packet included in the subset: extract, from the network packet, data of interest; and store, in a second storage device, i) the extracted data of interest, and ii) an identifier associated with the network packet.