Network Silent Failure Detection Using Performance Monitor Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks struggle to detect silent failures, which are failures that do not produce error messages, leading to delayed identification and resolution of network issues.
Innovation Solution
A silent failure detection device that periodically acquires performance monitor information from network devices, calculates counter difference values, and determines silent failures based on failure determination parameters, including discard frequency, FCS error count, and discard count, to identify potential failures and output failure suspicion notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional error message-based failure detection is used, then failures that produce error messages can be detected and located, but silent failures that do not produce error messages cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces performance monitor information as an intermediary indicator to detect silent failures. Instead of directly detecting failures through error messages, the system monitors performance metrics (packet discard counts, FCS error counts, traffic flow rates) that change in response to failures. This intermediary measurement enables indirect detection of silent failures that do not generate direct error signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional error message-based detection mechanism with a performance monitoring and analysis system. Instead of relying on explicit error signals (mechanical/system-level failure indication), the system uses quantitative performance metrics and statistical analysis to infer failure conditions, substituting direct failure detection with indirect performance-based detection.
2Measurement precision
If multiple performance parameters are monitored to improve silent failure detection accuracy, then detection precision increases, but system complexity and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent monitors multiple performance parameters (packet discard counts, FCS error counts, traffic flow rates) and changes in these parameters over time. By tracking changes in several parameters simultaneously and analyzing their relationships, the system achieves higher detection accuracy without requiring a single complex detection mechanism. The use of parameter changes over time intervals simplifies the analysis compared to continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the failure detection task into separate monitoring of multiple independent performance parameters. Each parameter (packet discard count, FCS error count, traffic flow rate) is monitored and analyzed separately, then combined to make failure determination. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by handling simpler individual parameter analyses rather than one complex综合分析.
3Reliability
If performance monitor information is periodically acquired from all network devices, then comprehensive coverage of silent failures is achieved, but communication overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic acquisition of performance monitor information at predetermined time intervals from network devices. This periodic sampling approach balances comprehensive monitoring coverage with reduced communication overhead compared to continuous monitoring. The system collects performance data at regular intervals, processes the information, and updates failure determination, achieving a practical balance between detection thoroughness and system resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A silent failure detection device includes a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: periodically acquire performance monitor information indicating a communication status from each of a plurality of network devices constituting a communication network; and detect a silent failure occurring in the communication network based on the performance monitor information acquired, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine values of a plurality of failure determination parameters based on the performance monitor information; and determine whether a silent failure has occurred in the communication network based on a failure determination score calculated from the values of the plurality of failure determination parameters.