Network Stack Instrumentation for Self-Testing Traffic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network performance testing methods often compromise existing network traffic and capacity by introducing probes or additional hardware, which can adversely affect the network's performance and resource allocation, especially in IPv4 networks with limited spare IP addresses.
Innovation Solution
The method involves instrumenting the network stack to encapsulate existing data traffic in test packets formatted according to a different protocol, allowing performance testing to be conducted using native traffic, with instrumentation at both sending and receiving hosts to unpack and repack data for accurate metric collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If probes or sniffers are deployed on the network to test performance, then network performance can be measured, but the measurements are compromised and network capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The network entities themselves generate and send test packets as part of their normal operation, eliminating the need for external probes. Each network entity instruments its own network stack to encapsulate test information within its outgoing traffic, making the network self-testing and avoiding measurement compromise.
2Measurement precision
If probes or additional hardware are added to test network performance, then performance metrics can be collected, but network bandwidth and processing power are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The test packet transmission is merged with normal data traffic transmission. Test information is encapsulated within the same packets that carry actual data, allowing performance measurement without generating separate test traffic that would consume additional bandwidth and processing resources.
3Measurement precision
If existing traffic is encapsulated in test packets with different protocol formatting, then accurate performance measurement is enabled, but protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Test information is nested within the existing data packets by encapsulating the original packet inside a test packet wrapper. The original packet structure is preserved inside the wrapper, allowing test data extraction without losing the ability to analyze the original packet format and content.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for testing network performance are provided. In data provided by an application on a first host for transport or communication to an application associated with a second host according to a first data transport protocol is intercepted at the first host and wrapped or encapsulated in a test data packet formatted according to a second data transport protocol. The test data packet formatted according to the second data transport protocol includes, in addition to data comprising all or a portion of the original data packet, instrumentation information. The test data packet is then delivered to the second host, which unpacks the original data packet and the instrumentation information. A response packet containing instrumentation information may be sent from the second host to the first host to provide roundtrip performance metrics.