Network Equipment Test Device Application Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network devices face challenges in identifying and responding to multiple applications sharing the same transport layer port, and existing methods are unreliable due to network address translators and content aware devices altering source ports and IP addresses, making it difficult to test network equipment using simulated traffic.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a network equipment test device with multiple server emulators, each containing a correlator and application-specific portion to correlate incoming packets with their associated applications based on OSI layer 4-7 information, and using client and server side scripts to emulate data exchanges between clients and servers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If transport layer port is used to identify the application, then identification is simple, but multiple applications sharing the same port cannot be distinguished
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves from using only transport layer port information (single dimension) to incorporating OSI layer 4-7 information including application layer protocols, message structures, and data patterns (multiple dimensions) to identify applications, enabling distinction between multiple applications on the same port
2Reliability
If source port and IP address are used to identify the application, then identification may work without NAT, but NAT devices alter these values making identification unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts identification information from within the packet payload itself (application layer data, message structures, protocols) rather than relying on external addressing information (source port and IP address) that may be modified by NAT devices, making identification independent of NAT intervention
3Measurement precision
If application identifying information is inserted in the packet payload, then application identification becomes possible, but content aware devices may block or alter such packets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses correlation packages that are copies of actual application data patterns and message structures that naturally occur in legitimate traffic, allowing the test device to identify applications by matching these patterns without inserting detectable or suspicious markers that would be blocked by content aware devices
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for testing network devices using simulated application traffic are disclosed. One method includes steps implemented in a network equipment test device including at least one processor. The method includes emulating data transfer operations of a plurality of server applications. The method further includes receiving application traffic from a plurality of different client applications. The method further includes queuing incoming connections received from the client applications. The method further includes, for each of the connections, attempting to correlate application-level data with one of the emulated server applications. The method further includes, in response to successful correlation of the received application-level data one of the emulated server applications, performing application-specific processing for the emulated server application. Performing application-specific processing includes sending data from an emulated server application to a client application through a device under test.