Network Traffic Mirroring for Subscriber Behavior Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The telecommunications industry faces challenges in measuring the impact of new product or service offerings on customer behavior due to the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, making it difficult to assess changes in online activity.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for collecting and analyzing network traffic data by associating a mirroring policy with a service profile and routing mirrored traffic data through a network to a central collection facility, using policy-based routing to ensure data is not rerouted to the Internet, allowing for the analysis of subscriber behavior before and after introducing new products or services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network traffic data is collected and routed to a central facility, then measurement precision of customer behavior is improved, but device complexity and routing infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A central collection facility acts as an intermediary between distributed network traffic sources and analysis systems. This facility receives mirrored traffic data from multiple subscribers, consolidates it, and makes it available for behavioral analysis without requiring direct complex routing between each subscriber and every analysis point.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the network monitoring function into separate components: traffic mirroring at the network level, data transport to a central facility, and analysis at the application level. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and reduces overall system complexity.
2Loss of information
If mirrored traffic data is routed through a network to a central collection facility, then data capture capability is improved, but loss of time in data transport increases
Solution Approach 1:
Traffic mirroring is performed preliminarily at the source routers before data needs to be analyzed. By creating copies of traffic data at the point of generation and immediately routing them to the central facility, the system ensures data is captured without delay while enabling parallel processing at the collection point.
3Reliability
If policy-based routing is implemented to route mirrored traffic to a central facility, then reliability of data collection is improved, but device complexity and routing policy management increase
Solution Approach 1:
The central collection facility serves multiple functions: it receives mirrored traffic from multiple subscribers, stores the data, and provides it to various analysis systems. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated infrastructure for each function, simplifying overall system management while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer program products producing, transporting, and capturing network traffic data are provided. The method includes associating a mirroring policy with a service profile assigned to a service subscriber, the service subscriber identified by a static Internet Protocol address. The method also includes associating a routing policy with the service profile. Upon detecting an active session for the service subscriber, the method includes mirroring traffic data generated as a result of subscriber activity, the mirroring implemented in accordance with the mirroring policy. The method further includes routing the mirrored traffic data through a public network to a central collection facility in accordance with the routing policy.