NIC Packet Mirroring for C-RAN Traffic Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packet capture techniques are infeasible in cloud radio access networks due to the lack of separate servers and network components, and existing tools like tcpdump cannot be utilized with kernel bypass protocols, rendering network visibility challenging.
Innovation Solution
Utilize a packet duplication function within a network interface card's embedded switch to mirror incoming network traffic, enabling selective duplication based on conditions such as source MAC addresses, and exploit existing hardware like embedded switches and smart NICs to streamline packet capture without additional specialized hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional packet capture techniques using top-of-rack switches are used, then network packet mirroring can be achieved, but additional specialized hardware and separate capture servers are required which are not available in C-RAN environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the packet capture functionality directly into the distributed unit server by utilizing the embedded switch within the network interface card. This eliminates the need for separate capture servers and top-of-rack switches, combining multiple functions (packet routing, packet duplication, and packet capture) into a single integrated system component.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed unit server performs its own packet capture operations using its built-in network interface card and embedded switch. The system serves itself by utilizing existing hardware resources (the embedded switch) for packet mirroring without requiring external specialized equipment or additional servers.
2Ease of manufacture
If packet mirroring is implemented using existing hardware like embedded switches, then no additional specialized hardware is needed, but the techniques must work with kernel bypass protocols where conventional tools like tcpdump cannot be used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a custom packet capture application that serves as an intermediary between the embedded switch and the analysis tools. This application receives duplicated packets from the embedded switch and provides them in a format compatible with analysis tools, bridging the gap between kernel bypass protocols and conventional analysis utilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the packet capture system by operating at the hardware level (embedded switch) rather than the software protocol stack level. This allows the system to capture packets independently of the kernel bypass protocol implementation, making the capture mechanism adaptable to different protocol configurations.
3Loss of information
If all incoming network packets are duplicated for analysis, then complete network visibility is achieved, but data volume increases significantly impacting processing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies selective packet duplication by configuring the embedded switch to duplicate only specific packets based on local conditions (such as source MAC address, destination MAC address, or packet type). This creates different quality levels of duplication - some packets are duplicated while others are not - based on their relevance to the analysis requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of duplicating all packets (excessive action), the system implements partial duplication by filtering packets based on specific criteria. This partial action approach captures sufficient information for network analysis while avoiding the overhead of duplicating every single packet, thus maintaining processing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The techniques disclosed herein provide a system for mirroring network traffic by way of network packet duplication using a network interface card in a communications environment. More specifically the present techniques are directed to retrieving data that is transmitted over a communications network (e.g., network packets) in a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) environment, also referred to as packet capture. For instance, the proposed system can mirror network traffic between a radio unit (RU) and a virtual radio access network (vRAN) within a distributed unit (DU) server of a telecommunications network (e.g., a 5G network). As such, the disclosed techniques exploit preexisting hardware and software features present in many network interface cards. In this way, the present techniques enable granular packet capture without requiring additional specialized hardware and/or software. Moreover, the network interface card can be configured to loopback scheduling information to streamline packet analysis operations.