Overlay Network Topology Control via Dynamic Agent Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overlay-based messaging systems face challenges in optimizing performance goals such as minimizing traffic, link utilization, and load balancing due to constraints like VPNs and firewalls, which hinder efficient communication between isolated domains across wide area networks.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes an overlay network linking publishers, subscribers, and brokers, with agents that adjust topology based on runtime data and broker availability, using a configuration interface to define preferences and provide visual performance data, and automatically designating backup brokers to maintain reliability and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If overlay network is used to connect isolated domains, then communication between domains is enabled, but network complexity and broker management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces brokers as intermediary nodes that manage overlay network communication between publishers and subscribers. These brokers handle message routing, subscription management, and topology adjustments, thereby reducing the complexity burden from individual nodes while enabling domain communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlay network is segmented into multiple independent brokers, each managing specific publisher-subscriber pairs. This segmentation allows distributed management of network topology and reduces the overhead on any single node, while maintaining overall system adaptability.
2Reliability
If broker redundancy is implemented to ensure reliability, then communication continuity is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures backup brokers and establishes failover mechanisms before failures occur. When a primary broker fails, the backup broker is already positioned to take over, ensuring communication continuity without requiring complex real-time decision-making during failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts broker parameters such as reliability thresholds and performance metrics to determine when failover should occur. By changing these parameters based on runtime conditions, the system maintains reliability while avoiding unnecessary broker switches that would increase complexity.
3Productivity
If dynamic topology adjustment is performed to optimize performance, then traffic efficiency and load balancing improve, but control complexity and runtime overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors runtime data such as link delay, traffic amount, link reliability, and broker availability, then uses this feedback to dynamically adjust overlay topology. Agents on publishers, subscribers, and brokers collect and report this data, enabling automated topology optimization without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlay network topology is made dynamic rather than static, allowing agents to adjust connections, routes, and broker assignments based on real-time network conditions. This dynamic adaptation optimizes traffic efficiency and load balancing while the automated agent-based control reduces the complexity of manual management.
4Reliability
If multiple brokers are designated for each publisher and subscriber, then reliability is improved, but system complexity and coordination overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each broker and node in the overlay network runs agents that autonomously monitor their own status and the status of connected brokers. These agents automatically detect failures, initiate failover to backup brokers, and manage reconnections without requiring complex centralized coordination, thereby simplifying multi-broker management while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include an overlay network linking a plurality of publishers, a plurality of subscribers, and a plurality of brokers. The overlay network may include a first computer network having a first network protocol carried by a second computer network having a second network protocol. The system may also include an agent carried by each of the publishers, the subscribers, and the brokers that adjust the network's topology based upon collected runtime data of condition of each link within the network and/or broker availability to any publisher and subscriber.