Overlay Network Probe Packet Monitoring for Latency Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data centers, there is a lack of transparency and visibility into the quality of network services, particularly regarding latency, jitter, and packet loss, which can impact service level agreements (SLAs) and network performance.
Innovation Solution
The method involves injecting probe packets with timestamps through overlay tunnels, allowing network devices and virtual routers to report latency, jitter, and packet loss metrics to a central analytics device, enabling proactive monitoring and alerting for optimal network performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If probe packets are injected through overlay tunnels to monitor network services, then visibility into latency, jitter, and packet loss is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for timestamp insertion and probe packet processing at multiple network nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces probe packets as intermediary carriers that transport timestamp information through the overlay network. These probe packets act as mediators between network service providers and customers, enabling quality monitoring without requiring direct intervention or complex instrumentation at each network node. The probe packets carry timing information that reveals service quality metrics while maintaining simplicity at individual nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
Network nodes automatically insert timestamps into probe packets as they process them, without requiring external configuration or complex monitoring infrastructure. Each node self-services by contributing its processing timestamp to the probe packet, which collectively builds the complete service quality picture. This self-service approach reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive visibility.
2Measurement precision
If timestamp information is inserted at each service node along the forwarding path, then measurement precision of latency is improved, but loss of time increases due to additional processing overhead at each node
Solution Approach 1:
The probe packets are pre-configured with the necessary structure and fields to accommodate timestamp insertion at multiple nodes. The timestamp mechanism is established in advance, allowing nodes to simply insert their processing timestamps without complex real-time computation. This preliminary setup enables precise multi-point timing measurements while minimizing per-node processing overhead.
3Reliability
If probe packets are transported through overlay tunnels to virtual routers, then reliability of service level agreement monitoring is improved, but device complexity increases due to overlay tunnel configuration and management
Solution Approach 1:
The probe packet mechanism is designed to be universally applicable across different overlay tunnel configurations and virtual router implementations. The same probe packet structure and timestamp insertion approach work regardless of the specific overlay protocol or virtualization platform being used. This universality enables reliable SLA monitoring across diverse network architectures without requiring complex, protocol-specific monitoring solutions at each node.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, a network device external to a services complex injects a plurality of probe packets along service chains provided by the services complex, wherein each of the plurality of probe packets includes a first timestamp indicating a time at which the network device sent the respective probe packet. Each of a plurality of service nodes in the services complex modifies each of the plurality of probe packets by inserting a respective second timestamp indicating a respective time at which the respective service node processed the respective one of the plurality of probe packets. An analytics device aggregates probe report information received from each of the plurality of service nodes to determine one or more path monitoring metrics.