Overlay Termination Endpoint Proxy for Micro-Service Telemetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing OAM techniques require containers to understand and process OAM functionality to collect telemetry data, which is inefficient and complicates the process of obtaining flow statistics in overlay data centers.
Innovation Solution
An overlay termination endpoint acts as a proxy to receive OAM probes, extract flow identification information, and query telemetry data from agents managing containers, eliminating the need for containers to process OAM probes directly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing OAM techniques are used to collect telemetry data, then flow statistics can be obtained, but containers must understand and process OAM functionality which increases system complexity and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an overlay termination endpoint as an intermediary component that receives and processes OAM probes on behalf of containers. This mediator extracts flow identification information from probes, queries agents for telemetry data, and returns results without requiring containers to understand OAM protocols, thereby reducing container complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the OAM processing function into separate components: the overlay termination endpoint handles probe reception and OAM protocol processing, while containers focus solely on their primary application functions. This segmentation allows telemetry collection without burdening containers with OAM processing complexity
2Reliability
If containers directly process OAM probes to obtain telemetry data, then local statistics can be collected, but it requires containers to have OAM capability which reduces productivity and increases deployment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The overlay termination endpoint acts as a mediator that handles all OAM probe processing, allowing containers to remain simple application units without OAM capabilities. This maintains telemetry reliability through proper OAM handling while significantly improving container deployment efficiency and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by having the overlay termination endpoint automatically query agents for telemetry data based on flow identification information extracted from probes, eliminating the need for containers to actively participate in OAM processing while ensuring reliable data collection
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for use of an overlay network termination endpoint as a proxy to collect telemetry data for micro-services or specific applications provided by containers in overlay data centers. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes receiving, at a controller, a probe for flow statistics associated with a service path, the probe including corresponding flow identification information, extracting the corresponding flow identification information from the probe, obtaining the flow statistics from an agent based on the flow identification information, the agent being configured to manage a plurality of containers, generating a response packet including the flow statistics obtained from the agent and sending the response packet to an initiator from which the query is received.