Packet Generator Protocol Characteristics Reproduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network stack errors in production environments are difficult to diagnose due to the inability to recreate precise packet traffic without exposing confidential data, and manual reproduction is time-consuming and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A method that accesses a packet capture of packets transmitted during a network stack error, selects packets associated with a specific computing device, and generates instructions to recreate packets with the same protocol layer characteristics, omitting payload information to retain confidentiality and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If packet capture data is used to reproduce network traffic, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but confidential data exposure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential protocol characteristics from the original packet capture data while removing confidential payload information. The system identifies and retains key protocol layer attributes (TCP flags, IP headers, port numbers, sequence numbers) necessary for reproducing network stack errors, while deliberately excluding sensitive data contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified copies of the original packet traffic that replicate the essential protocol characteristics without copying the actual confidential payload data. The generated packets are synthetic reproductions that maintain the same protocol behavior and error-triggering conditions while using placeholder or empty payload fields instead of original sensitive data.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual packet reproduction is performed, then data confidentiality is maintained, but time consumption and error rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary automated analysis of the packet capture data to extract and store the essential protocol characteristics in a structured format. This pre-processing step creates a template that can be quickly instantiated multiple times to generate reproduced packets, eliminating the need for manual reconstruction of each packet while maintaining confidentiality through automated data exclusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically identifies which protocol characteristics are essential for reproducing the network stack error and which data elements should be excluded for confidentiality. The packet generation process is self-configuring, using the extracted protocol characteristics to autonomously create accurate reproductions without manual intervention, thereby reducing both time consumption and potential human errors.
3Measurement precision
If all packet characteristics are reproduced, then diagnostic fidelity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet characteristics into distinct protocol layers (physical layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, application layer) and identifies which segments are essential for reproducing the specific network stack error. This layered segmentation allows the system to selectively reproduce only the relevant protocol characteristics for each layer, maintaining diagnostic fidelity while avoiding unnecessary complexity from reproducing all possible packet attributes.
Data Source
AI summary
Mechanisms for packet creation are provided. A packet capture including a plurality of packets is accessed. A first subset of packets is selected from the plurality of packets based on a first computing device ID. Based on a particular protocol layer of a plurality of protocol layers, a protocol layer characteristic of the packets in the first subset of packets is identified. A plurality of instructions is generated that directs a packet generator component to generate a second subset of packets that have the same protocol layer characteristic as the packets in the first subset of packets.