Rules Engine for Video CDN Log Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex and distributed video content delivery networks, troubleshooting is challenging due to the large number of log and event messages generated, which makes it difficult to identify performance limitations and errors in a timely and automated manner.
Innovation Solution
A rules engine that retrieves events from multiple log files, applies reconfigurable rules to synthesize log messages into informative actions, and filters events into a single stream with timestamps, severity codes, and error messages, enabling the identification of failure causes and automated responses such as error messages or further rule generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple log files from distributed network components are collected and analyzed, then the ability to identify failure causes is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized management server is introduced as an intermediary between distributed network components and troubleshooting operators. The server collects logs from multiple sources (STB, authentication server, video servers, routers, switches), applies rules to analyze failures, and presents distilled results. This mediator consolidates complexity in a centralized location while maintaining distributed architecture benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The troubleshooting system is segmented into independent modular components: log collection modules for different network elements, rule application modules for failure analysis, and presentation modules for results. Each module can be developed, tested, and maintained independently, reducing overall system complexity while enabling comprehensive analysis.
2Reliability
If a large number of log and event messages are processed, then the completeness of failure analysis is improved, but the time required for troubleshooting increases
Solution Approach 1:
Troubleshooting rules are pre-configured and pre-compiled before actual failure analysis. The system maintains a library of failure scenarios and corresponding diagnostic rules that are ready to be applied immediately when failures occur. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for ad-hoc analysis and significantly reduces troubleshooting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the most relevant information from large volumes of log messages by applying selective filtering rules. Instead of processing all logs uniformly, the system identifies and extracts specific error patterns, failure conditions, and critical events that indicate problems, while discarding irrelevant information. This extraction approach maintains analysis completeness while reducing processing time.
3Productivity
If automated rule-based analysis is applied to log messages, then the speed of failure identification is improved, but the flexibility to handle unique scenarios decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The rule system is designed to be dynamic and adaptable rather than static. Rules can be added, modified, or removed based on new failure scenarios discovered in the field. The system includes mechanisms for rule inheritance, where general rules can be specialized for specific scenarios, and for rule combinations, where multiple rules work together to handle complex unique situations. This dynamic architecture maintains high automated analysis speed while preserving flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
A single rule engine platform is designed to handle multiple failure scenarios across different network components and technologies. The universal rule parser and execution engine can process various log formats and apply different analysis strategies through a common framework. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain fast automated processing while adapting to unique scenarios through configurable rules rather than requiring separate specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A rules engine for application of rules to a plurality of log events from a plurality of log and event sources has separate threads for the collection of log entries and events, which logs and events are merged together to form a merged log events. A rules thread applies the merged events to a series of rules in search of a match condition, where the match condition involves a log source and one or more fields selected from a particular log or event. When a match condition occurs according to criteria specified by the rule, an action is performed. In one example, the action is the presentation of a distilled message which indicates a corrective action or problem source based on the application of the rules to the merged stream of messages. In another example, multi-tab displays indicate unprocessed logs and the results of applied rules.