SDN Metric Group Configuration for Selective Telemetry Export

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing software-defined networking (SDN) architectures face challenges in cloud native adoption due to complexity in life cycle management, high resource analytics requirements, and lack of a command-line interface (CLI)-based interface, leading to inefficient resource consumption and network administrator errors in metrics data collection.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a telemetry node with metric groups that allow for selective collection and export of metrics data through an application programming interface (API), enabling low-granularity control over which subsets of metrics are collected and exported, and using a custom resource within a container orchestration platform to define and configure these groups, thereby reducing resource consumption and improving user interface customization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all metrics data are collected and exported in SDN architectures, then comprehensive network monitoring is achieved, but processor cycles, memory, network bandwidth, and computing resources are excessively consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork monitoring comprehensivenessVSAvoidprocessor cycles and computing resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments metrics data into different metric groups (e.g., resource utilization metrics, performance metrics, error metrics) that can be independently selected and exported. This allows the system to collect only the specific subset of metrics needed for particular monitoring purposes, rather than exporting all available metrics data, thereby reducing processor cycles, memory usage, and network bandwidth consumption while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability for selected metric categories.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables different metric groups to be exported to different destinations (e.g., local storage, remote servers, monitoring tools) based on specific requirements. Each metric group can have its own export configuration, allowing the system to optimize resource allocation by sending only necessary metrics to appropriate destinations, thus reducing overall computing resource consumption while maintaining monitoring reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Use of energy by moving object

If metric groups are implemented with fine-grained control, then resource consumption is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource consumptionVSAvoidmetric group configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal metric group configuration system that can be applied across different SDN architectures, orchestration platforms, and monitoring tools. The metric group definitions use standardized data models and export configurations that work universally across various environments, reducing the need for custom configurations and simplifying the overall system complexity despite the fine-grained control capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables dynamic configuration of metric groups where administrators can enable or disable specific metric groups based on changing monitoring requirements. The system supports runtime modifications to metric group exports without requiring system reconfiguration or restart, allowing flexible adaptation to different operational scenarios while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Loss of energy

If selective metric export is implemented, then network bandwidth usage is reduced, but user interface customization requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork bandwidth usageVSAvoiduser interface customization
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent provides pre-configured metric groups that contain commonly needed metrics combinations (e.g., standard resource monitoring, performance baseline, error tracking). These pre-defined groups are ready to use immediately, reducing the need for extensive custom configuration. Administrators can simply enable or disable entire metric groups rather than individually configuring each metric, thereby reducing network bandwidth usage through selective export while maintaining ease of operation through these ready-made configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system monitors which metric groups are currently enabled and their export status, providing this information to the user interface. This allows administrators to see the impact of their selections on network bandwidth usage and make informed decisions about which metric groups to export. The system also provides feedback on resource consumption patterns, helping administrators optimize their metric group selections to balance monitoring needs with bandwidth constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4297359B1Metric groups for software-defined network architectures
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 JUNIPER NETWORKS INC
  • EP4297359B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4297359B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4297359B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In general, techniques are described for an efficient exportation of metrics data within a software defined network (SDN) architecture. A network controller for a software-defined networking (SDN) architecture system comprising processing circuitry may implement the techniques. A telemetry node configured for execution by the processing circuitry may process a request by which to enable a metric group that defines a subset of metrics from a plurality of metrics to export from compute nodes. The telemetry node may also transform, based on the request to enable the metric group, the subset of the one or more metrics into telemetry exporter configuration data that configures a telemetry exporter deployed at the compute nodes to export the subset of the metrics. The telemetry node may also interface with the telemetry exporter to configure, based on the telemetry exporter configuration data, the telemetry exporter to export the subset of the metrics.