SNMP Notification Buffering for Reliable UDP Delivery

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network management systems face challenges in ensuring reliable and ordered delivery of notifications between network elements and element managers, particularly over unreliable transport layers like UDP, leading to issues with detection and re-alignment of network traps/notifications.

Innovation Solution

The method involves using SNMP version 2 or 3, buffering notifications until acknowledgement is received, and resending if no acknowledgement is received within a predetermined time, along with logical identifiers to track missing notifications and ensure accurate delivery, employing mechanisms like InformRequest-PDU and SNMPv2-Trap-PDU for guaranteed delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If notifications are transmitted over UDP without buffering or acknowledgments, then transmission speed is improved, but delivery reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification transmission speedVSAvoidnotification delivery reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by buffering subsequent notifications before transmission is complete. The sending device holds pending notifications in a buffer until an acknowledgment is received, ensuring that no notifications are lost if the initial transmission fails. This preliminary buffering action resolves the contradiction by preparing notifications for retransmission without sacrificing delivery reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback through acknowledgment mechanisms where the receiving device sends confirmations back to the sending device. The sending device waits for these acknowledgments before clearing the buffer and transmitting more notifications. This feedback loop ensures reliable delivery while maintaining efficient transmission by only buffering when necessary, thus resolving the contradiction between speed and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If acknowledgments are waited for before sending next notification, then delivery reliability is improved, but transmission speed deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification delivery reliabilityVSAvoidnotification transmission speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by buffering subsequent notifications before transmission is complete. The sending device holds pending notifications in a buffer until an acknowledgment is received, ensuring that no notifications are lost if the initial transmission fails. This preliminary buffering action resolves the contradiction by preparing notifications for retransmission without sacrificing delivery reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by only waiting for acknowledgments for notifications that have been sent but not yet acknowledged, while allowing subsequent notifications to be buffered and ready for transmission. This selective waiting approach maintains reliability for critical notifications while minimizing delays for the overall notification stream, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If communication failure occurs, then notification delivery is interrupted, but buffering subsequent notifications ensures no loss

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification delivery reliabilityVSAvoidnotification delivery delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements beforehand cushioning by maintaining a buffer of notifications at the sending device. When communication failure occurs, this buffer acts as a cushion that prevents notification loss. The buffered notifications are ready to be transmitted immediately upon recovery, minimizing delivery delays while ensuring no notifications are lost during the interruption period.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by buffering subsequent notifications before transmission is complete. The sending device holds pending notifications in a buffer until an acknowledgment is received, ensuring that no notifications are lost if the initial transmission fails. This preliminary buffering action resolves the contradiction by preparing notifications for retransmission without sacrificing delivery reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9246746B2Reliable systems and methods for network notifications

Publication Date: 2016.01.26 CIENA CORP

AI summary

The present disclosure provides reliable systems and methods for network notifications, i.e. Simple Network Management Protocol version 2 Protocol Data Unit (SNMPv2-Trap-PDU) messages, asynchronous notifications, InformRequest-PDU messages, and the like, between network elements, element managers, and other element managers. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes a network management system and method with a plurality of network elements operating a management agent communicatively coupled to an element manager which in turn is communicatively coupled to another element manager, a network management system (NMS), an operations support system (OSS), or the like. The present invention may utilize SNMPv2 and/or v3, and includes various techniques and processes ensuring reliable notifications between any of the network elements, element managers, or the like in the network management system.