Stateless Packet Routing for Network Probe Load Balancing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Network performance monitoring is hindered by the inability of probes to track and balance control plane and user plane packets across different links in modern network architectures, leading to uneven distribution and inefficient analysis of network performance and quality.
Innovation Solution
A stateless method for identifying and routing user plane and control plane packets associated with a session-instance, using a key within the packet payload, allows for balanced distribution and analysis across multiple network probes, even when packets travel on different links, enabling real-time monitoring and load balancing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network probes monitor all packets transmitted over the network, then network performance and quality can be measured in real-time, but the probes become overwhelmed and under-utilized due to uneven packet distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet monitoring task by introducing a load balancer that divides incoming packets into different groups based on hash values. Each network probe is assigned to monitor specific packet groups rather than all packets, enabling balanced distribution of processing load across multiple probes while maintaining comprehensive network monitoring coverage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If control plane and user plane packets are transmitted on different links, then network architecture flexibility is improved, but probes cannot track packets corresponding to a single session-instance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a session ID as an intermediary element that is embedded in both control plane and user plane packets. This session ID acts as a mediator that allows network probes to correlate and track packets belonging to the same session-instance even when they traverse different network links, thereby maintaining packet tracking capability while supporting flexible network architectures.
3Productivity
If packets are distributed to multiple network probes, then load balancing is achieved, but session-instance analysis cannot be performed as a whole
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the load balancer calculates hash values from packet data and uses these hash values to consistently direct packets belonging to the same session-instance to the same network probe. This feedback loop ensures that while load is balanced across multiple probes, each probe receives all packets for specific session-instances, enabling complete session analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
Internet protocol packets are statelessly identified as associated with a particular session-instance by identifying a key, or session-instance identifier, within the data (or payload) portion of a user plane packet. This identifier is specific to the session-instance and remains constant throughout the session-instance. Using this stateless identification, transmitted user plane packets are automatically routed at the transmission speed of the transmission link using a method that automatically balances the analysis processing load between network probes. The load is balanced by routing the user plane packet to a network probe that is either already analyzing the session-instance or by routing the user plane packet to a system that has processing capacity to analyze a new session-instance. The network probe then analyzes the user plane packet and the session-instance to measure the quality of the user experience of the session-instance and performance of the network.