Network Switch CPU Visibility for Detailed Mirror-on-Drop Reports

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network switch systems provide limited information about dropped packets, such as the MOD mechanism, which only captures a portion of the packet and timestamp, lacking additional diagnostic information needed for comprehensive network optimization.

Innovation Solution

Integration of the CPU visibility feature with the MOD mechanism to reprocess dropped packets through the original ingress pipeline, capturing additional processing information and storing it in dedicated registers, which is then appended to the initial MOD report for external analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the MOD mechanism is used to collect dropped packet information, then some basic information (packet portion and timestamp) is captured, but additional diagnostic information is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic informationVSAvoidinformation collection mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The information collection process is segmented into two phases: initial capture by MOD mechanism and subsequent detailed analysis by CPU visibility feature. This allows basic information to be captured first, then additional diagnostic information to be extracted without requiring a complete redesign of the collection mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The MOD mechanism performs preliminary action by capturing basic dropped packet information first. This initial capture enables subsequent detailed analysis to be performed on already-identified dropped packets, rather than requiring all information to be captured in a single complex operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the MOD mechanism captures only basic packet information, then the collection process is simple, but the diagnostic capability is insufficient for comprehensive network optimization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic information completenessVSAvoidinformation collection process

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The CPU visibility feature acts as an intermediary that bridges the simple MOD capture mechanism and the need for comprehensive diagnostic information. It takes the basic captured information and enriches it with additional processing details without requiring the MOD mechanism itself to become more complex

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12464058B2Utilization of visibility feature to obtain and incorporate drop reasons into mirror on drop reports

Publication Date: 2025.11.04 ARISTA NETWORKS INC

AI summary

Systems and methods in which a network switch detects a dropped packet and automatically generates a report with information on the dropped packet. Additionally, a visibility packet that includes the dropped packet and one or more additional headers is generated. The headers are used to route the visibility packet to the pipeline of the network switch that originally processed the dropped packet. The headers also include a visibility indicator that causes the pipeline to store visibility data. As the visibility packet is processed by the pipeline, information (visibility data) generated during the processing of the packet is stored in a visibility memory. The visibility data is retrieved from the visibility memory and added to the generated report prior to transmitting the report to an external collector for analysis of the packet drop.