Traffic Load Amplifier for Network Device Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for testing network devices, particularly routers, require large and expensive load generators to simulate high traffic loads, making it costly to ensure proper operation under network conditions.
Innovation Solution
The use of traffic load amplifiers connected to the router's input and output ports, which replicate and alter packets to amplify the initial traffic load, allowing for cost-effective simulation of high traffic conditions without the need for expensive load generators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large and expensive load generators are used to generate large traffic loads for testing network devices, then the testing accuracy and reliability are improved, but the testing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses packet replication to create multiple copies of a small initial traffic load, amplifying it into a large traffic load for testing. The load amplifier receives packets from the network device and generates multiple replicated packets with modified destination addresses, effectively copying and multiplying the traffic volume without requiring expensive load generation hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The load amplifier acts as an intermediary device between the network device under test and the traffic load. Instead of using expensive load generators to create traffic, the load amplifier receives traffic from the network device, amplifies it through replication, and returns the amplified traffic to the network device, serving as a mediator that enables cost-effective testing
2Ease of manufacture
If traffic load amplification is used to amplify a small initial traffic load, then the testing cost is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional amplification components
Solution Approach 1:
The load amplifier utilizes the network device's own outgoing traffic as the input for amplification. The network device routes a portion of its outgoing traffic to the load amplifier, which then replicates and amplifies that traffic. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external expensive load generators while adding only moderate system complexity through the amplification component
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for testing network devices for networks with a large traffic load utilizing one or more traffic load amplifiers to amplify the traffic load. The load amplifiers connected to the device may receive packets of an initial traffic load, multiply or copy the received packet, alter the destination address information in the header of the copied packets to generate packets with different destination addresses, and transmit the altered packets back to the device for further routing. The altered or copied packets may then be routed via the device back to the load amplifier for further amplification. Through this amplification process, a small initial load of packets may be amplified over and over by the load amplifiers until a target traffic load is achieved at the device to test the device performance at a large traffic load.