Traffic Information Projection Across Network Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack an efficient method to accurately display and analyze communications traffic information across networks, making it difficult to identify sources of problems and optimize network configurations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that receives, timestamps, and stores routing messages and flow messages from multiple routers, allowing for the projection of traffic information onto paths and interfaces, even in distributed architectures without a centralized repository, to build reports and resolve ambiguities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If flow messages are received from multiple routers and projected onto paths, then measurement precision of communications traffic information is improved, but device complexity increases due to distributed processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the network monitoring function into segments distributed across multiple routers. Each router independently receives flow messages, determines its position in the network path, and projects traffic information locally without requiring centralized processing. This segmentation achieves accurate traffic measurement while reducing overall system complexity through distributed autonomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces path information as an intermediary element that enables accurate traffic projection. By maintaining and utilizing path data structure that maps flow messages to network paths, the system achieves precise traffic information without requiring complex centralized coordination. The path information acts as a mediator between flow messages and traffic analysis.
2Measurement precision
If routing messages and flow messages are timestamped and stored for later analysis, then measurement precision of traffic information is improved, but loss of time increases due to storage and processing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by timestamping messages at the moment of receipt and pre-determining path information before actual traffic analysis is needed. This allows rapid query response later without requiring complex real-time processing, thus reducing the perceived time loss while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic path determination where routing messages are processed in real-time to establish current network paths, while flow messages are stored with timestamps. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to network changes while maintaining the ability to provide accurate historical traffic information when needed.
3Ease of operation
If a centralized repository is used to store flow messages from all routers, then ease of operation for report generation is improved, but loss of information increases due to centralized single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the centralized repository function across multiple distributed routers. Each router maintains local copies of flow messages and path information, eliminating the single point of failure. The segmentation is designed so that any single router failure does not result in information loss, as other routers retain the necessary data for report generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by allowing each router to independently store and process flow messages relevant to its local path information. This ensures that even if one router fails, other routers maintain complete information for report generation. Each router maintains the quality of local data independence and availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method uses path information to project traffic information from flow- or IPFix-type messages onto one or more paths that may have been taken by packets corresponding to such messages. Traffic information from a message is projected from the router interface from which the message was received, along the path or paths the packets corresponding to the message may have taken, but only to the next router interface that provides such messages.