Transaction Accelerator Address Manipulation for Network Monitoring

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Network tools face difficulties in monitoring and processing traffic on transaction accelerators' inner connections, where traffic is transformed and lacks differentiated attributes, making it hard to troubleshoot and apply Quality of Service (QoS) policies effectively.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating source/destination IP addresses and ports from the outer connection into packets on the inner connection, using TCP options or other fields for address manipulation, allowing for the use of swappers and unswappers to manage address substitution and ensure transparent communication between transaction accelerators.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If transaction accelerators transform traffic on inner connections to improve performance, then productivity is improved, but network tools cannot effectively monitor and process traffic due to lack of differentiated attributes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction accelerationVSAvoidtraffic monitoring

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (address manipulation layer) between the transaction acceleration process and network monitoring tools. This layer preserves original outer connection addressing information in packet headers or options, allowing network tools to monitor and process traffic effectively while transaction accelerators continue to transform inner connection traffic for performance optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies a flexible addressing layer that can adapt to different packet types and connection scenarios. This thin film of address manipulation allows the system to maintain transparency for network tools while enabling transformation for acceleration, effectively wrapping the transformed traffic in a recognizable外衣.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Device complexity

If transaction accelerators use transformed addressing on inner connections, then device complexity is reduced, but troubleshooting and QoS policy application become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccelerator configurationVSAvoidtroubleshooting

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a copy of the original outer connection addressing information and preserves it in the inner connection packets. This copying mechanism allows troubleshooting tools to examine the original addressing without requiring complex configuration, while the accelerators work with the simplified inner connection addressing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary address manipulation at the point of transformation, embedding original addressing information before packets leave the accelerators. This preliminary action ensures that troubleshooting and QoS policies can be applied downstream without requiring retroactive configuration changes or complex accelerator settings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If transaction accelerators use generic addressing on inner connections, then adaptability is improved, but network tools experience configuration mismatches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaddressing scheme flexibilityVSAvoidnetwork tool functionality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the addressing information into two distinct parts: inner connection addressing for accelerator communication and outer connection addressing for network tool compatibility. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific purpose independently, maintaining both adaptability for acceleration and reliability for monitoring tools.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a universal addressing mechanism that serves multiple functions simultaneously. The same packet structure carries both transformed inner connection addresses for acceleration and original outer connection addresses for monitoring, allowing the system to adapt to different connection types while maintaining network tool functionality across diverse scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9332091B2Address manipulation to provide for the use of network tools even when transaction acceleration is in use over a network

Publication Date: 2016.05.03 RIVERBED TECH LLC

AI summary

In address-manipulation enabled transaction accelerators, the transaction accelerators include outer-connection addressing information in packets emitted over an inner connection between transaction accelerators and inner-connection addressing information is added in packets sent over the inner connection. The inner-connection addressing information can be carried in TCP option fields, directly in other fields, or indirectly through data structures maintained by the endpoints processing the connection. Address information can be encoded into header fields originally intended for other purposes but that are unused or encoded into used fields, overlaid in combination with other data that is being carried in those used fields. The existence of inner-connection addressing information in a packet can be signaled by a flag in the packet, by a bit or other designated encoding. The flag can be in an unused header field or overlaid. Where replacement and option addition is needed, swappers and unswappers might be used.