End-to-End Transaction Tracing in Networks with Traffic-Altering Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network analysis systems are ineffective in tracing and diagnosing performance issues due to the lack of association between messages that undergo transformation in network environments with WAN accelerators, leading to unclear causal relationships and inaccurate performance assessments.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that trace the path of messages even when their addresses and/or content are transformed, synchronizing and correlating the traces to determine causal relationships and end-to-end characteristics, thereby facilitating effective network analysis and diagnostics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If WAN accelerators transform message addresses and content to optimize network throughput, then network speed and productivity are improved, but the ability to trace and analyze end-to-end transactions is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces trace devices as intermediary components that insert trace information into messages at specific points in the network. These trace devices act as mediators between the message flow and the analysis system, capturing transaction information without interfering with the WAN accelerator's optimization functions. The trace information serves as a mediator that preserves end-to-end visibility despite address transformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of trace information by inserting trace records at multiple points in the network path. Instead of relying on the original message addresses that get transformed, the system creates duplicate trace data copies that maintain the association between original and transformed messages. This copying approach preserves the transaction trail independently of the message content transformations.
2Speed
If proxy devices spoof acknowledgements to bypass strict communication sequences, then transaction speed is improved, but the accuracy of performance diagnosis is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where trace information flows back through the network path to the analysis system. By capturing acknowledgements and other transaction events at multiple points and feeding this trace data back to the diagnostic system, the patent maintains accurate performance measurement despite the spoofing techniques used by proxy devices to optimize transaction speed.
3Ease of operation
If trace devices monitor conventional encoded messages, then network analysis is simplified, but the ability to associate transformed messages with original transactions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to message tracking by inserting trace information as a separate layer alongside the conventional message content. Instead of trying to analyze the transformed message addresses directly, the system uses this additional trace dimension that runs parallel to the message flow, preserving the association between original and transformed messages without complicating the core message protocol.
Data Source
AI summary
In a network that includes intermediary nodes, such as WAN accelerators, that transform messages between nodes, an end-to-end path of the messages is determined. The determined end-to-end path is used in subsequent analyses of message traces, to identify timing and other factors related to the performance of the network relative to the propagation of these messages, including the propagation of the transformed messages. A variety of techniques are presented for determining the path of the messages, depending upon the characteristics of the collected trace data. Upon determining the message path, the traces are synchronized in time and correlations between the connections along the path are determined, including causal relationships. In a preferred embodiment, a user identifies an application process between or among particular nodes of a network, and the system provides a variety of formats for viewing statistics related to the performance of the application on the network.