Triggered In-Band OAM for Network Telemetry

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing in-band Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) systems generate excessive data and incur high CPU load, leading to performance degradation and inefficient data collection in large-scale networks.

Innovation Solution

Implementing triggered in-band OAM capabilities that dynamically enable specific OAM features only when needed, based on external events or internal anomalies, to reduce data volume and focus on relevant network insights.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If in-band OAM is enabled for every packet in a network with all features, then detailed information about network state and forwarding behavior is obtained, but an enormous amount of data is created leading to high CPU load and performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetailed information about network stateVSAvoidnetwork performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by enabling in-band OAM features selectively rather than for every packet. Specific OAM capabilities are triggered only when needed based on network events, anomalies, or configured policies, thereby obtaining necessary detailed information while avoiding the creation of enormous data volumes that would degrade network performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic OAM feature activation where the system transitions from a static all-or-nothing OAM approach to a dynamic triggered approach. OAM features are enabled or disabled in real-time based on network conditions, events, or anomalies, allowing the system to adapt measurement precision to actual needs while maintaining performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of information

If in-band OAM creates a record for each customer packet, then complete telemetry data is collected, but data overhead and processing complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetelemetry data completenessVSAvoiddata volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary telemetry information based on triggered events rather than collecting data for every packet. When a trigger condition is met, the system extracts and records specific OAM data relevant to the event, avoiding the generation of excessive data overhead while maintaining completeness of critical telemetry information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different OAM data collection qualities to different network conditions or locations. Instead of uniform data collection for all packets, the system applies targeted OAM features with appropriate detail levels based on local network conditions, event types, or anomaly severity, thereby reducing overall data volume while preserving essential information

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4099645B1Triggered in-band operations, administration, and maintenance in a network environment
Publication Date: 2025.04.09 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP4099645B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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AI summary

Embodiments of the disclosure pertain to activating in-band OAM based on a triggering event. Aspects of the embodiments are directed to receiving a first notification indicating a problem in a network; triggering a data-collection feature on one or more nodes in the network for subsequent packets that traverse the one or more nodes; evaluating a subsequent packet that includes data augmented by the data collection feature; and determining the problem in the network based on the data augmented to the subsequent packet.