TWAMP Extensions for SDN NFV Service KPI Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In software defined networks (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) architectures, latency and load balancing pose significant challenges for deploying and migrating services, with existing measurement protocols lacking the ability to effectively monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) across virtualized environments.
Innovation Solution
The extension of the two-way active measurement protocol (TWAMP) to enable monitoring of service KPIs, allowing for the selection and measurement of keepalive, round trip time, path delay, service latency, and service load metrics by establishing control and data connections between centralized controllers and network devices, facilitating data session negotiation and measurement collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing measurement protocols are used in SDN and NFV architectures, then basic network monitoring is maintained, but accurate real-time service KPI monitoring cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement protocol into two distinct components: control plane functions (session management, configuration) handled by the TWAMP control client on the centralized controller, and data plane functions (actual measurement packet transmission and reception) handled by the TWAMP session initiator on network devices. This segmentation enables the protocol to adapt to SDN/NFV architectures while maintaining measurement accuracy for service KPIs.
2Ease of operation
If centralized controller manages all measurement operations, then control and management are simplified, but measurement precision and real-time performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the TWAMP session initiator as an intermediary component deployed on network devices that acts as a local measurement agent. This intermediary receives control instructions from the centralized controller's TWAMP control client, then independently performs data plane measurement operations by sending and receiving TWAMP data packets directly at the network device level, ensuring both centralized management and precise local measurement.
3Reliability
If specialized hardware is used for network functions, then measurement and control capabilities are enhanced, but device complexity and deployment flexibility increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a software-based TWAMP session initiator that replicates the measurement functionality traditionally provided by specialized hardware. This software copying approach allows the same measurement capabilities to run on standard industry servers and network devices, eliminating dependency on specialized hardware while maintaining measurement reliability through proven protocol implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for extending a two-way active measurement protocol (TWAMP) to enable measurement of service key performance indicators (KPIs) in a software defined network (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) architecture. The TWAMP extensions enable control messaging to be handled by a TWAMP control client executed on a centralized controller, and data messaging to be handled by a TWAMP session initiator executed on a separate network device. Techniques are also described for extending TWAMP to enable measurement of any of a plurality of service KPIs for a given service supported at a TWAMP server. The service KPIs may include one or more of keepalive measurements, round trip time measurements, path delay measurements, service latency measurements, or service load measurements. The TWAMP extensions for the service KPIs may be used in both conventional network architectures and in SDN and NFV architectures.