Underlay Network Tracing Across Mixed Protocol Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network tracing in multi-protocol environments is incomplete due to incompatibilities between probing devices and network devices supporting different protocols, leading to suboptimal path tracing.
Innovation Solution
A network tracing logic that extracts addresses from error response packets and generates encoding objects, such as TLV objects, to bridge protocol differences, enabling complete path tracing across devices with varying protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a probing device uses a specific network protocol for tracing, then it can successfully communicate with devices supporting the same protocol, but it fails to identify devices supporting different protocols in the path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary translation mechanism that converts protocol-specific error response packets into a universal encoding format. When a probing device sends probe packets, intermediate devices that support different protocols generate error responses in their native protocols. A translation component then converts these diverse protocol responses into a standardized encoding object format that the probing device can understand, enabling complete path tracing across multi-protocol networks without requiring the probing device to support multiple protocols directly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the protocol-specific parameters in error response packets into a universal encoding format. By changing the parameter representation from protocol-dependent fields to a standardized encoding object structure (with universal field formats), the system enables the probing device to interpret responses from devices supporting any protocol, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and protocol adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If network devices support different protocols, then network versatility is improved, but complete path tracing becomes difficult due to incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The translation mechanism acts as an intermediary that preserves path information from diverse protocol devices. It captures the essential path information (device addresses, hop counts) from error response packets in various protocols and translates them into a unified encoding format, preventing information loss while maintaining protocol diversity support in the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The encoding object format serves as a universal interface that can represent path information from devices supporting any protocol. This multi-functional encoding structure allows a single probing device to trace paths through networks with diverse protocols, maintaining both protocol versatility and complete path information without requiring multiple specialized probing devices.
3Reliability
If protocol-specific error responses are used directly, then device compatibility is maintained, but path tracing becomes incomplete across protocol boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
The translation mechanism preserves the reliability of protocol-specific communications by maintaining the original error response packet structure for local protocol operations, while simultaneously creating encoding object representations for cross-protocol visibility. This dual approach ensures that protocol communication remains reliable and device-specific behaviors are preserved, while also making intermediate devices visible to the probing device through the encoded path information.
Data Source
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AI summary
Devices, systems, methods, and processes for multi-protocol underlay network tracing are described herein. A network device associated with a first network protocol usually fails to detect other network devices that support a second network protocol, during trace routing. This can lead to incomplete and inaccurate path tracing. Thus, an edge device upon receiving an error response packet may determine whether the error response packet conforms to a network protocol supported by a host device. If the error response packet conforms to a different network protocol, the edge device may extract information required for path tracing from the error response packet. The extracted information may be included in a protocol agnostic encoding object and transmitted to the host device. The encoding object can be transmitted as a standalone message or can be appended in an error response packet. Thus, enabling underlay path tracing in end-to-end managed networks.