WAN Gateway Path Optimization for Hybrid Cloud Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid cloud systems face challenges in optimizing connectivity between customer data centers and cloud data centers due to multiple communication paths in wide area networks, leading to suboptimal performance and potential connection failures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a gateway that probes the wide area network with test packets varying IP flow tuples to identify and classify multiple paths, selecting an optimal IP flow for establishing a path-optimized connection between data centers, ensuring efficient application performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple communication paths are used in WAN, then connectivity redundancy is improved, but path selection complexity and performance optimization difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary probing of the WAN with test packets before actual data transmission to identify and classify available paths. This advance preparation allows the gateway to have path performance information ready before connectivity is needed, resolving the contradiction by preparing path knowledge in advance rather than making complex selections in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary between the virtualized computing system and the WAN, inserting itself to perform path probing and selection. This intermediary function simplifies the overall system by centralizing path management at the gateway level, preventing the complexity from propagating through the entire system while maintaining connectivity redundancy.
2Measurement precision
If path probing with multiple IP flows is performed, then path identification accuracy is improved, but network overhead and probing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple IP flows for probing to achieve accurate path identification, but this is done as a partial action during the probing phase rather than continuous excessive action. The multiple flows are used selectively to classify paths, and then the system transitions to using the identified optimal path for actual data transmission, balancing measurement precision with network overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The probing process is segmented into distinct phases using different IP flows for different purposes. Test packets with varying IP flow tuples are used to probe and classify paths separately from actual data transmission. This segmentation allows accurate path identification without continuously incurring the overhead of multiple flows.
3Productivity
If optimal path selection is implemented, then data transmission performance is improved, but system complexity and configuration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs automatic path probing, classification, and selection without requiring manual configuration or intervention. The system self-services by autonomously identifying optimal paths and routing traffic accordingly, improving data transmission performance while avoiding the complexity of manual path management and configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters such as IP flow tuples in test packets to probe different paths and classify them based on performance metrics. By dynamically adjusting these parameters during probing and then applying the learned parameters for optimal path selection, the system achieves improved transmission performance without permanent system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method of optimizing connectivity between data centers in a hybrid cloud system having a first data center managed by a first organization and a second data center managed by a second organization, the first organization being a tenant in the second data center. The method includes probing a wide area network (WAN) with test packets by varying an internet protocol (IP) flow tuple of the test packets across a set of IP flows. The method includes identifying a plurality of paths between a gateway of the first data center and another gateway of the second data center associated with the set of IP flows. The method further includes selecting an IP flow from the set of IP flows for an application executing in the first data center. The method further includes establishing a path-optimized connection between the gateway and the other gateway through the WAN having the selected IP flow for use by the application.