EXTENDING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION TRACING FOR NETWORK OPTIMIZATIONS

Organization Name

Inventor(s)

Edward Albert Warnicke of Austin TX (US)

EXTENDING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION TRACING FOR NETWORK OPTIMIZATIONS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18234252 titled 'EXTENDING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION TRACING FOR NETWORK OPTIMIZATIONS

Simplified Explanation

The patent application abstract describes techniques for extending network elements to inspect, extract, and complement tracing information added to Layer 7 flows by application distributed tracing systems. This involves receiving Layer-7 messages associated with a distributed application, determining if they include tracing information, mapping this information to a marking in Layer 3 or Layer 4 packets, and sending these packets to network elements for network decision-making.

Techniques for extending network elements:

   - Receiving Layer-7 messages with tracing information
   - Mapping tracing information to markings in Layer 3 or Layer 4 packets
   - Sending marked packets to network elements for decision-making

Utilizing markings for network decisions:

   - Configuring network elements to use markings for determining network decisions
   - Enhancing network decision-making based on tracing information
   - Improving network performance and efficiency through marked packets

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in: - Cloud computing environments - Distributed systems - Network monitoring and optimization

Problems Solved

- Enhancing visibility and traceability in distributed applications - Improving network decision-making based on application tracing information - Streamlining network operations and management

Benefits

- Increased efficiency in network operations - Enhanced performance monitoring and troubleshooting - Improved scalability and reliability in distributed systems

Potential Commercial Applications

- Network equipment manufacturers - Cloud service providers - Application performance management companies

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of network packet marking techniques for quality of service (QoS) management in network environments.

Unanswered Questions

How does this technology impact network security?

This article does not delve into the potential security implications of extending network elements to include tracing information in Layer 3 or Layer 4 packets. It would be important to explore how this innovation could affect network security measures and potential vulnerabilities.

What are the scalability limitations of this technology?

The scalability of implementing these techniques in large-scale distributed systems is not discussed in this article. Understanding the potential limitations in scaling this technology could be crucial for its practical application in real-world scenarios.

Original Abstract Submitted

Techniques for extending network elements to inspect, extract, and complement tracing information added to L7 flows by application distributed tracing systems. The techniques may include receiving a Layer-7 (L7) message of an L7 flow associated with a distributed application and determining that the L7 message includes tracing information. In some examples, the tracing information may be mapped to a marking that is to be included in a Layer 3 (L3) or Layer-4 (L4) packet carrying the L7 message, and the L3 or L4 packet including the marking may be sent to an L3 or L4 network element. In some examples, the L3 or L4 network element may be configured to utilize the marking to determine a network decision for the L3 or L4 packet.

18234252. EXTENDING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION TRACING FOR NETWORK OPTIMIZATIONS simplified abstract (Cisco Technology, Inc.)

Contents

EXTENDING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION TRACING FOR NETWORK OPTIMIZATIONS

Organization Name

Inventor(s)