Deep network path analysis for identifying network segments affecting application performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10904096-B2
Application number	US-201816229663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

In one embodiment, a network analysis process initiates network path analysis for a transaction application operating over a logical transaction path having a first segment from a first set of transaction servers to a load balancer and a second segment then to a second set of transaction servers. The network path analysis, when for the second segment, comprises: selecting a receiving transaction server of the second set of transaction servers; identifying a TCP session associated with the transaction application already in progress to the receiving transaction server; initiating a TCP traceroute using ACK packets, whose signature matches the in-progress TCP session, from the receiving transaction server to the load balancer; and determining, in reverse, a network path of layer-3 segments and associated network metrics between the receiving transaction server and the load balancer. Specific layer-3 segments of the network path causing performance degradation of the transaction application are then identifiable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by a network analysis process executing on at least one processor, a trigger to initiate network path analysis for a transaction application operating over a logical transaction path having a first segment from a first set of transaction servers to a load balancer and a second segment from the load balancer to a second set of transaction servers, wherein the first set of transaction servers include left-side servers that originate traffic to the load balancer over the first segment, and the second set of transaction servers include right-side servers that receive traffic from the load balancer over the second segment;
determining, by the network analysis process, whether the trigger is based on the first segment or the second segment;
in response to determining that the trigger is based on the second segment, initiating the network path analysis, by the network analysis process in response to the trigger, wherein the network path analysis is for the second segment of the logical transaction path and comprises:
selecting a receiving transaction server of the second set of transaction servers;
identifying a transmission control protocol (TCP) session associated with the transaction application already in progress to the receiving transaction server;
initiating a TCP traceroute using acknowledgment (ACK) packets, whose signature matches the TCP session already in progress, from the receiving transaction server to the load balancer; and
determining, in reverse, a network path of layer-3 segments between the receiving transaction server and the load balancer and one or more network metrics associated with each layer-3 segment of the network path based on the TCP traceroute; and

identifying, by the network analysis process, one or more specific layer-3 segments of the network path causing performance degradation of the transaction application based on the network path analysis.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the network path analysis is for the first segment of the logical transaction path and comprises:
selecting an originating transaction server of the first set of transaction servers;
initiating a TCP traceroute using synchronize (SYN) packets associated with the transaction application from the originating transaction server to the load balancer; and
determining a network path of layer-3 segments between the originating transaction server and the load balancer and one or more network metrics associated with each layer-3 segment of the network path of layer-3 segments between the originating transaction server and the load balancer based on the TCP traceroute; and
wherein the method further comprises:
identifying one or more specific layer-3 segments of the network path of layer-3 segments between the originating transaction server and the load balancer causing performance degradation of the transaction application based on the network path analysis.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the trigger is the performance degradation of the transaction application surpassing a threshold tolerance of application-based latency.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the trigger is a user request.

5. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the performance degradation is based on either the first segment or the second segment.

6. The method as in claim 5 , wherein the trigger is a user request and wherein determining whether the performance degradation is based on either the first segment or the second segment comprises:
receiving an indication within the user request of whether the performance degradation is based on either the first segment or the second segment.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of transaction servers comprise ecommerce servers and the second set of transaction servers comprise order servers.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the one or more network metrics are selected from a group consisting of: latency; packet drops; delay; and jitter.

9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein selecting the receiving transaction server of the second set of transaction servers further comprises:
selecting a particular port of the receiving transaction server.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the TCP traceroute is equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) aware.

11. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
mitigating the performance degradation of the transaction application based on the one or more specific layer-3 segments causing the performance degradation.

12. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying the one or more specific layer-3 segments causing the performance degradation and the one or more network metrics associated with the one or more specific layer-3 segments causing the performance degradation on a graphical user interface (GUI).

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more network metrics associated with each layer-3 segment of the network path is based on subtracting previous total network metrics of a previous iteration of the TCP traceroute from a current total network metric associated with a current iteration of the TCP traceroute.

14. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program instructions that cause a computer to execute a process comprising:
determining a trigger to initiate network path analysis for a transaction application operating over a logical transaction path having a first segment from a first set of transaction servers to a load balancer and a second segment from the load balancer to a second set of transaction servers, wherein the first set of transaction servers include left-side servers that originate traffic to the load balancer over the first segment, and the second set of transaction servers include right-side servers that receive traffic from the load balancer over the second segment;
determining whether the trigger is based on the first segment or the second segment;
in response to determining that the trigger is based on the second segment, initiating the network path analysis, in response to the trigger, wherein the network path analysis is for the second segment of the logical transaction path and comprises:
selecting a receiving transaction server of the second set of transaction servers;
identifying a transmission control protocol (TCP) session associated with the transaction application already in progress to the receiving transaction server;
initiating a TCP traceroute using acknowledgment (ACK) packets, whose signature matches the TCP session already in progress, from the receiving transaction server to the load balancer; and
determining, in reverse, a network path of layer-3 segments between the receiving transaction server and the load balancer and one or more network metrics associated with each layer-3 segment of the network path based on the TCP traceroute; and

identifying one or more specific layer-3 segments of the network path causing performance degradation of the transaction application based on the network path analysis.

15. The computer-readable medium as in claim 14 , wherein the network path analysis is for the first segment of the logical transaction path and comprises:
selecting an originating transaction server of the first set of transaction servers;
initiating a TCP traceroute using synchronize (SYN) packets associated with the transaction application from the originating transaction server to the load balancer; and
determining a network path of layer-3 segments between the originating transaction server and the load balancer and one or more network

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Nataraj Harish
• Chandel Ajay
• Kaligotla Prakash

Classifications

• H04L41/12 Primary

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L41/149

  for prediction of maintenance · CPC title

• H04L47/125 Primary

  by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering · CPC title

• H04L47/193

  at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related · CPC title

• H04L43/0852

  Delays · CPC title