System and method of discovering paths in a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9954736-B2
Application number	US-201514955912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A method and apparatus that discovers and tests paths in a network is described. In an exemplary embodiment, a device discovers a path by discovering a plurality of equal cost segments between the first and second network elements of the plurality of network elements. The device further generates a plurality of test data packets, wherein each of the test data packets has a different characteristic. In addition, the device injects the plurality of test data packets in the first network element such that the first network element transmits the plurality of test data packets to the second network element using the plurality of equal cost segments. The device additionally determines a path for each of the plurality of test data packets by recording which of the plurality of equal cost segments the first network element used to transmit that test data packet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
identifying, by a first agent running on a first network element of a plurality of network elements in a network and a second agent running on a second network element of the plurality of network elements, a first equal cost segment and a type of packet the first equal cost segment is used to transport, wherein the type of packet is represented by one or more specific values of one or more packet characteristics including a source address, a destination address, a source port number, a destination port number, a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, virtual extension local area network (VxLAN) tag, differentiated services code point (DSCP) bits and protocol information and wherein the first equal cost segment is one of a plurality of equal cost segments coupling the first network element and the second network element;
generating, by the first agent, a test data packet to traverse the first equal cost segment, wherein the type of packet to be used for the test data packet was discovered during said identifying by transmitting a plurality of test data packets having a variety of different packet characteristics across the plurality of equal cost segments;
injecting, by the first agent, the test data packet in the first network element such that the first network element transmits the test data packet to the second network element using the first equal cost segment; and
determining, by the second agent, a performance result of the test data packet transmission.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of equal cost segments is selected from the group consisting of an Equal Cost Multipath and a Link Aggregation Group.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of equal cost segments is treated as a single logical link in a forwarding configuration of the first network element.

4. A method comprising:
discovering, by a first agent running on a first network element of a plurality of network elements in a network or a second agent running on a second network element of the plurality of network elements, a plurality of equal cost segments between the first network element and the second network element; and
determining for each link of the plurality of equal cost segments a type of packet the link is used to transport by probing a link selection mechanism of the first network element, including:
generating, by the first agent, a plurality of test data packets having a variety of different packet characteristics, wherein each of the plurality of test data packets has a different value for one or more of a source address, a destination address, a source port number, a destination port number, a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, virtual extension local area network (VxLAN) tag, differentiated services code point (DSCP) bits and protocol information than all other of the plurality of test data packets;
injecting, by the first agent, the plurality of test data packets in the first network element such that the first network element transmits the plurality of test data packets to the second network element using the plurality of equal cost segments; and
determining a path for each test data packet of the plurality of test data packets by recording, by the second agent, on which link of the plurality of equal cost segments the first network element used to transmit the test data packet.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of equal cost segments is selected from the group consisting of an Equal Cost Multipath and a Link Aggregation Group.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of test data packets have at least one or more of a different source address, destination address, source port number, and destination port number.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of equal cost segments is treated as a single logical link in a forwarding configuration of the first network element.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein a mechanism in which the first network elements selects one of the plurality of equal cost segments to transmit one of the plurality test data packets is not discoverable from configuration information of the first network element.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first network element selects one of the plurality of equal cost segments to transmit one of the plurality test data packets using a proprietary mechanism.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the discovering the plurality of equal cost segments comprises: identifying the plurality of equal cost segments in a forwarding configuration of the first network element.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the forwarding configuration is selected from the group consisting of a forwarding information base and a routing information base.

Assignees

• Fortinet Inc

Inventors

• Durgin Cyrus John
• Holton Brett A
• Wanser Kelly Ann

Classifications

• H04L43/12

  Network monitoring probes · CPC title

• H04L45/24

  Multipath · CPC title

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L41/0836 Primary

  to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime · CPC title

• H04L43/20 Primary

  the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV · CPC title