Monitoring server performance using server processing time

A network device implementing a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller, the network device comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• one or more processors in communication with the memory, the one or more processors configured to:
• configure a proxy server to forward a request for data from a client device to a data server and to forward, from the data server to the client device, a response message that is responsive to the request for data, wherein a set of header fields of the request for data indicates matching data and wherein the data server is configured to copy the matching data indicated in the set of header fields of the request for data into a set of header fields for the response message;
• receive, from the proxy server, an indication of the set of header fields for the response message that indicates a first time specifying when the data server received the request for data, a second time specifying when the response message was sent by the data server, and an indication of the matching data copied by the data server from the set of header fields of the request for data;
• identify that the response message is responsive to the request for data in response to determining that the matching data of the set of header fields for the response message matches the matching data of the header fields of the request for data;
• and
• in response to the identifying that the response message is responsive to the request for data, generate a metric for a performance of the data server based on the first time and the second time, wherein, to generate the metric, the one or more processors are configured to generate, based on a difference between the first time indicated by the indication of the set of header fields received from the proxy server and the second time indicated by the indication of the set of header fields received from the proxy server, a server processing time for the data server to generate the response message to comprise a payload generated by the data server that is responsive to the request for data.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing one or more processors of a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller to:

• configure a proxy server to forward a request for data from a client device to a data server and to forward, from the data server to the client device, a response message that is responsive to the request for data, wherein a set of header fields of the request for data indicates matching data and wherein the data server is configured to copy the matching data indicated in the set of header fields of the request for data into a set of header fields for the response message;
• receive, from the proxy server, an indication of the set of header fields for the response message that indicates a first time specifying when the data server received the request for data, a second time specifying when the response message was sent by the data server, and an indication of the matching data copied by the data server from the set of header fields of the request for data;
• identify that the response message is responsive to the request for data in response to determining that the matching data of the set of header fields for the response message matches the matching data of the header fields of the request for data;
• and
• in response to the identifying that the response message is responsive to the request for data, generate a metric for a performance of the data server based on the first time and the second time, wherein, to generate the metric, the instructions cause the one or more processors to generate, based on a difference between the first time indicated by the indication of the set of header fields received from the proxy server and the second time indicated by the indication of the set of header fields received from the proxy server, a server processing time for the data server to generate the response message to comprise a payload generated by the data server that is responsive to the request for data.