Adding entropy to datagrams containing sampled flows
AssigneeArista Networks, Inc.
InventorsThomas Benjamin Emmons, Prashant Dyamanagouda Patil, Reeno Joseph Baby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Transmitting sampled flows in datagrams to a collector includes adding entropy to the headers of the UDP packets that encapsulate the datagrams. The entropy, for example, can be a timestamp associated with a sampled data packet contained in the datagram. Each UDP packet is transmitted on a data patch selected from among a plurality of data paths using at least the UDP header. The entropy in each UDP header serves to spread the transmission of UDP packets across the plurality of data paths.
Claims18
A method in a network device for sampling data packets, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of data packets;
- sampling the received data packets;
- and
- transmitting the sampled data packets, including:
- generating a datagram comprising one or more of the sampled data packets;
- storing the datagram in a payload portion of a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packet;
- storing, in a header portion of the UDP packet, a timestamp associated with a sampled data packet contained in the datagram, wherein the timestamp indicates a time at which the sampled data packet was received and varies between successive sampled data packets;
- selecting a path to the destination, from among a plurality of paths, using the timestamp in the header portion of the UDP packet;
- and
- transmitting the UDP packet to the destination on the selected path.
(canceled)
A network device comprising packet processing pipeline circuitry configured to:
- receive network traffic on an interface of the network device;
- sample the network traffic;
- and
- transmit datagrams that contain the sampled network traffic wherein, for each datagram:
- a data path to a collector is selected using a timestamp associated with a sampled data packet in said each datagram, wherein the timestamp indicates a time at which the sampled data packet was received and varies between successive datagrams comprising sampled network traffic;
- and
- said each datagram is transmitted on the selected data path,
- wherein successive datagrams are transmitted on different data paths to the collector.
14-16. (canceled)
A method in a network device for sampling data packets, the method comprising:
- receiving network traffic on an interface of the network device;
- sampling the network traffic;
- and
- transmitting datagrams that contain the sampled network traffic,
- wherein for each datagram:
- a data path to a collector is selected from among a plurality of data paths, using a timestamp associated with a sampled data packet in said each datagram, wherein the timestamp indicates a time at which the sampled data packet was received and varies between successive datagrams comprising sampled network traffic;
- and
- said each datagram is transmitted on the selected data path,
- wherein successive datagrams are transmitted on different data paths to the collector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.