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US 9,286,620 B2Granted
Annotated tracing for data networks
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorsWilliam Brad Matthews, Puneet Agarwal, Bruce Hui Kwan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Network devices add annotation information to network packets as they travel through the network devices. The network devices may be switches, routers, bridges, hubs, or any other network device. The annotation information may be information specific to the network devices, as opposed to simply the kinds of information available at application servers that receive the network packets. As just a few examples, the annotation information may include switch buffer levels, routing delay, routing parameters affecting the packet, switch identifiers, power consumption, and heat, moisture, or other environmental data.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving a packet at a network device in a network that connects a source application server and a destination server through the network device;
- accessing annotation configuration information to determine whether the destination server of the packet is designated for annotation, the annotation configuration information stored on the network device;
- responsive to the destination server of the packet not being designated for annotation, forgoing annotation of the packet;
- and
- responsive to the destination server of the packet being designated for annotation:
- obtaining network device information from the network device, the network device information comprising a buffer fill level, a queue level, a time stamp, a traffic flow characteristic, switching performance information, congestion information, environmental data, or any combination thereof;
- annotating the packet with the network device information;
- and
- forwarding the packet toward the destination server.
6 more elements
A device comprising:
- a packet buffer operable to receive a packet from a source application server;
- annotation circuitry connected to the packet buffer, the annotation circuitry configured to:
- determine a destination application server for the packet;
- access annotation configuration information to determine whether the destination application server for the packet is designated for annotation, the annotation configuration information being stored on the annotation circuitry;
- responsive to the destination application server for the packet not being designated for annotation, forgo annotation of the packet;
- and
- responsive to the destination application server for the packet being designated for annotation, obtain network device information for a network device that will forward the packet to a destination server, the network device information comprising a buffer fill level, a queue level, a time stamp, a traffic flow characteristic, switching performance information, congestion information, environmental data, or any combination thereof;
- annotate the packet with the network device information;
- and
- switching logic operable to forward the packet toward the destination server.
7 more elements
A device comprising:
- a packet buffer in a network device, the packet buffer comprising a network packet received from a source network device and destined for a destination network device;
- annotation circuitry connected to the packet buffer, the annotation circuitry configured to:
- access annotation configuration information to determine whether an annotation designation for the destination network device is present in the annotation configuration information, the annotation configuration information being stored on the annotation circuitry;
- responsive to the annotation designation for the destination network device being absent from the annotation configuration information, forgo annotation of the network packet;
- and
- responsive to the annotation designation for the destination network device being present in the annotation information:
- obtain annotation information about the network device that is unavailable to the destination network device, the annotation information comprising a buffer fill level, a queue level, a time stamp, a traffic flow characteristic, switching performance information, congestion information, environmental data, or any combination thereof;
- annotate the network packet with the annotation information;
- and
- processing circuitry configured to forward the network packet toward the destination network device.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.