# US 9,521,053 B1 · Providing diagnostic metrics for virtual connections over physical connections into a provider network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,053 B1 - Document ID: US9521053B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 14/526,408 - Filed: 2014-10-28 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-10-28 - Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Po-Chun Chen; Shuguang Wang; Mark Edward Stalzer; Shuai Ye - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521053B1 ## CPC - H04L 12/4641: {Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272)} - H04L 41/5041: characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service - H04L 43/08: Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters - H04L 43/20: the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV - H04L 41/22: comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] - H04L 43/0829: Packet loss - H04L 43/087: Jitter - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A provider network may collect diagnostic metrics for virtual connections implemented over physical connections to resources in the provider network. Diagnostic metric collection may be enabled via an interface for the provider network. In response to receiving a request to enable diagnostic metric collection for a particular virtual connection, a diagnostic agent within the provider network may begin sending diagnostic request messages to a client-side endpoint via the particular virtual connection. Responses to the request messages may be received back at the diagnostic agent. The diagnostic responses may then be used to generate diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection, which may be provided through the provider network interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a plurality of compute nodes that together implement a provider network that provides one or more computing resources for a client; an edge router for the provider network that implements a dedicated physical connection to connect a client network for the client to the provider network, wherein the edge router supports one or more virtual connections between the client network and the one or more computing resources implemented over the dedicated physical connection; a provider network interface; one or more of the plurality of compute nodes of the provider network that implement at least one diagnostic agent, configured to: in response to receipt of a request to enable diagnostic metric collection for one or more diagnostic metrics for a particular virtual connection of the one or more virtual connections via the provider network interface: send via the particular virtual connection, one or more diagnostic requests to a client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection; receive, via the particular virtual connection, one or more diagnostic responses to the one or more diagnostic requests; and the provider network interface, configured to: provide one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection that are based, at least in part, on the one or more diagnostic responses received at the at least one diagnostic agent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diagnostic agent is further configured to store the one or more diagnostic responses; wherein to provide the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection, the provider network interface is configured to: receive a request for the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection; and generate the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection from the stored one or more diagnostic responses. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diagnostic agent is further configured to: in response to receipt of a request to disable diagnostic metric collection via the provider network interface, halt subsequent diagnostic requests to the client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the provider network is a network-based service platform, wherein the one or more resources are some of a plurality of network-based computing services implemented as part of the network-based services platform, wherein the dedicated physical connection provides a private network connection that is separate from one or more public network connections to the provider network, and wherein the provider network interface is a network-based interface configured to receive requests via the dedicated physical connection and the one or more public network connections. ### Claim 5 A method, comprising: performing, by one or more computing devices: receiving a request to enable diagnostic metric collection for one or more diagnostic metrics for a particular virtual connection implemented over a dedicated physical connection between a client network and one or more resources implemented as part of the provider network; in response to receiving the request to enable diagnostic metric collection: sending, from at least one diagnostic agent located in the provider network, one or more diagnostic requests via the particular virtual connection to a client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection; receiving, at the at least one diagnostic agent, one or more diagnostic responses to the one or more diagnostic requests via the particular virtual connection; and providing one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection that are based, at least in part, on the one or more diagnostic responses. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the request to enable diagnostic metric collection is received via a programmatic interface for the provider network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises storing the one or more diagnostic responses to the one or more diagnostic requests; wherein providing the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection comprises: receiving a request for the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection via a network-based interface for the provider network; generating the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection from the stored one or more diagnostic responses; and wherein the one or more diagnostic metrics are provided via the network-based interface for the provider network. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the network-based interface is a graphical user interface for the provider network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising provisioning the at least one diagnostic agent in response to receiving the request to enable diagnostic metric collection. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more resources are implemented as part of an isolated virtual network within the provider network, wherein visibility of the client-side connection endpoint is restricted to the isolated virtual network, and wherein provisioning the at least one diagnostic agent comprises configuring the at least one diagnostic agent to access the isolated virtual network in order to send diagnostic requests via the virtual connection endpoint. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more resources are located within a respective one of a plurality of fault tolerant zones, and wherein provisioning the at least one diagnostic agent comprises provisioning one or more respective diagnostic agents in respective ones of the plurality of fault tolerant zones. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving a request to disable diagnostic metric collection for the particular virtual connection; and in response to receiving the request to disable diagnostic metric collection, halting subsequent diagnostic requests to the client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection from the diagnostic agent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more resources are implemented as part of one or more network-based computing services offered as part of the provider network and wherein the dedicated physical connection provides a private network connection that is separate from one or more public network connections to the provider network. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to implement: receiving a request to enable diagnostic metric collection for one or more diagnostic metrics for a particular virtual connection implemented over a dedicated physical connection between a client network and one or more resources implemented as part of the provider network; in response to receiving the request to enable diagnostic metric collection: sending, from at least one diagnostic agent located in the provider network, one or more diagnostic requests via the particular virtual connection to a client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection; receiving, at the at least one diagnostic agent, one or more diagnostic responses to the one or more diagnostic requests via the particular virtual connection; and providing one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection that are based, at least in part, on the one or more diagnostic responses. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to further implement storing the one or more diagnostic responses to the one or more diagnostic requests; wherein, in providing the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection, the one or more program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to implement: receiving a request for the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection via a graphical user interface for the provider network; generating the one or more diagnostic metrics for the particular virtual connection from the stored one or more diagnostic responses; and wherein the one or more diagnostic metrics are provided via the graphical user interface for the provider network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the request to enable diagnostic metric collection is received via a graphical user interface for the provider network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more resources are accessible via one or more public network connections that are separate from the dedicated physical connection. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the program instructions cause the one or more computing devices to further implement: receiving a request to disable diagnostic metric collection for the particular virtual connection; and in response to receiving the request to disable diagnostic metric collection, halting subsequent diagnostic requests to the client-side connection endpoint for the particular virtual connection from the diagnostic agent. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein another one or more virtual connections are implemented over the dedicated physical connection between the client network and the provider network, and wherein diagnostic metric collection for at least one of the other one or more virtual connections is not enabled. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more resources are implemented as part of one or more network-based computing services offered as part of the provider network and wherein the dedicated physical connection provides a private network connection that is separate from one or more public network connections to the provider network.