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Systems and methods for scalable network monitoring in virtual data centers

  • US 10,264,020 B1
  • Filed: 02/05/2015
  • Issued: 04/16/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method for scalable network monitoring in virtual data centers, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

  • identifying a plurality of network monitoring agents executing on a plurality of virtual machine host systems within a virtual data center;

    intercepting, at a receiving virtual machine host system within the plurality of virtual machine host systems, a traffic flow within a virtual network that is hosted within the virtual data center from a sending virtual machine host system within the plurality of virtual machine host systems, wherein the receiving virtual machine host system executes a first network monitoring agent within the plurality of network monitoring agents that inspects traffic flows received at the receiving virtual machine host system;

    determining a processor load on each of the plurality of virtual machine host systems;

    selecting, based on the processor load on the receiving virtual machine host system exceeding an established threshold, an alternate virtual machine host system that executes a second network monitoring agent for inspecting the traffic flow; and

    limiting the processor load on the receiving virtual machine host system by designating the second network monitoring agent executing on the alternate virtual machine host system to inspect the traffic flow between the sending virtual machine host system and the receiving virtual machine host system on behalf of the receiving virtual machine host system instead of the first network monitoring agent, wherein each network monitoring agent within the plurality of network monitoring agents inspects traffic flows by;

    providing, within a virtualized switching device that routes network traffic from a source port within the virtual network to a destination port within the virtual network, a set of software-defined-network rules containing packet inspection criteria;

    intercepting, at the source port, a packet destined for the destination port;

    determining that at least one characteristic of the packet satisfies at least one of the rules; and

    in response to determining that the characteristic of the packet satisfies at least one of the rules, forwarding a copy of the packet to a virtual tap port that analyzes the copy of the packet.

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