Configurable probe blocks for system monitoring

• US 10,436,835 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa, Anschutz, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Diallo, Mamadou L
• Application Number:
  US15/971,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20180252770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31712 Input or output aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3003 Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

Configurable probe blocks for system monitoring are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include a processor to perform operations including enabling, based on a value of a control word, a first probe input of a probe block, the first probe input mapped to a source of monitored network traffic in a software defined network. Disclosed example apparatus also include configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first trigger condition of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic to determine whether the monitored network traffic has a first characteristic. Disclosed example apparatus further include configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first probe output of the probe block to output a result of the monitored network traffic being evaluated according to the first trigger condition, the first probe output to output the result to a network application of the software defined network.

Claims

1. An apparatus to monitor a software defined network, the apparatus comprising:

memory including computer readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the computer readable instructions to perform operations including;

enabling, based on a value of a control word, a first probe input of a set of probe inputs of a probe block, the first probe input mapped to a source of monitored network traffic in the software defined network;

configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first trigger condition of a set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has a first characteristic; and

configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first probe output of a set of probe outputs of the probe block to output a result of the monitored network traffic being evaluated according to the first trigger condition, the first probe output to output the result to a network application of the software defined network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first probe input is mapped to the source of the monitored network traffic via a configurable lookup table.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enabling of the first probe input includes configuring at least one of logic gates, logic operations or switches to pass or block the first probe input based on the value of the control word.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the probe block is included in a device in a data plane of the software defined network, and the network application is included in an application plane of the software defined network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the operations further include compiling input data into the value of the control word, the input data corresponding to a network observability requirement specified by the network application.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further include configuring, based on the value of the control word, a second trigger condition of the set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has the first characteristic.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first trigger condition provides an upper bound on a parameter associated with the first characteristic, and the second trigger condition provides a lower bound on the parameter associated with the first characteristic.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

enabling, based on a value of a control word, a first probe input of a set of probe inputs of a probe block, the first probe input mapped to a source of monitored network traffic in a software defined network;

configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first trigger condition of a set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has a first characteristic; and

configuring, based on the value of the control word, a first probe output of a set of probe outputs of the probe block to output a result of the monitored network traffic being evaluated according to the first trigger condition, the first probe output to output the result to a network application of the software defined network.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the first probe input is mapped to the source of the monitored network traffic via a configurable lookup table.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the enabling of the first probe input includes configuring at least one of logic gates, logic operations or switches to pass or block the first probe input based on the value of the control word.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the probe block is included in a device in a data plane of the software defined network, and the network application is included in an application plane of the software defined network.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further include compiling input data into the value of the control word, the input data corresponding to a network observability requirement specified by the network application.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include configuring, based on the value of the control word, a second trigger condition of the set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has the first characteristic.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first trigger condition provides an upper bound on a parameter associated with the first characteristic, and the second trigger condition provides a lower bound on the parameter associated with the first characteristic.

15. A method to monitor a software defined network, the method comprising:

enabling, by executing an instruction with a processor and based on a value of a control word, a first probe input of a set of probe inputs of a probe block, the first probe input mapped to a source of monitored network traffic in the software defined network;

configuring, by executing an instruction with the processor and based on the value of the control word, a first trigger condition of a set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has a first characteristic; and

configuring, by executing an instruction with the processor and based on the value of the control word, a first probe output of a set of probe outputs of the probe block to output a result of the monitored network traffic being evaluated according to the first trigger condition, the first probe output to output the result to a network application of the software defined network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first probe input is mapped to the source of the monitored network traffic via a configurable lookup table, and the enabling of the first probe input includes configuring at least one of logic gates, logic operations or switches to pass or block the first probe input based on the value of the control word.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the probe block is included in a device in a data plane of the software defined network, and the network application is included in an application plane of the software defined network.

18. The method of claim 17, further including compiling input data into the value of the control word, the input data corresponding to a network observability requirement specified by the network application.

19. The method of claim 15, further including configuring, based on the value of the control word, a second trigger condition of the set of trigger conditions of the probe block to evaluate the monitored network traffic accessible via the first probe input to determine whether the monitored network traffic has the first characteristic.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first trigger condition provides an upper bound on a parameter associated with the first characteristic, and the second trigger condition provides a lower bound on the parameter associated with the first characteristic.