Detection of network problems in a computing system

• US 7,826,376 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Kritov, Slava, van Rietschote, Hans F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryman; Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANTON, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US11/042,641
• Time in Patent Office: 2,107 Days
• Field of Search: 370/519, 370/518, 370/517, 370/516, 370/503, 370/241, 370/252, 370/384, 340/825.2
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0858 One way delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps

Abstract

A method and mechanism for monitoring performance in a network computing system. A user application on a source system is configured to communication with a destination system. The application is configured to load a dynamic linked library upon execution. The dynamic linked library is configured to store packet identifiers and time stamp information for communication packets received from the application prior to the packets being conveyed to the destination system. Upon receipt of an acknowledgement packet from the destination system, the library code is configured to retrieve the previously stored time stamp information, determine transit latency information corresponding to the communication packet, and log the determined transit latency information. Acknowledgement packets may further include time stamp information which may be utilized to determine additional latency information corresponding to the communication packet and/or acknowledgement packet. Logged information may be used to distinguish application problems from network performance problems.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring network performance in a computing system, said method comprising:

loading a user application in user space on a source system, the user application being configured to communicate with a destination system;

loading a non-external agent in the user space, in response to detecting loading of the user application, the non-external agent being configured to monitor network performance;

detecting a received communication packet along a communication path prior to the packet being conveyed via a network, said detecting being performed by the non-external agent along the communication path, and wherein said packet corresponds to non-diagnostic production traffic generated by the user application;

generating a modified packet by adding first time stamp information to the communication packet;

storing, separate from the received communication packet, an identifier and the first time stamp information corresponding to the received communication packet;

conveying, by the agent, the modified packet along the communication path via the network to the destination system;

receiving an acknowledgement packet corresponding to the modified packet, wherein the acknowledgement packet includes second time stamp information, the second time stamp information indicating a time the modified packet was received by the destination system;

retrieving the stored first time stamp information; and

determining transit latency information corresponding to the communication packet, the transit latency information indicating a transit time of the modified packet from the source system to the destination system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the storing and determining are performed by user application code.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein determining the transit latency information comprises comparing the stored first time stamp information with the second time stamp information included in the acknowledgement packet.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said communication packet comprises a header field and a data field, the data field being configured to store original packet data from the communication packet, and wherein generating said modified packet comprises adding said time stamp information to the data field.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein generating said modified packet further comprises adding a pseudo header to the data field, wherein said time stamp information is included in the pseudo header.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said pseudo header comprises a message type field, a message ID field, and a time field configured to store said time stamp information.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the communication packet corresponds to a particular process, and wherein the transit latency information includes an indication of said process.

8. A network computing system comprising:

a network infrastructure;

a first computing system comprising an application; and

a second computing system coupled to the first computing system via the network infrastructure;

wherein the first computing system is configured to;

load a user application in user space on the first computing system, the user application being configured to communicate with a the second computing system;

load a non-external agent in the user space, in response to detecting loading of the user application, the non-external agent being configured to monitor network performance;

detect a received communication packet along a communication path prior to the packet being conveyed via the network infrastructure, said detecting being performed by the non-external agent along the communication path, and wherein said packet corresponds to non-diagnostic production traffic generated by the user application;

generate a modified packet by adding first time stamp information to the communication packet;

store, separate from the outgoing communication packet, an identifier and the first time stamp information corresponding to the outgoing communication packet;

convey, by the agent, the modified packet along the communication path via the network infrastructure to the second computing system;

receive an acknowledgement packet corresponding to the modified packet, wherein the acknowledgement packet includes second time stamp information, the second time stamp information indicating a time the modified packet was received by the second computing system;

retrieve the stored first time stamp information; and

determine transit latency information corresponding to the communication packet,

the transit latency information indicating a transit time of the modified packet from the first computing system to the second computing system.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the first computing system is configured to store the identifier and determine the transit latency information by executing user application code.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first computing system is configured to determine the transit latency information by comparing the stored first time stamp information with the second time stamp information included in the acknowledgement packet.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said communication packet comprises a header field and a data field, the data field being configured to store original packet data from the communication packet, and wherein generating said modified packet comprises adding said time stamp information to the data field.

12. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein generating said modified packet further comprises adding a pseudo header to the data field, wherein said time stamp information is included in the pseudo header.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said pseudo header comprises a message type field, a message ID field, and a time field configured to store said time stamp information.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the communication packet corresponds to a particular process, and wherein the transit latency information includes an indication of said process.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instruction, said instructions being executable to:

load a user application in user space on a source system, the user application being configured to communicate with a destination system;

load a non-external agent in the user space, in response to detecting loading of the user application, the non-external agent being configured to monitor network performance;

detect a received communication packet along a communication path prior to the packet being conveyed via a network, said detecting being performed by the non-external agent along the communication path, and wherein said packet corresponds to non-diagnostic production traffic generated by the user application;

generate a modified packet by adding first time stamp information to the communication packet;

store, separate from the received communication packet, an identifier and the first time stamp information corresponding to the received communication packet;

convey, by the agent, the modified packet along the communication path via the network to the destination system;

receive an acknowledgement packet corresponding to the modified packet, wherein the acknowledgement packet includes second time stamp information, the second time stamp information indicating a time the modified packet was received by the destination system;

retrieve the stored first time stamp information; and

determine transit latency information corresponding to the communication packet, the transit latency information indicating a transit time of the modified packet from the source system to the destination system.

16. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the storing and determining are performed by user application code.

17. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein the user application code is included in a dynamic linked library.

18. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein determining the transit latency information comprises comparing the stored first time stamp information with the second time stamp information included in the acknowledgement packet.

19. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said communication packet comprises a header field and a data field, the data field being configured to store original packet data from the communication packet, and wherein generating said modified packet comprises adding said time stamp information to the data field.

20. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 15, wherein generating said modified packet further comprises adding a pseudo header to the data field, wherein said time stamp information is included in the pseudo header.