QoS optimization with compression

• US 7,843,938 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Samuels, Allen, Sutter, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reddivalam; Srinivasa R
• Application Number:
  US11/066,992
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 370/412, 370/399, 370/352, 370/395.21, 370/230.3, 370/395.43, 370/433, 370/465
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks

Abstract

A method and system for optimizing network traffic settings and for providing information on projected optimization of transformed traffic for a network includes: providing a traffic descriptor for sampled traffic data of the network; transforming the traffic data and extracting information on the transformed traffic data; and providing the traffic descriptor and the information on the transformed traffic data for analysis. The information can be a transformation traffic descriptor or a delta between untransformed and transformed network traffic. The traffic data and the transformed traffic data can then be modeled based the traffic descriptor and the information, respectively. Bandwidth requirements and quality of service settings for optimizing network performance for a service level can be provided based upon the traffic data model. Information on projected optimization of transformed network traffic can also be provided for the service level based upon the transformed traffic data model.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing network traffic settings, the method comprising steps of:

(a) receiving, by an intermediary deployed between a first device and a second device, network traffic comprising data communicated between the first device and the second device via a network, storing a mirror copy of the data of the network traffic to a repository of the intermediary, and forwarding the network traffic to the second device;

(b) transforming, by the intermediary, the mirror copy of the network traffic by one of compression or suppression to provide a transformed mirror copy of the data of the network traffic different than the forwarded network traffic, the transformed mirror copy comprising a transformed version of the data;

(c) sampling, by the intermediary, portions of the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic; and

(d) determining, by an analyzer of the intermediary, a bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and Quality of Service (QoS) setting of the intermediary for a predetermined service level based on the transformed sampled portions of the mirror copy of the network traffic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises receiving, by the intermediary, a mirror of network traffic communicated between the first device and the second device via a mirror port and storing the mirrored network traffic as the mirror copy of the network traffic in the repository.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises sampling, by the intermediary, the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic over a predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises the network traffic communicated between the first device and the second device traversing the intermediary device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises transforming, by the intermediary, the sampled mirror copy of network traffic by applying security changes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined service level comprises one of packet loss, jitter or latency.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining, by the analyzer of the intermediary, one of a packet queuing setting or a prioritization setting of a network equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining, by the analyzer of the intermediary, a projected bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and a projected QoS setting of the intermediary based on the transformed network traffic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises sampling, by the intermediary, portions of the received network traffic, and storing the sampled portions as the mirror copy of the network traffic to the repository.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining for non-transformed network traffic, by the analyzer of the intermediary, a real-time bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and QoS setting of the intermediary for the predetermined service level.

11. A system configured on a device deployed as an intermediary between a first device and a second device for optimizing network traffic settings, the system comprising

a probe of an intermediary device deployed between a first device and a second device receiving network traffic comprising data communicated between the first device and the second device via a network, storing a mirror copy of the data of the traffic to a repository of the intermediary device, and forwarding the network traffic to the second device;

a transformation module of the intermediary device transforming the mirror copy of the network traffic by one of compression or suppression to provide a transformed mirror copy of the network traffic different than the forwarded network traffic, the transformed mirror copy comprising a transformed copy of the data;

a sampling module of the intermediary device sampling portions of the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic; and

an analyzer of the intermediary device determining a bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and Quality of Service (QoS) setting of the intermediary for a predetermined service level based on the transformed sampled portions of the mirror copy of the network traffic.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the probe receives a mirror of network traffic communicated between the first device and the second device via a mirror port and stores the mirrored network traffic as the copy of the network traffic in the repository.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the sampling module samples the transformed network traffic over a predetermined period of time.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the network traffic communicated between the first device and the second device traverses the probe.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the transformation module transforms the sampled copy of network traffic by applying security changes.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined service level comprises one of packet loss, jitter or latency.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the analyzer determines one of a packet queuing setting or a prioritization setting of a network equipment.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the analyzer determines a projected bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and a projected QoS setting of the intermediary based on the transformed network traffic.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the sampling module samples portions of the received network traffic and stores the sampled portions as the copy of the network traffic in the repository.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the analyzer determines for non-transformed network traffic a real-time bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and QoS setting of the intermediary for the predetermined service level.

21. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for optimizing network traffic settings, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for receiving at an intermediary deployed between a first device and a second device network traffic comprising data communicated between the first device and the second device via a network, storing a mirror copy of the data of the network traffic to a repository, and forwarding the network traffic to the second device;

computer readable program code means for transforming the mirror copy of the network traffic by one of compression or suppression to provide a transformed mirror copy of the network traffic different than the forwarded network traffic, the transformed mirror copy comprising a transformed version of the data;

computer readable program code means for sampling portions of the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic; and

computer readable program code means for determining, by an analyzer of the intermediary, a bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and Quality of Service (QoS) setting of the intermediary for a predetermined service level based on the transformed sampled portions of the mirror copy of the network traffic.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, further comprising computer readable program code means for determining for non-transformed network traffic a real-time bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and QoS setting of the intermediary for the predetermined service level.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, further comprising computer readable program code means for determining a projected bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and a projected QoS setting of the intermediary based on the transformed network traffic.

24. A method for optimizing network traffic settings, the method comprising steps of:

receiving, by an intermediary deployed between a first device and a second device, network traffic comprising data communicated between the first device and the second device via a network;

storing a mirror copy of the data of the network traffic to a repository of the intermediary;

forwarding, by the intermediary, the network traffic to the second device;

transforming, by the intermediary, the mirror copy of the network traffic by one of compression or suppression to provide a transformed mirror copy of the network traffic different than the forwarded network traffic, the transformed mirror copy comprising a transformed version of the data;

sampling, by the intermediary, portions of the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic; and

comparing, by the intermediary, the mirror copy of the network traffic stored in the repository and the sampled portions of the transformed mirror copy of the network traffic;

determining, by an analyzer of the intermediary and based on the comparison, a bandwidth requirement of the network traffic and Quality of Service (QoS) setting of the intermediary for a predetermined service level.