Data flow segment optimized for hot flows

• US 9,762,492 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Szabo, Paul Imre, Thornewell, Peter M., Michels, Timothy Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Jutai
• Application Number:
  US15/094,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards improving the performance of network traffic management devices by optimizing the management of hot connection flows. A packet traffic management device (“PTMD”) may employ a data flow segment (“DFS”) and control segment (“CS”). The CS may perform high-level control functions and per-flow policy enforcement for connection flows maintained at the DFS, while the DFS may perform statistics gathering, per-packet policy enforcement (e.g., packet address translations), or the like, on connection flows maintained at the DFS. The DFS may include high-speed flow caches and other high-speed components that may be comprised of high-performance computer memory. Making efficient use of the high speed flow cache capacity may be improved by maximizing the number of hot connection flows and minimizing the number of malicious and/or in-operative connections flows (e.g., non-genuine flows) that may have flow control data stored in the high-speed flow cache.

Claims

1. A method for managing connection flows over a network with a traffic management device (TMD) that includes one or more processors, wherein execution of logic by the one or more processors performs actions, comprising:

employing one or more control segment (CS) components to perform actions, including;

generating one or more connection flow metrics based on one or more received network packets for one or more managed connection flows; and

employing the one or more connection flow metrics to determine one or more hot connection flows in the managed connection flows based on a predicted capacity of the one or more CS components, wherein a percentile of the connection flows are identified as the one or more hot connection flows; and

employing one or more data flow segment (DFS) components to perform actions, including maintaining packet level flow handling for one or more of the connection flows.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when a flow cache that is at less than full capacity and the one or more DFS components receive new flow control data for a flow connection from the one or more CS components, inserting the new flow control data in the flow cache; and

when the flow cache is at full capacity and the new flow control data is received by the one or more DFS components, employing the one or more DFS components to insert the new flow control data into the flow cache and remove flow control data for another flow connection from the flow cache, wherein an evict message is sent to the one or more CS components.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the one or more CS components receive an evict message for flow control data from the one or more DFS components, performing actions, including;

when a flow connection is closed and corresponds to the flow control data, discarding the flow control data that corresponds to the closed flow connection at the one or more CS components; and

when the flow connection is open and corresponds to the flow control data, transferring the managing of the open flow connection to the one or more CS components from the one or more DFS components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the at least one connection flow metric further comprises, examining contents of one or more received network packets to identify at one or more of a data pattern, or meta data that indicates when one or more of the connection flows is a hot connection flow.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the managed connection flows exceeds a capacity of the one or more DFS components, determining each hot connection flow handled by the one or more DFS components; and

sorting a ranked ordering of the managed connection flows based on a total amount of data exchanged over a time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein employing the one or more connection flow metrics further comprises:

determining a median bit-rate of data communicated for one or more connection flows handled by the one or more CS components; and

employing the median bit-rate of data communicated for the one or more connection flows and at least a bit-rate capacity of the one or more CS components to estimate a maximum number of connection flows for the one or more CS components.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining each hot connection flow to be handled by the one or more DFS components based on a total amount of data communicated over a time interval, wherein N number of connection flows having a top total amount of data communicated over the time interval are identified as hot connection flows.

8. A traffic management computer (TMC) that includes a plurality of components to manage connection flows over a network, wherein the TMC employs one or more processors to execute logic that performs actions, comprising:

employing one or more control segment (CS) components to perform actions, including;

generating one or more connection flow metrics based on one or more received network packets for one or more managed connection flows; and

employing the one or more connection flow metrics to determine one or more hot connection flows in the managed connection flows based on a predicted capacity of the one or more CS components, wherein a percentile of the connection flows are identified as the one or more hot connection flows; and

employing one or more data flow segment (DFS) components to perform actions, including maintaining packet level flow handling for one or more of the connection flows.

9. The TMC of claim 8, performs further actions comprising:

when a flow cache that is at less than full capacity and the one or more DFS components receive new flow control data for a flow connection from the one or more CS components, inserting the new flow control data in the flow cache; and

when the flow cache is at full capacity and the new flow control data is received by the one or more DFS components, employing the one or more DFS components to insert the new flow control data into the flow cache and remove flow control data for another flow connection from the flow cache, wherein an evict message is sent to the one or more CS components.

10. The TMC of claim 8, performs further actions comprising:

when the one or more CS components receive an evict message for flow control data from the one or more DFS components, performing actions, including;

when a flow connection is closed and corresponds to the flow control data, discarding the flow control data that corresponds to the closed flow connection at the one or more CS components; and

when the flow connection is open and corresponds to the flow control data, transferring the managing of the open flow connection to the one or more CS components from the one or more DFS components.

11. The TMC of claim 8, wherein generating the at least one connection flow metric further comprises, examining contents of one or more received network packets to identify at one or more of a data pattern, or meta data that indicates when one or more of the connection flows is a hot connection flow.

12. The TMC of claim 8, performs further actions comprising:

when the managed connection flows exceeds a capacity of the one or more DFS components, determining each hot connection flow handled by the one or more DFS components; and

sorting a ranked ordering of the managed connection flows based on a total amount of data exchanged over a time interval.

13. A system that includes a plurality of components to manage connection flows over a network, wherein the system employs one or more processors to execute logic that performs actions, comprising:

one or more control segment (CS) components that perform actions, including;

generating one or more connection flow metrics based on one or more received network packets for one or more managed connection flows; and

employing the one or more connection flow metrics to determine one or more hot connection flows in the managed connection flows based on a predicted capacity of the one or more CS components, wherein a percentile of the connection flows are identified as the one or more hot connection flows; and

one or more data flow segment (DFS) components to perform actions, including maintaining packet level flow handling for one or more of the connection flows.

14. The system of claim 13, performs further actions comprising:

when a flow cache that is at less than full capacity and the one or more DFS components receive new flow control data for a flow connection from the one or more CS components, inserting the new flow control data in the flow cache; and

when the flow cache is at full capacity and the new flow control data is received by the one or more DFS components, employing the one or more DFS components to insert the new flow control data into the flow cache and remove flow control data for another flow connection from the flow cache, wherein an evict message is sent to the one or more CS components.

15. The system of claim 13, performs further actions comprising:

when the one or more CS components receive an evict message for flow control data from the one or more DFS components, performing actions, including;

when a flow connection is closed and corresponds to the flow control data, discarding the flow control data that corresponds to the closed flow connection at the one or more CS components; and

when the flow connection is open and corresponds to the flow control data, transferring the managing of the open flow connection to the one or more CS components from the one or more DFS components.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein generating the at least one connection flow metric further comprises, examining contents of one or more received network packets to identify at one or more of a data pattern, or meta data that indicates when one or more of the connection flows is a hot connection flow.

17. The system of claim 13, performs further actions comprising:

when the managed connection flows exceeds a capacity of the one or more DFS components, determining each hot connection flow handled by the one or more DFS components; and

sorting a ranked ordering of the managed connection flows based on a total amount of data exchanged over a time interval.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein employing the one or more connection flow metrics further comprises:

determining a median bit-rate of data communicated for one or more connection flows handled by the one or more CS components; and

employing the median bit-rate of data communicated for the one or more connection flows and at least a bit-rate capacity of the one or more CS components to estimate a maximum number of connection flows for the one or more CS components.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein determining each hot connection flow to be handled by the one or more DFS components based on a total amount of data communicated over a time interval, wherein N number of connection flows having a top total amount of data communicated over the time interval are identified as hot connection flows.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more CS components perform further actions, comprising:

dividing each connection flow into an upload portion and a download portion;

generating separate connection flow metrics for each upload portion and each download portion of each of the managed connection flows;

employing each connection flow metric to determine each hot download portion and each hot upload portion of the managed connection flows;

determining each hot upload portion and each download portion of the managed connection flows to be handled by the one or more DFS components; and

employing the one or more DFS components to handle each determined hot upload portion and each download portion of the managed connection flows.