Hierarchichal sharding of flows from sensors to collectors

• US 10,742,529 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2019
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gandham, Shashidhar, Prasad, Rohit Chandra, Singh, Abhishek Ranjan, Yadav, Navindra, Deen, Khawar, Malhotra, Varun Sagar
• Primary Examiner(s): Abedin, Normin
• Assistant Examiner(s): McBeth, William C
• Application Number:
  US16/392,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20190253330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/242 : by comparing a transmitted test signal with a locally generated replica
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 : comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 : Configuration setting
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 : using flow identification
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 : related to network traffic
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 : Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 : Flow based routing
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 : Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 : relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 : involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 : in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/31 : by tagging of packets, e.g. using discard eligibility [DE] bits
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 : Internet protocol [IP] addresses
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 : Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 : for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 : by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 : Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 : Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 : Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 : Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 : the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 : Denial of Service
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/16 : Implementing security features at a particular protocol layer
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/10 : Arrangements for initial synchronisation
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• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 : involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 : involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 : based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for hierarchichal sharding of flows from sensors to collectors. A first collector can receive a first portion of a network flow from a first capturing agent and determine that a second portion of the network flow was not received from the first capturing agent. The first collector can then send the first portion of the network flow to a second collector. A third collector can receive the second portion of the network flow from a second capturing agent and determine that the third collector did not receive the first portion of the network flow. The third collector can then send the second portion of the network flow to the second collector. The second collector can then aggregate the first portion and second portion of the network flow to yield the entire portion of the network flow.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of collectors including at least first, second and third collectors to recombine a network flow having first and second portions that have become separated, the method comprising:

receiving, by the first collector, the first portion of a network flow;

first determining, by the first collector, that the second portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the first determining, sending, by the first collector, the first portion of the network flow to the second collector;

receiving, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow;

second determining, by the third collector, that the first portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the second determining, sending, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow to the second collector; and

combining, by the second collector, the first portion of the network flow and the second portion of the network flow.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a plurality of capturing agents deployed throughout a network to respective shards, each of the plurality of capturing agents being configured to capture network activity associated with a respective host and report the network activity to one or more collectors in the respective shards, wherein each of the respective shards comprises a number of assigned collectors from the plurality of collectors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the network flow is transmitted by a first capturing agent to a first shard from the respective shards, and the second portion of the network flow is transmitted by a second capturing agent to a second shard from the respective shards, wherein the first collector is part of the first shard and the third collector is part of the second shard.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second collector is part of a shard from the respective shards, and wherein the second collector is assigned a flow key and hash that corresponds to the network flow.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second collector is selected to receive the first portion and the second portion of the network flow from a plurality of other collectors in the shard based on the flow key and hash corresponding to the network flow.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first collector and the third collector are mapped to respective shards from a first layer of shards, each of the respective shards comprising a selected group of collectors, and wherein the second collector is mapped to a shard from a second layer of shards.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first layer of shards is designated to receive network flow data directly from capturing agents deployed throughout a network, and wherein the second layer of shards is designated to receive different portions of the network flow data directly from different collectors in the first layer of shards.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions for managing a plurality of collectors including at least first, second and third collectors to recombine a network flow having first and second portions that have become separated, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the first collector, the first portion of a network flow;

first determining, by the first collector, that the second portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the first determining, sending, by the first collector, the first portion of the network flow to the second collector;

receiving, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow;

second determining, by the third collector, that the first portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the second determining, sending, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow to the second collector; and

combining, by the second collector, the first portion of the network flow and the second portion of the network flow.

9. The media of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

assigning a plurality of capturing agents deployed throughout a network to respective shards, each of the plurality of capturing agents being configured to capture network activity associated with a respective host and report the network activity to one or more collectors in the respective shards, wherein each of the respective shards comprises a number of assigned collectors from the plurality of collectors.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the network flow is transmitted by a first capturing agents to a first shard from the respective shards, and the second portion of the network flow is transmitted by a second capturing agents to a second shard from the respective shards, wherein the first collector is part of the first shard and the third collector is part of the second shard.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the second collector is part of a shard from the respective shards, and wherein the second collector is assigned a flow key and hash that corresponds to the network flow.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the second collector is selected to receive the first portion and the second portion of the network flow from a plurality of other collectors in the shard based on the flow key and hash corresponding to the network flow.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the first collector and the third collector are mapped to respective shards from a first layer of shards, each of the respective shards comprising a selected group of collectors, and wherein the second collector is mapped to a shard from a second layer of shards.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the first layer of shards is designated to receive network flow data directly from capturing agents deployed throughout a network, and wherein the second layer of shards is designated to receive different portions of the network flow data directly from different collectors in the first layer of shards.

15. A system for managing a plurality of collectors including at least first, second and third collectors to recombine a network flow having first and second portions that have become separated, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the first collector, the first portion of a network flow;

first determining, by the first collector, that the second portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the first determining, sending, by the first collector, the first portion of the network flow to the second collector;

receiving, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow;

second determining, by the third collector, that the first portion of the network flow was not received;

based on the second determining, sending, by the third collector, the second portion of the network flow to the second collector; and

combining, by the second collector, the first portion of the network flow and the second portion of the network flow.

16. The system of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

assigning a plurality of capturing agents deployed throughout a network to respective shards, each of the plurality of capturing agents being configured to capture network activity associated with a respective host and report the network activity to one or more collectors in the respective shards, wherein each of the respective shards comprises a number of assigned collectors from the plurality of collectors.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the network flow is transmitted by a first capturing agents to a first shard from the respective shards, and the second portion of the network flow is transmitted by a second capturing agents to a second shard from the respective shards, wherein the first collector is part of the first shard and the third collector is part of the second shard.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the second collector is part of a shard from the respective shards, and wherein the second collector is assigned a flow key and hash that corresponds to the network flow.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second collector is selected to receive the first portion and the second portion of the network flow from a plurality of other collectors in the shard based on the flow key and hash corresponding to the network flow.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first collector and the third collector are mapped to respective shards from a first layer of shards, each of the respective shards comprising a selected group of collectors, and wherein the second collector is mapped to a shard from a second layer of shards.