US 12,206,573 B2
Network path detection and monitoring
Clarence Filsfils, Brussels (BE); Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Abdelsalam, L'Aquila (IT); Rakesh Gandhi, Stittsville (CA); Jisu Bhattacharya, San Jose, CA (US); and Pablo Camarillo Garvia, Madrid (ES)
Assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/691,016.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/281,262, filed on Nov. 19, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0164063 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 45/24 (2022.01); H04L 43/10 (2022.01); H04L 45/00 (2022.01); H04L 45/02 (2022.01); H04L 45/50 (2022.01); H04L 47/32 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/24 (2013.01) [H04L 43/10 (2013.01); H04L 45/02 (2013.01); H04L 45/26 (2013.01); H04L 45/507 (2013.01); H04L 47/32 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
provisioning, by a controller, multiple nodes of a network to conduct a path tracing session using probe packets, the multiple nodes including a source node, a midpoint node, and a sink node, the provisioning including:
causing the source node to generate an individual probe packet to traverse an equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) path through the network, the individual probe packet having a timestamp, encapsulate, and forward (TEF) label and a header that includes an entropy value corresponding to the ECMP path, the ECMP path including the midpoint node,
causing the midpoint node to record path tracing information in the individual probe packet, and
causing the sink node to forward the individual probe packet to the controller in response to the TEF label after the individual probe packet has traversed the ECMP path;
analyzing the path tracing information in the individual probe packet to produce a mapping of the entropy value to the ECMP path; and
using the mapping to cause the source node to generate a subsequent probe packet to traverse the ECMP path through the network.