US 12,445,377 B2
Metadata enhancement for packet capture using VXLAN encapsulation
Darshil Jashvant Khetani, Stanmore (GB); Hassan Ali Hussein Barakat, Enfield (GB); and Salem Amin Al-Damluji, Chorleywood (GB)
Assigned to MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Oct. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/970,484.
Prior Publication US 2024/0137315 A1, Apr. 25, 2024
Prior Publication US 2024/0235997 A9, Jul. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. H04L 69/22 (2022.01); H04L 12/46 (2006.01); H04L 45/74 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/74 (2013.01) [H04L 12/4641 (2013.01); H04L 69/22 (2013.01); H04L 2212/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for capturing network traffic in a virtualized computing network comprising a plurality of network elements that are configured to send or receive network traffic in the virtualized computing network, the method comprising:
determining a network element of the virtualized computing network and data traffic to be captured, wherein the data traffic to be captured comprises data packets received by the network element or data packets sent from the network element;
identifying a storage service for storing the data traffic to be captured, wherein the storage service is an endpoint of the virtualized computing network and configured to store the data traffic to be captured;
encapsulating the data packets received at the network element or sent by the network element that are to be captured, the data packets encapsulated within a Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) session to include session information for the VXLAN session;
setting a reserved bit in each header of the encapsulated data packets, the reserved bit indicative that each encapsulated packet includes metadata pertaining to the data traffic to be captured;
adding the metadata to the headers of the encapsulated packets; and
sending the encapsulated packets with the metadata to the storage service as the endpoint of the virtualized computing network, the storage service configured to identify the reserved bit, de-encapsulate the encapsulated data packets, and store the de-encapsulated data packets in accordance with the metadata.