Dynamic Network Probes: A Stepping Stone to Omni Network Visibility

TL;DR

This paper introduces Dynamic Network Probes (DNPs), a novel approach leveraging programmable data planes for real-time, on-demand network visibility, enabling active in-network data analytics and reducing control-plane load.

Contribution

The paper proposes DNPs as a new hardware-supported method for enhanced network visibility and demonstrates a prototype implementation to validate feasibility and efficiency.

Findings

DNPs enable real-time network monitoring.

Prototype shows DNPs are feasible and efficient.

DNPs support in-network computing for analytics.

Abstract

Effective SDN control relies on the network data collecting capability as well as the quality and timeliness of the data. As open programmable data plane is becoming a reality, we further enhance it with the support of runtime interactive programming in order to cope with application dynamics, optimize data plane resource allocation, and reduce control-plane processing pressure. Based on the latest technologies, we propose the Dynamic Network Probes (DNP) as a means to support real-time and on-demand network visibility. DNPs serve as an important building block of an integrated networking data analytics platform which involves the network data plane as an active component for in-network computing. In this paper, we show the types of DNPs and their role in the big picture. We have implemented an NP-based hardware prototype to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of DNPs. We lay out the research challenges and our future work to realize the omni network visibility based on DNPs.