MM-INT: Telemetry in Programmable Switches with Multiple Queues using Source-based Multipath Routing

TL;DR

This paper introduces MM-INT, a novel telemetry approach for programmable switches with multiple queues per port, using source-based multipath routing to efficiently collect queue data and reduce probe overhead.

Contribution

MM-INT enables efficient telemetry in switches with multiple queues by leveraging registers and multicast routing, reducing probe overhead compared to existing methods.

Findings

Significant reduction in the number of probes sent

Effective collection of queue data from multiple queues

Avoidance of probe overload in network monitoring

Abstract

This article emphasizes the importance of queues associated with the ports of switches in network monitoring. Traditionally, data collection about these queues is done using programmable data planes and telemetry based on INT (In-band Network Telemetry) probes, assuming there is only a single queue per output port. The MM-INT (Multiqueue Multicast - INT) is a solution that utilizes registers to store data from all queues and ports, enabling the efficient collection of monitoring information. The MM-INT avoids probe overload and employs the origin-based routing mechanism and multicast trees for the probes. The results demonstrate significant reductions in the number of probes sent compared to other traditional solutions found in the literature.