Distributed Internet Paths Performance Analysis through Machine Learning

International audienceInternet path changes are frequently linked to path inflation and performance degradation; therefore, predicting their occurrence is highly relevant for performance monitoring and dynamic traffic engineering. In this paper we showcase DisNETPerf and NETPerfTrace, two different and complementary tools for distributed Internet paths performance analysis, using machine learning models

Reverse Traceroute

Tato práce se zabývá problematikou zjišťování zpětných cest v Internetu. Nástroj, který by byl schopen určit zpětnou cestu, by mohl být cenný v například v případech, kdy určitá část zákazníků pozoruje zvýšenou latenci při využívání služby. Klasickým nástrojem pro analýzu cesty k cílovému počítači je traceroute. Práce se detailně zabývá diagnostickým nástrojem traceroute a jsou diskutovány nejen jeho rozšíření, ale také nedostatky v sítích, kde se vyskytuje vyvažování provozu, a jejich možná řešení. Nicméně, pokud se problém nachází ve směru od zákazníků k poskytovateli služby, pak odhalení problému může být problematické. Dále je studován existující výzkum v oblasti zjišťování zpětných tras v Internetu a nástroje pro diagnostiku sítě. Součástí práce je navržení a implementace nástroje, který je schopen aproximovat zpětnou cestu s využitím vhodné RIPE Atlas sondy a získaná data dále analyzovat. Implementovaný nástroj byl testován na vytvořené topologii i v reálném provozu s využitím referenčního virtuálního serveru.This thesis deals with finding a reverse path between two hosts in the Internet. A tool providing information about reverse path could be priceless in situations in which some customers experience high latency when accessing a service. The standard tool for forward path discovery is traceroute. Traceroute is described in a great detail along with its extensions and limitations, especially in load-balanced environment. However, if the problem is on the path from customers to a service provider, it may not be a trivial task to find it from the provider's side. Related projects dealing with packet tracing and network diagnostic tools are studied. Integral part of this thesis is the design and implementation of a tool that is able to approximate return path from an arbitrary host. Implemented tool is evaluated using deployed test network as well as in real world conditions using a virtual private server as a reference.

On the Analysis of Internet Paths with DisNETPerf, a Distributed Paths Performance Analyzer

peer reviewedTraceroute is the most widely used Internet path analysis tool today to study the topology of the Internet and to diagnose routing failures as well as poor performance events. A major limitation of traceroute when the destination is not controllable by the user is its inability to measure reverse paths, i.e., the path from any given destination back to the source. This is a major drawback for ISPs, who need to understand the performance of the Internet paths connecting popular services (e.g., YouTube and Facebook) to their customers. Even if public servers and distributed measurement platforms can provide partial reverse path visibility through ad-hoc measurements, there is still a need for a structured approach capable of analyzing the performance of Internet paths connecting any pair of nodes (servers, routers, hosts, etc.). While the problem of reverse traceroute has been addressed in the past, proposed techniques rely on IP address spoofing – which might lead to security concerns, and assume the availability of certain route-tracking options –, which might not be available. In this paper, we introduce and evaluate DisNETPerf, a new tool which provides exactly the same type of information as traceroute, but for paths connecting arbitrarily selected nodes. DisNETPerf works by firstly locating probes (i.e., measurement points) that are the closest to a given target node, using them to perform traceroute measurements from the target point-of-view to a given destination for path performance monitoring and troubleshooting purposes. We propose two techniques for probe location, and demonstrate that the reverse path (from server to users) can be measured with very high accuracy in certain scenarios. We also analyze relevant characteristics of Internet paths and distributed measurement platforms, which reinforce the applicability and relevance of DisNETPerf in current Internet