Riverbed Technology Patent Grants

Overhead management for event tracing

Granted: September 15, 2015
Patent Number: 9137136
Embodiments provide methods for managing data generated by software transactions, such as event tracing software. In one embodiment, data generated by event tracing software is monitored. The throughput of the data generated may then be modulated based on various criteria, such as a target data rate. The throughput target may be specified on a per-system basis or individual basis. Based on the throughput, the level of detail recorded is modulated. Individual processes may determine a…

Reliability and availability of distributed servers

Granted: September 1, 2015
Patent Number: 9124666
A system of network proxies distributes data to multiple servers. Each network proxy is associated with a server. A network proxy intercepts a client request for data. If the network proxy determines that the request can be served using a copy of data stored on the local server, rather than the data stored on a remote server, it diverts the request to the local server. If the network proxy determines that the request cannot be served using a data from the local server, the network proxy…

Network multi-path discovery

Granted: August 25, 2015
Patent Number: 9118587
Potential paths between a source and destination of a network are identified based on trace-route information, then filtered to eliminate paths or links that are not supported by ancillary information associated with the network so as to identify feasible/actual paths between the source and destination. The ancillary information includes, for example, routing tables and ARP tables. If a feasible path cannot be identified based on the ancillary information, supplemental information…

Memory utilization analysis

Granted: August 18, 2015
Patent Number: 9110780
The performance of a monitored system is profiled based on sampling a portion of its operations. In one embodiment, the monitored system allocates memory for objects created as instances of classes and automatically performs regular garbage collection to reclaim memory. A variety of sampling techniques are used to minimize the impact on the performance of the monitored system. Characteristic memory utilization patterns can then be estimated for classes based on the samples. The patterns…

Web transaction analysis

Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9088481
Individual network activities are correlated to interactions with a target web page to facilitate an analysis of the performance of the web page. This correlation is preferably performed using a combination of heuristics and rules developed to filter network activities into those activities that are likely to have been caused by the particular transaction, and those that are unlikely to be associated with that transaction. The activities that are identified as being associated with the…

Inferring connectivity in the presence of conflicting network data

Granted: July 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9087299
The connectivity information provided by a variety of inference engines is integrated to provide a set of inferred links within a network. A consolidation is performed among inference engines that operate at a base level of connectivity detail to create a model of the network at this base level. The connectivity information provided by inference engines at each subsequent higher level of connectivity abstraction is then overlaid on the base level connectivity. By separately consolidating…

Application level interface to network analysis tools

Granted: July 7, 2015
Patent Number: 9077642
A user interface to a network simulator facilitates the use of application layer parameters and application layer logic. The user interface is configured to allow the user to define the input in a graphic form, or a text/programming form, or a combination of both. The user interface provides common graphic forms for both inputting the data to the simulator as well as for displaying the resultant data from the simulator. In response, the simulator and user interface may provide updated…

Instrumenting computer program code by merging template and target code methods

Granted: June 23, 2015
Patent Number: 9064042
Embodiments provide systems, methods, and computer program products for instrumenting software application code. A target method and a template method may each be elevated to respective linked lists that maintain offsets in a relative relationship using pointers. The lists are merged and converted back to byte code as an instrumented method.

Managing captured network traffic data

Granted: June 9, 2015
Patent Number: 9054965
A system and method for managing captured network traffic data is provided. The invention comprises a plurality of capture agents, each being configured to capture the network traffic associated with one or more applications. Each application is associated with one or more capture agents according to an application profile that is stored and maintained in a capture server. When analysis of an application's network traffic is required, the capture server contacts the corresponding capture…

Method and system for grouping diagnostic information

Granted: June 9, 2015
Patent Number: 9055092
Client network traffic data and server network traffic data regarding a number of network nodes is collected and then grouped by IP address. The network nodes are divided into logical groupings and the network traffic data is presented in the aggregate for all IP addresses in each logical group. The logical groupings may be further divided by protocol, application, port and/or logical group-to-group. Each logical group can be further generalized as either a set of IP addresses (e.g., a…

Identifying related network traffic data for monitoring and analysis

Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number: 9049216
Network traffic information from multiple sources, at multiple time scales, and at multiple levels of detail are integrated so that users may more easily identify relevant network information. The network monitoring system stores and manipulates low-level and higher-level network traffic data separately to enable efficient data collection and storage. Packet traffic data is collected, stored, and analyzed at multiple locations. The network monitoring locations communicate summary and…

Performing scenario reduction in a circuit design flow

Granted: June 2, 2015
Patent Number: 9047426
Some embodiments of the present invention provide techniques and systems for using scenario reduction in a design flow. The system can use scenario reduction to determine two subsets of scenarios that correspond to two sets of design constraints. Next, the system can optimize the circuit design using one of the sets of design constraints over the associated subset of scenarios. Next, the system can optimize the circuit design using both sets of design constraints over the union of the…

Multilevel network monitoring system architecture

Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number: 9036493
Network traffic information from multiple sources, at multiple time scales, and at multiple levels of detail are integrated so that users may more easily identify relevant network information. The network monitoring system stores and manipulates low-level and higher-level network traffic data separately to enable efficient data collection and storage. Packet traffic data is collected, stored, and analyzed at multiple locations. The network monitoring locations communicate summary and…

Network path discovery and analysis

Granted: April 21, 2015
Patent Number: 9014012
A network analysis system invokes an application specific, or source-destination specific, path discovery process. The application specific path discovery process determines the path(s) used by the application, collects performance data from the nodes along the path, and communicates this performance data to the network analysis system for subsequent performance analysis. The system may also maintain a database of prior network configurations to facilitate the identification of nodes…

Method and apparatus for load balancing between WAN optimization devices

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9009322
Systems and techniques are described for load balancing between WAN optimization devices. During operation, a mapping is determined based solely or partially on capacities of a set of remote WAN optimization devices and capacities of a set of local WAN optimization devices, wherein the mapping maps each remote WAN optimization device to a local WAN optimization device. Next, connection requests are directed to WAN optimization devices based on the mapping.

Mapping virtual internet protocol addresses

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9009304
The embodiments provide for analyzing activity of devices in a network. Activity from a device may result from multiple devices translated to a common address, such as a public internet protocol (IP) address. In some embodiments, the activity from a network or device is analyzed to identify if multiple devices communicate via translated addresses from the common address. The devices may be identified based on various criteria, such as a unique identifier, protocol header information, or…

Rules-based transactions prefetching using connection end-point proxies

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9009252
Network proxies reduce server latency in response to series of requests from client applications. Network proxies intercept messages clients and a server. Intercepted client requests are compared with rules. When client requests match a rule, additional request messages are forwarded to the server on behalf of a client application. In response to the additional request messages, the server provides corresponding response messages. A network proxy intercepts and caches the response…

Serial clustering

Granted: April 14, 2015
Patent Number: 9007912
Serial clustering uses two or more network devices connected in series via a local and/or wide-area network to provide additional capacity when network traffic exceeds the processing capabilities of a single network device. When a first network device reaches its capacity limit, any excess network traffic beyond that limit is passed through the first network device unchanged. A network device connected in series with the first network device intercepts and will process the excess network…

Tracking, analyzing, and visualizing application delay

Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number: 8990061
Performance metrics related to the processing and propagation of messages related to select applications are collected during a simulation of a network. Each message associated with an application is tagged, and each simulated packet that contains some or all of a tagged message is correspondingly tagged to facilitate the creation of transmit records and receive records. A post processor is configured to collate transmit and receive records of each tagged message to identify delays…

Defining network traffic processing flows between virtual machines

Granted: March 24, 2015
Patent Number: 8990433
Network devices include hosted virtual machines and virtual machine applications. Hosted virtual machines and their applications implement additional functions and services in network devices. Network devices include data taps for directing network traffic to hosted virtual machines and allowing hosted virtual machines to inject network traffic. Network devices include unidirectional data flow specifications, referred to as hyperswitches. Each hyperswitch is associated with a hosted…