Method for real-time visualization of bgp analysis and trouble-shooting

Abstract

The present invention comprises a multi-tier system. Major goals of the system are to 1) clearly visualize BGP dynamics and alert/report important deviation of BGP dynamics to avoid overwhelming the operators with too much information and 2) analyze the root cause of the problems by using a multi-tier approach, with a light-computational analysis and high-level classification for a real-time problem identification followed by a more rigorous off-line analysis for a further and more detailed trouble shooting. An example embodiment is provided that comprises four modules. The first module comprises a distributed family of collectors in charge of collecting real-time network information. The second module filters out non-relevant prefixes and extracts and profiles key features of the network information. The third module monitors BGP activity from both an Internet-AS and single-AS perspectives by displaying the data in real time and highlighting major shifts or divergence from historical baselines with comprehensive layouts. The forth module is run off-line to focus on a few relevant events that are selected through the first three modules. This is usually a time-consuming phase of the process due to the different temporal and/or spatial correlation that must be run across several sets of data. During this phase, the system can spend more time to better identify the real cause of the problem.