Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a centralized management system operating within a virtual machine which configures, monitors, analyzes, and manages an adaptive private network (APN) to provide a discovery process that learns about changes to the APN through a network control node (NCN) that is a single point of control of the APN. The discovery process automatically learns a new topology of the network without relying on configuration information of nodes in the APN. Network statistics are based on a timeline of network operations that a user selected to review. Such discovery and timeline review is separate from stored configuration information. If there was a network change, the changes either show up or not show up in the discovery process based on the selected time line. Configuration changes can be made from the APN VM system by loading the latest configuration on the APN under control of the NCN.

Abstract: Systems and techniques, including special messages and state machines, are described that configures an intermediate site to dynamically trigger creation of and removal of a dynamic conduit between two sites based on usage that is tracked at the sites. The intermediate site providing WAN-to-WAN forwarding between the two sites, monitors throughput statistics on each local WAN link (LWL) associated with the two sites. If traffic between the two sites passes a configured first threshold or if LWL usage passes a configured second threshold, the intermediate site sends a message to the two sites to set up a dynamic conduit directly coupling the two sites. Busy lists are used to keep track of eligible site pairs. Once a dynamic conduit is set up between two sites, a grow technique tests the dynamic conduit increasing communication flows between the two sites each configured sampling period before putting the conduit in normal use.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and techniques are described for a display management of an adaptive private network (APN). A database is installed in a first node of a centralized management system including a network control node (NCN) coupled through the APN to client nodes. Timing messages sent by the NCN to the client nodes are time stamped according to a first clock in the NCN. A network time is calibrated in the client nodes based on timestamps of data which are correlated to a master time specified by the first node. The APN is polled for user specified data to be stored in the database, wherein the data is associated with a user specified period of time which is correlated to the master time. The user specified data is accessed from the database for display according to a network configuration, a user selected display type, and attributes selected by the user.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a centralized management system operating within a virtual machine which configures, monitors, analyzes, and manages an adaptive private network (APN) to provide a discovery process that learns about changes to the APN through a network control node (NCN) that is a single point of control of the APN. The discovery process automatically learns a new topology of the network without relying on configuration information of nodes in the APN. Network statistics are based on a timeline of network operations that a user selected to review. Such discovery and timeline review is separate from stored configuration information. If there was a network change, the changes either show up or not show up in the discovery process based on the selected time line. Configuration changes can be made from the APN VM system by loading the latest configuration on the APN under control of the NCN.

Abstract: Techniques are described to automatically activate and deactivate standby backup paths in response to changing bandwidth requirements in an adaptive private network (APN). The APN is configured with one or more regular active wide area network (WAN) links in an active mode and an on-demand WAN link in a standby mode. The on-demand WAN link is activated to supplement the conduit bandwidth when an available bandwidth of the conduit falls below a pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage exceeds a usage threshold of a bandwidth of the conduit that is being supplied by the active paths (BWC). The on-demand WAN link is deactivated to standby mode when an available bandwidth of the conduit is above the pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage drops below the usage threshold of BWC. Techniques for adaptive and active bandwidth testing of WAN links in an APN are also described.

Abstract: System and techniques are described for time correlated playback of traffic patters between nodes in a network. Node statistics of data transfers between nodes are received in a control point, wherein the node statistics include a time stamp (tn) according to time at the control point of when a request statistics message was sent to each node, a node timestamp (ta) according to time at each node of when the message was received in the node, and a first delta between tn and ta that is used to determine a second delta which adjusts the node statistics. The node statistics adjusted according to the second delta are stored in a statistics database at the control point. A time stepping mechanism is used to repeatedly access the node statistics from the statistics database at a predetermined rate for playback presentation beginning from a specified start time to a specified end time.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and techniques are described for a display management of an adaptive private network (APN). A database is installed in a first node of a centralized management system including a network control node (NCN) coupled through the APN to client nodes. Timing messages sent by the NCN to the client nodes are time stamped according to a first clock in the NCN. A network time is calibrated in the client nodes based on timestamps of data which are correlated to a master time specified by the first node. The APN is polled for user specified data to be stored in the database, wherein the data is associated with a user specified period of time which is correlated to the master time. The user specified data is accessed from the database for display according to a network configuration, a user selected display type, and attributes selected by the user.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a path maximum transmission unit (MTU) discovery method that allows the sender of IP packets to discover the MTU of packets that it is sending over a conduit to a given destination. The MTU is the largest packet that can be sent through the network along a path without requiring fragmentation. The path MTU discovery method actively probes each sending path of each conduit with fragmentation enabled to determine a current MTU and accordingly increase or decrease the conduit MTU. The path MTU discovery process is resilient to errors and supports retransmission if packets are lost in the discovery process. The path MTU discovery process is dynamically adjusted at a periodic rate to adjust to varying network conditions.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a path maximum transmission unit (MTU) discovery method that allows the sender of IP packets to discover the MTU of packets that it is sending over a conduit to a given destination. The MTU is the largest packet that can be sent through the network along a path without requiring fragmentation. The path MTU discovery method actively probes each sending path of each conduit with fragmentation enabled to determine a current MTU and accordingly increase or decrease the conduit MTU. The path MTU discovery process is resilient to errors and supports retransmission if packets are lost in the discovery process. The path MTU discovery process is dynamically adjusted at a periodic rate to adjust to varying network conditions.

Abstract: Techniques are described which apply a method for including a routing stack to provide a timely way to dynamically learn about route changes for an end to end system in the context of an adaptive private network (APN). By allowing learned routes to be assigned different services based on filtering rules, the APN can efficiently manage traffic through the WAN. Techniques for learning routes and to advertise the learned routes in different networks are also described. Upon an APN route change being detected in the APN, a route table is updated with the APN route change, wherein the route table contains routes in a local area network (LAN) and routes in a wide area network (WAN). The APN route change is selected from the route table and configured to a protocol for the LAN. The selected APN route change is advertised in the protocol to local routers in the LAN.

Abstract: Techniques are described to automatically activate and deactivate standby backup paths in response to changing bandwidth requirements in an adaptive private network (APN). The APN is configured with one or more regular active wide area network (WAN) links in an active mode and an on-demand WAN link in a standby mode. The on-demand WAN link is activated to supplement the conduit bandwidth when an available bandwidth of the conduit falls below a pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage exceeds a usage threshold of a bandwidth of the conduit that is being supplied by the active paths (BWC). The on-demand WAN link is deactivated to standby mode when an available bandwidth of the conduit is above the pre-specified trigger bandwidth threshold and the conduit bandwidth usage drops below the usage threshold of BWC. Techniques for adaptive and active bandwidth testing of WAN links in an APN are also described.

Abstract: System and techniques are described for applying selectable applications to process data packets an adaptive private network (APN). Methods to select application specific processing within a WAN ingress processing pipeline begin with receiving a packet from a local area network (LAN) in an adaptive private network (APN) WAN ingress processing stages. The received packet is identified to be separately processed by a selected application that is different than standard ingress processing. Packet processing flow is redirected to the selected application for application specific processing of the received packet in response to the packet being identified to be separately processed. The separately processed packet is returned to the standard ingress processing after completing the separate processing.

Abstract: Techniques for providing a backup network path using a standby wide area network (WAN) link with reducing monitoring. Packet loss and latency metrics are monitored for network paths in an adaptive private network (APN) connecting a first user and a second user according to control traffic operating at a first control bandwidth for each network path. A determination is made that a first network path uses a standby WAN link, has packet loss and latency metrics indicative of a good quality state, and has at least one characteristic that identifies the first network path as a backup network path. The control traffic is then reduced for the backup network path to a second control bandwidth substantially less than the first control bandwidth. The backup network path is made active when the number of active network paths is less than or equal to a minimum number.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a path maximum transmission unit (MTU) discovery method that allows the sender of IP packets to discover the MTU of packets that it is sending over a conduit to a given destination. The MTU is the largest packet that can be sent through the network along a path without requiring fragmentation. The path MTU discovery method actively probes each sending path of each conduit with fragmentation enabled to determine a current MTU and accordingly increase or decrease the conduit MTU. The path MTU discovery process is resilient to errors and supports retransmission if packets are lost in the discovery process. The path MTU discovery process is dynamically adjusted at a periodic rate to adjust to varying network conditions.

Abstract: A highly predicable quality shared distributed memory process is achieved using less than predicable public and private internet protocol networks as the means for communications within the processing interconnect. An adaptive private network (APN) service provides the ability for the distributed memory process to communicate data via an APN conduit service, to use high throughput paths by bandwidth allocation to higher quality paths avoiding lower quality paths, to deliver reliability via fast retransmissions on single packet loss detection, to deliver reliability and timely communication through redundancy transmissions via duplicate transmissions on high a best path and on a most independent path from the best path, to lower latency via high resolution clock synchronized path monitoring and high latency path avoidance, to monitor packet loss and provide loss prone path avoidance, and to avoid congestion by use of high resolution clock synchronized enabled congestion monitoring and avoidance.

Abstract: A highly predicable quality shared distributed memory process is achieved using less than predicable public and private internet protocol networks as the means for communications within the processing interconnect. An adaptive private network (APN) service provides the ability for the distributed memory process to communicate data via an APN conduit service, to use high throughput paths by bandwidth allocation to higher quality paths avoiding lower quality paths, to deliver reliability via fast retransmissions on single packet loss detection, to deliver reliability and timely communication through redundancy transmissions via duplicate transmissions on high a best path and on a most independent path from the best path, to lower latency via high resolution clock synchronized path monitoring and high latency path avoidance, to monitor packet loss and provide loss prone path avoidance, and to avoid congestion by use of high resolution clock synchronized enabled congestion monitoring and avoidance.

Abstract: System and techniques are described for time correlated playback of traffic patterns between nodes in a network. Node statistics of data transfers between nodes are received in a control point, wherein the node statistics include a time stamp (tn) according to time at the control point of when a request statistics message was sent to each node, a node timestamp (ta) according to time at each node of when the message was received in the node, and a first delta between tn and ta that is used to determine a second delta which adjusts the node statistics. The node statistics adjusted according to the second delta are stored in a statistics database at the control point. A time stepping mechanism is used to repeatedly access the node statistics from the statistics database at a predetermined rate for playback presentation beginning from a specified start time to a specified end time.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a centralized management system operating within a virtual machine which configures, monitors, analyzes, and manages an adaptive private network (APN) to provide a discovery process that learns about changes to the APN through a network control node (NCN) that is a single point of control of the APN. The discovery process automatically learns a new topology of the network without relying on configuration information of nodes in the APN. Network statistics are based on a timeline of network operations that a user selected to review. Such discovery and timeline review is separate from stored configuration information. If there was a network change, the changes either show up or not show up in the discovery process based on the selected time line. Configuration changes can be made from the APN VM system by loading the latest configuration on the APN under control of the NCN.

Abstract: System and techniques are described which provide a method for time correlated monitoring of nodes in a network. A statistics request message is sent from a centralized control point to a node in a network having a plurality of nodes, wherein the statistics request message contains a centralized control point time stamp tn of when the message was sent. The statistics request message is received at the node which records a node timestamp ta when the message was received in the node. Node statistics are converted to system time at the centralized control point according to a first delta between tn and ta to generate adjusted node statistics. A second delta is determined at the centralized control point which is applied to the adjusted node statistics to provide consistent system time information for feedback or presentation through a network attached user interface.

Abstract: System and techniques are described which apply a method for automatic database schema migration. An initial database is installed, according to rules that define tables of data, in an adaptive private network (APN) having a centralized management system including a network control node (NCN) coupled through the APN to a plurality of client nodes, wherein the NCN provides timing and control to the client nodes. An update to the initial database is received, wherein the initial database includes a first table of data stored in a first set of columns and the updated database includes a modified first table having a second set of columns that has a different number of columns as compared to the first table is automatically detected. One or more columns from the second set of columns that are different than the first set of columns are updated for data content.