Abstract: In one embodiment, a network assurance service that monitors a plurality of networks subdivides telemetry data regarding devices located in the networks into subsets, wherein each subset is associated with a device type, time period, metric type, and network. The service summarizes each subset by computing distribution percentiles of metric values in the subset. The service identifies an outlier subset by comparing distribution percentiles that summarize the subsets. The service reports insight data regarding the outlier subset to a user interface. The service adjusts the subsets based in part on feedback regarding the insight data from the user interface.

Abstract: In one embodiment, one or more reporting nodes are selected to report network metrics in a network. From a monitoring node in the network, a trigger message is sent to the one or more reporting nodes. The trigger message may trigger the one or more reporting nodes to report one or more network metrics local to the respective reporting node. In response to the trigger message, a report of the one or more network metrics is received at the monitoring node from one of the one or more reporting nodes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network assurance service that monitors a network detects an anomaly in the network by applying an anomaly detector to telemetry data collected from the network. The service sends first data to a user interface that causes the interface to present the detected anomaly and one or more candidate root cause metrics from the telemetry data associated with the detected anomaly. The service receives feedback regarding the candidate root cause metric(s) and learns a root cause of the anomaly as one or more thresholds of the candidate root cause metric(s), based in part on the received feedback regarding the candidate root cause metric(s). The service sends second data to the user interface that causes the user interface to present at least one of the candidate root cause metric(s) as a candidate root cause of a subsequent detected anomaly, based on the learned threshold(s).

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network assurance service associates a target key performance indicator (tKPI) measured from a network with a plurality of causation key performance indicators (cKPIs) measured from the network that may indicate a root cause of a tKPI anomaly. The network assurance service applies a machine learning-based anomaly detector to the tKPI over time, to generate tKPI anomaly scores. The network assurance service calculates, for each of cKPIs, a mean and standard deviation of that cKPI using a plurality of different time windows associated with the tKPI anomaly scores. The network assurance service uses the calculated means and standard deviations of the cKPIs in the different time windows to calculate cross-correlation scores between the tKPI anomaly scores and the cKPIs. The network assurance service selects one or more of the cKPIs as the root cause of the tKPI anomaly based on their calculated cross-correlation scores.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a first device in a network maintains raw traffic flow information for the network. The first device provides a compressed summary of the raw traffic flow information to a second device in the network. The second device is configured to transform the compressed summary for presentation to a user interface. The first device detects an anomalous traffic flow based on an analysis of the raw traffic flow information using a machine learning-based anomaly detector. The first device provides at least a portion of the raw traffic flow information related to the anomalous traffic flow to the second device for presentation to the user interface.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device receives health status data indicative of a health status of a data source in a network that provides collected telemetry data from the network for analysis by a machine learning-based network analyzer. The device maintains a performance model for the data source that models the health of the data source. The device computes a trustworthiness index for the telemetry data provided by the data source based on the received health status data and the performance model for the data source. The device adjusts, based on the computed trustworthiness index for the telemetry data provided by the data source, one or more parameters used by the machine learning-based network analyzer to analyze the telemetry data provided by the data source.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network assurance service that monitors a network detects anomalies in the network by applying one or more machine learning models to telemetry data from the network. The network assurance service ranks feedback from a plurality of anomaly rankers regarding relevancy or criticality of the detected anomalies. The network assurance service clusters the plurality of anomaly rankers into clusters of similar rankers, based on the received ranking feedback. The network assurance service uses the clusters of similar rankers to assign reliability scores to each of the anomaly rankers. The network assurance service selects, based on the reliability scores, a subset of the plurality of anomaly rankers to receive an anomaly detection alert regarding a particular detected anomaly to be ranked. The network assurance service provides the anomaly detection alert to the selected subset of the plurality of anomaly rankers for ranking.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a network assurance service that monitors a network detects anomalies in the network by applying one or more machine learning-based anomaly detectors to telemetry data from the network. The network assurance service receives ranking feedback from a plurality of anomaly rankers regarding relevancy of the detected anomalies. The network assurance service calculates a rescaling factor and quantile parameter by applying an objective function to the ranking feedback, in order to optimize the rescaling factor and quantile parameter of the one or more anomaly detectors. The network assurance service adjusts the rescaling factor and quantile parameter of the one or more anomaly detectors using the calculated rescaling factor and quantile parameter.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network receives traffic records indicative of network traffic between different sets of host address pairs. The device identifies one or more address grouping constraints for the sets of host address pairs. The device determines address groups for the host addresses in the sets of host address pairs based on the one or more address grouping constraints. The device provides an indication of the address groups to an anomaly detector.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network receives feedback regarding an anomaly reporting mechanism used by the device to report network anomalies detected by a plurality of distributed learning agents to a user interface. The device determines an anomaly assessment rate at which a user of the user interface is expected to assess reported anomalies based in part on the feedback. The device receives an anomaly notification regarding a particular anomaly detected by a particular one of the distributed learning agents. The device reports, via the anomaly reporting mechanism, the particular anomaly to the user interface based on the determined anomaly assessment rate.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a networking device at an edge of a network generates a first set of feature vectors using information regarding one or more characteristics of host devices in the network. The networking device forms the host devices into device clusters dynamically based on the first set of feature vectors. The networking device generates a second set of feature vectors using information regarding traffic associated with the device clusters. The networking device models interactions between the device clusters using a plurality of anomaly detection models that are based on the second set of feature vectors.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device classification service receives a first set of telemetry data captured by one or more networking devices in a network regarding traffic associated with an endpoint device in the network. The service classifies the endpoint device as being of an unknown device type, by applying a machine learning-based classifier to the first set of telemetry data. The service instructs the one or more networking devices in the network to reset a finite state machine (FSM) of the traffic associated with the endpoint device. The device classification service receives a second set of telemetry data regarding traffic associated with the endpoint device and captured after reset of the FSM. The service reclassifies the endpoint device as being of a particular device type, by applying the machine learning-based classifier to the second set of telemetry data.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network detects an anomaly in the network using an anomaly detector. The anomaly corresponds to an anomalous behavior exhibited by one or more nodes in the network. The device computes an anomaly score for the anomaly that represents a measure of the anomalous behavior. The device adjusts the anomaly score using a boost score. The boost score is generated by a boosting function that accounts for domain-specific biases of the anomaly detector. The device reports the anomaly to a supervisory device based on whether the adjusted anomaly score exceeds a reporting threshold.

Abstract: In one embodiment, one or more reporting nodes are selected to report network metrics in a network. From a monitoring node in the network, a trigger message is sent to the one or more reporting nodes. The trigger message may trigger the one or more reporting nodes to report one or more network metrics local to the respective reporting node. In response to the trigger message, a report of the one or more network metrics is received at the monitoring node from one of the one or more reporting nodes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a networking device at an edge of a network generates a first set of feature vectors using information regarding one or more characteristics of host devices in the network. The networking device forms the host devices into device clusters dynamically based on the first set of feature vectors. The networking device generates a second set of feature vectors using information regarding traffic associated with the device clusters. The networking device models interactions between the device clusters using a plurality of anomaly detection models that are based on the second set of feature vectors.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network receives traffic records indicative of network traffic between different sets of host address pairs. The device identifies one or more address grouping constraints for the sets of host address pairs. The device determines address groups for the host addresses in the sets of host address pairs based on the one or more address grouping constraints. The device provides an indication of the address groups to an anomaly detector.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device receives data regarding usage of access points in a network by a plurality of clients in the network. The device maintains an access point graph that represents the access points in the network as vertices of the access point graph. The device generates, for each of the plurality of clients, client trajectories as trajectory subgraphs of the access point graph. A particular client trajectory for a particular client comprises a set of edges between a subset of the vertices of the access point graph and represents transitions between access points in the network performed by the particular client. The device identifies a transition pattern from the client trajectories by deconstructing the trajectory subgraphs. The device uses the identified transition pattern to effect a configuration change in the network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network receives data indicative of traffic characteristics of traffic associated with a particular application. The device identifies one or more paths in the network via which the traffic associated with the particular application was sent, based on the traffic characteristics. The device determines a probing schedule based on the traffic characteristics. The probing schedule simulates the traffic associated with the particular application. The device sends probes along the one or more identified paths according to the determined probing schedule.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network identifies a new interaction between two or more nodes in the network. The device forms a feature vector using contextual information associated with the new interaction between the two or more nodes. The device causes generation of an anomaly detection model for new node interactions using the feature vector. The device uses the anomaly detection model to determine whether a particular node interaction in the network is anomalous.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device in a network identifies a plurality of traffic records as anomalous. The device matches each of the plurality of traffic records to one or more anomalies using one or more anomaly graphs. A particular anomaly graph represents hosts in the network as vertices in the graph and communications between hosts as edges in the graph. The device applies one or more ordering rules to the traffic records, to uniquely associate each traffic record to an anomaly in the one or more anomalies. The device sends an anomaly notification for a particular anomaly that is based on the traffic records associated with the particular anomaly.