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EP-4740679-A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACING DATA PACKETS RELATED TO USER EQUIPMENT

EP4740679A1EP 4740679 A1EP4740679 A1EP 4740679A1EP-4740679-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system (125) and a method (500) for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE) (110) The system (125) includes a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes (235) in communication with a client module (230). The client module (230) is configured to receive a first tracing request from a debugger equipment user, retrieve an IP address pool corresponding to a plurality of UEs (110) from a database (240), identify a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235), and transmit a second tracing request to the identified specific UPF data plane to trace the data packets. The identified specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) traces the data packets related to the UE (110) and forwards the traced data packets to the client module (230).

Inventors

  • BHATNAGAR, AAYUSH
  • JHA, ADITYAKAR
  • Ranjan, Anu
  • MALHOTRA, PANKAJ
  • Sengupta, Swarup
  • Mamgain, Ranjan
  • VASHISHTH, Yog

Assignees

  • Jio Platforms Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240627

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method (600) for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE) (110), the method (600) comprises the steps of: receiving, by a client module (230), a first tracing request from a debugger equipment user, wherein the first tracing request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address pertaining to the UE (110) involved in a user session; upon receiving the first tracing request from the debugger equipment user, retrieving, by the client module (230), from a database (240), an IP address pool corresponding to a plurality of UEs (110) which are hosted on a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes (235); identifying, by the client module (230), based on the received first tracing request, a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) which hosts the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session; and transmitting, by the client module (230), a second tracing request to the identified specific UPF data plane hosting the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session, to trace the data packets of the UE (110); and tracing, by the identified specific UPF data plane, the data packets related to the UE (110) and forwarding the traced data packets to the client module (230).
  2. 2. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of identifying, based on the received first tracing request, a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) hosting the IP address of the UE involved in the user session, includes the step of: performing, by the client module (230), a longest prefix match on the IP address pool corresponding to the plurality of UEs (110) to identify the specific UPF data plane which hosts the received IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session.
  3. 3. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second tracing request includes the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session.
  4. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of, tracing, by the identified specific UPF data plane, the data packets related to the UE, includes the steps of: identifying, the data packets which match the IP address of the UE (110); duplicating, the identified data packets by installing one or more data packet flow rules pertaining to the second tracing request on a Network Interface Controller (NIC); and forwarding, the identified duplicated data packets to the client module (230) via a preconfigured tap interface, thereby supporting real time data packets tracing.
  5. 5. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method (600) further comprises the steps of: capturing, by the identified specific UPF data plane, traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address of the UE (110); and forwarding the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address to the client module (230).
  6. 6. The method (600) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the client module (230) is configured to display in real time via a display unit (220), the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address.
  7. 7. The method (600) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the traffic statistics includes data pertaining to transmission and reception traffic rate in terms of data Packets Per Second (PPS) and Mega bits per second (Mbps), traffic drops and the user session related information for pre-configured time duration.
  8. 8. The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traced data includes the traced data packets and traffic statistics.
  9. . The method (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user session pertains to a session established by a user of the UE (110) at the UPF data plane (235).
  10. 10. A User Equipment (UE) (110), comprising: one or more primary processors (305) coupled with one or more memory units (310), wherein said one or more memory units (310) store instructions which when executed by the one or more primary processors (305) causes the UE (110) to: initiate, a user session at a User Plane Function (UPF) data plane (235); and transmit, a plurality of data packets via the user session to the UPF data plane (235), wherein the client module (230) and the UPF data plane (235) are configured to perform the method (600) as claimed in claim 1.
  11. 11. A system (125) for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE) (110), the system (125) comprising: a client module (230); a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes (235) in communication with the client module (230), the client module (230) configured to: receive, a first tracing request from a debugger equipment user, wherein the first tracing request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address pertaining to the UE (110) involved in a user session; upon receiving the tracing request from the debugger equipment user, retrieve, from a database (240), an IP address pool corresponding to a plurality of UEs (110) which are hosted on a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes (235); identify, based on the received first tracing request, a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) which hosts the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session; and transmit, a second tracing request to the identified specific UPF data plane hosting the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session, to trace the data packets of the UE (110); and the identified specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) is configured to: trace, the data packets related to the UE (110); and forward, the traced data packets to the client module (230).
  12. 12. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein on identification and based on the received first tracing request, the client module (230) is further configured to: perform, a longest prefix match on the IP address pool corresponding to the plurality of UEs (110) to identify the specific UPF data plane which hosts the received IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session.
  13. 13. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second tracing request includes the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session.
  14. 14. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the identified specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) is configured to: identify, the data packets which match the IP address of the UE (110); duplicate, the identified data packets by installing one or more data packet flow rules pertaining to the second tracing request on a Network Interface Controller (NIC); and forward, the identified duplicated data packets to the client module (230) via a preconfigured tap interface, thereby supporting real time data packets tracing.
  15. 15. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the client module (230) is further configured to: capture, by the identified specific UPF data plane, traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address of the UE (110); and forward the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address to the client module (230).
  16. 16. The system (125) as claimed in claim 15, wherein the client module (230) is configured to display in real time via a display unit (220), the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address.
  17. 17. The system (125) as claimed in claim 16, wherein the traffic statistics includes data pertaining to transmission and reception traffic rate in terms of data Packets Per Second (PPS) and Mega bits per second (Mbps), traffic drops and the user session related information for pre-configured time duration.
  18. 18. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the traced data includes the traced data packets and traffic statistics.
  19. 19. The system (125) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the user session pertains to a session established by a user of the UE (110) at the UPF data plane (235).
  20. 20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer- readable instructions that, when executed by a processor (205), causes the processor (205) to: receive, a first tracing request from a debugger equipment user, wherein the first tracing request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address pertaining to a User Equipment (UE) (110) involved in a user session; upon receiving the tracing request from the debugger equipment user, retrieve, from a database (240), an IP address pool corresponding to a plurality of UEs (110) which are hosted on a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes (235); identify, based on the received first tracing request, a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes (235) which hosts the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session; and transmit, a second tracing request to the identified specific UPF data plane hosting the IP address of the UE (110) involved in the user session, to trace the data packets of the UE (110).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACING DATA PACKETS RELATED TO USER EQUIPMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly relates to a method and system for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Tracing packets of a user session in a User Plane Function (UPF) involves monitoring and analyzing the flow of data packets between a user equipment (UE) and a network. The UPF is a key component in 5G networks and is responsible for managing the user plane traffic. By tracing packets, network operators can gain valuable insights into the performance, quality, and security of user sessions. This tracing process typically involves capturing and analyzing packet headers, payload data, and other relevant information to understand the behavior and characteristics of the user session. [0003] One of the challenges in tracing packets of the user session in the UPF is the sheer volume of data generated. With the increasing number of connected devices and the growing demand for high-bandwidth applications, the amount of network traffic has significantly increased. This poses a problem for network operators as they need to efficiently handle and process large amounts of packet data in real-time. Scaling the tracing infrastructure to handle this volume of data and ensuring timely analysis can be a complex task. [0004] Therefore, there is a need for an advancement of a method and system that can overcome at least one of the above shortcomings, particularly for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE). BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE). [0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a method for tracing data packets related to a User Equipment (UE) is disclosed. The method includes the step of receiving, by a client module, a first tracing request from a debugger equipment user. The first tracing request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address pertaining to the UE involved in a user session. The method includes the step of retrieving, by the client module, from a database, the IP address pool corresponding to a plurality of UEs which are hosted on a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) data planes upon receiving the first tracing request from the debugger equipment user. The method includes the step of identifying, by the client module, based on the received first tracing request, a specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes which hosts the IP address of the UE involved in the user session. The method includes the step of transmitting, by the client module, a second tracing request to the identified specific UPF data plane hosting the IP address of the UE involved in the user session, to trace the data packets of the UE. The method includes the step of tracing, by the identified specific UPF data plane, the data packets related to the UE and forwarding the traced data to the client module. [0007] In one embodiment, the method further includes the step of performing, by the client module, a longest prefix match on the IP address pool corresponding to the plurality of UEs to identify the specific UPF data plane which hosts the received IP address of the UE involved in the user session upon identifying, based on the received first tracing request, the specific UPF data plane from the plurality of UPF data planes hosting the IP address of the UE involved in the user session. [0008] In another embodiment, the second tracing request includes the IP address of the UE involved in the user session. [0009] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of identifying the data packets which match the IP address of the UE. The method further includes the step of duplicating the identified data packets by installing one or more data packet flow rules pertaining to the second tracing request on a Network Interface Controller (NIC). The method further includes the step of forwarding, the identified duplicated data packets to the client module via a preconfigured tap interface, thereby supporting real time data packets tracing. [0010] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the step of capturing, by the identified specific UPF data plane, traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address of the UE. The method further includes the step of forwarding the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address to the client module. [0011] In yet another embodiment, the client module is configured to display in real time via a display unit, the traffic statistics corresponding to the IP address. [0012] In yet another embodiment, the traffic statistics includes data pertaining to transmission and reception traffic rate in terms of data Packets Per Second (PPS) and Mega bits per second (Mbps), traffic drop, and the user