Patent ID: 8176175

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving, in an application server, generated flow records from a plurality of distinct and synchronized network devices that include a first network device and a second network device on asymmetric paths between a client and a transaction server, the synchronized network devices operating in an a distributed manner such that first communications related to a first portion of a first transaction pass through at least the first network device but not through the second network device, and second communications related to a second portion of the first transaction pass through at least the second network device, wherein the received flow record comprises information associated with a source information, a destination information, a sequence number, a push flag, a start time, and a content type; filtering, in the application server, flow record information based on one of the source information, the destination information, the sequence number, the push flag, the start time, and the content type; reconstructing, in the application server, a network transaction from the filtered flow records; comparing the sequence numbers from at least two of the filtered flow records; determining a last packet in the network transaction based on examination of the push flag from each of the at least two filtered flow records; generating, with the reconstructed network transaction, response times based on results of the comparison of the sequence numbers and based on the determined last packet; and reporting the generated response times.