Transaction integrity for network services configuration

• US 10,200,258 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Mattson, Geoffrey A., Qiu, Lei
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US14/460,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20160050125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 709225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/80 Actions related to the user profile or the type of traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

In some examples, a controller provisions services for transporting packet flows within a network. A controller service provisioning module receives a service request that comprises a definition for a service to be provided by the network for a subscriber or a customer of the network. The service provisioning module determines a plurality of network resources of at least one network device to be configured to implement the service in the network and apply the service to the packet-based network traffic of the subscriber. A locking unit of the service provisioning module acquires a lock from a network-wide coordination repository that stores a software representation for each of the network resources, the lock providing exclusive configuration access to the service provisioning module for the network resources. The service provisioning module, only upon the locking unit acquiring the lock for the network resources, configures the network resources to provision the service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a controller that provisions services for transporting packet flows within a network, a service request that comprises a definition for a service to be provided by the network for a subscriber or a customer of the network;

determining, by the controller, a plurality of network resources of at least one network device to be configured to implement the service in the network and apply the service to the packet-based network traffic of the subscriber or the customer, wherein each network resource of the plurality of network resources is associated with configuration data for the network resource;

storing, by the controller, a database of identifiers for the plurality of network resources, the identifiers mapping to respective software representations in a network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device;

mapping, by the controller using the database of identifiers, the respective identifiers for the plurality network resources to the respective software representations in the network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device; and

only upon acquiring a lock that defines a lock state for the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device and by the controller, modifying the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device to provision the service, wherein the lock for the software representations is acquired from the network-wide coordination repository, and wherein the lock for the software representations provides the controller with exclusive access to each of the plurality of network resources to modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources corresponding to the lock.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device comprises acquiring a separate lock from the coordination repository for each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, wherein the separate lock for each network resource of the plurality of network resources provides the controller with exclusive access to the network resource to modify the configuration data associated with the network resource corresponding to the separate lock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device comprises atomically acquiring a single lock from the coordination repository for all of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, wherein the single lock for the plurality of network resources provides the controller with exclusive access to each of the plurality of network resources to modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources corresponding to the single lock.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service comprises one of a one of a point-to-point Ethernet service, multipoint-to-multipoint Ethernet service, point-to-multipoint Ethernet service, full-mesh layer 3 virtual private networking (L3VPN) service, and hub-and-spoke L3VPN service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a first service provisioning module and a second service provisioning module, the method further comprising:

delegating, by the controller, the service request to the first service provisioning module,

wherein acquiring the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device comprises acquiring, by the first service provisioning module, the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, and

wherein the second service provisioning module refrains from configuring any of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device so long as the first service provisioning module has the lock.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the controller comprises a first service provisioning module and a second service provisioning module,

wherein acquiring the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device comprises:

creating, by the first service provisioning module, a node in the coordination repository, the node associated with the software representation of a first network resource of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device,

wherein the second service provisioning module refrains from configuring any of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device while the node exists.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

deleting, by the first service provisioning module, the node in the coordination repository;

acquiring, by the second service provisioning module, a lock for the first network resource by creating the node in the coordination repository.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device comprises:

creating, by the controller, a node in the coordination repository, the node associated with the software representation of a first network resource of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the node comprises one of a barrier node and an ephemeral barrier node.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the coordination repository comprises one or more servers that provide a network-wide synchronous network resource locking service by synchronizing the software representation of each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a first network resource of the plurality of network resources comprises one of a network device to be configured and a component of a network device to be configured.

12. A controller that provisions services for transporting packet flows within a network, the controller comprising:

one or more processors coupled to a memory;

a service provisioning module executed by the one or more processors to;

receive a service request that comprises a definition for a service to be provided by the network for a subscriber or a customer of the network;

determine a plurality of network resources of at least one network device to be configured to implement the service in the network and apply the service to the packet-based network traffic of the subscriber or the customer, wherein each network resource of the plurality of network resources is associated with configuration data for the network resource;

store a database of identifiers for the plurality of network resources, the identifiers mapping to respective software representations in a network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device;

map, using the database of identifiers, the respective identifiers for the plurality network resources to the respective software representations in the network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device; and

a locking unit executed by the one or more processors to acquire a lock for the respective software representations from the network-wide coordination repository, the lock for the respective software representations providing the controller with exclusive access to each of the plurality of network resources to modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources corresponding to the lock,

wherein the service provisioning module, only upon the locking unit acquiring the lock that defines a lock state for the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, is executed by the one or more processors to modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device to provision the service.

13. The controller of claim 12, wherein to acquire the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device the locking unit acquires a separate lock from the coordination repository for each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, wherein the separate lock for each network resource of the plurality of network resources provides the controller with exclusive access to the network resource to modify the configuration data associated with the network resource corresponding to the separate lock.

14. The controller of claim 12, wherein to acquire the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device the locking unit atomically acquires a single lock from the coordination repository for all of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device, wherein the single lock for the plurality of network resources provides the controller with exclusive access to each of the plurality of network resources to modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources corresponding to the single lock.

15. The controller of claim 12, wherein the service comprises one of a one of a point-to-point Ethernet service, multipoint-to-multipoint Ethernet service, point-to-multipoint Ethernet service, full-mesh layer 3 virtual private networking (L3VPN) service, and hub-and-spoke L3VPN service.

16. The controller of claim 12,

wherein the service provisioning module comprises a first service provisioning module,

wherein the controller comprises a second service provisioning module,

wherein the controller delegates the service request to the first service provisioning module, and

wherein the second service provisioning module refrains from configuring any of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device so long as the first service provisioning module has the lock.

17. The controller of claim 12, wherein to acquire the lock for the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device the locking unit creates a node in the coordination repository, the node associated with the software representation of a first network resource of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the node comprises one of a barrier node and an ephemeral barrier node.

19. The controller of claim 12, wherein a first network resource of the plurality of network resources comprises one of a network device to be configured and a component of a network device to be configured.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing one or more programmable processors to:

receive, by a controller that provisions services for transporting packet flows within a network, a service request that comprises a definition for a service to be provided by the network for a subscriber or a customer of the network;

determine, by the controller, a plurality of network resources of at least one network device to be configured to implement the service in the network and apply the service to the packet-based network traffic of the subscriber or the customer, wherein each network resource of the plurality of network resources is associated with configuration data for the network resource;

store a database of identifiers for the plurality of network resources, the identifiers mapping to respective software representations in a network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device;

map, using the database of identifiers, the respective identifiers for the plurality network resources to the respective software representations in the network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device; and

only upon acquiring a lock that defines a lock state for the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device and by the controller, modify the configuration data associated with each of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device to provision the service, wherein the lock for the software representations is acquired from the network-wide coordination repository, and wherein the lock for the software representations provides the controller with exclusive access to each of the plurality of network resources to modify the configuration data with each of the plurality of network resources corresponding to the lock.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, by a controller that provisions services for transporting packet flows within a network, a service request that comprises a definition for a service to be provided by the network for a subscriber or a customer of the network;

determining, by the controller, a plurality of network resources of at least one network device to be configured to implement the service in the network and apply the service to the packet-based network traffic of the subscriber or the customer, wherein each network resource of the plurality of network resources is associated with configuration data for the network resource;

storing, by the controller, a database of identifiers for the plurality of network resources, the identifiers mapping to respective software representations in a network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device;

mapping, by the controller using the database of identifiers, the respective identifiers for the plurality network resources to the respective software representations in the network-wide coordination repository that stores the respective software representations of the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device; and

by the controller for each network resource from the plurality of network resources of the at least one network device;

acquiring a lock that defines a lock state associated with the software representation of the network resource, the software representation for the network resource being stored by the network-wide configuration repository, wherein the lock provides the controller with exclusive access to the network resource to modify the configuration data associated with the network resource corresponding to the lock; and

only in response to acquiring the lock, modifying the configuration data associated with the network resource of the at least one network device to at least partially provision the service.