Dynamic virtual network topology discovery engine

• US 10,511,485 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Tsong-Ho, Li, Wen-Jui, Lee, Shyhyann
• Primary Examiner(s): Nano, Sargon N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mendaye, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US14/823,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/036 Updating the topology between route computation elements, e.g. between OpenFlow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for a realtime dynamic virtual network topology discovery engine to discover a dynamic network topology in virtualized networks in realtime. A processor that executes a network topology discovery engine can obtain network data that can describe elements of a data center and operational state of the elements. Obtaining network data can include obtaining network data from a network topology inventory database and through detecting operational state change events from virtual network components. The processor can construct a network topology model based upon the network data. The network topology model can include an object (representing an element of the data center) and an attribute representing a state of the element. The processor can update the network topology model in realtime. The network topology model and configurations can be stored for root cause analysis of fault events, resource orchestration in SDN networks, and other applications.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a processor that executes a network topology discovery engine, network data that describes elements of a data center, the network data comprising information that describes relationships between the elements, operations state information for the elements, and capacity data that describes capacities and usage of the elements; and

constructing, by the processor and based on the network data, a network topology model, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises selecting a server host associated with the data center, identifying components associated with the server host, determining operational states of the components, correlating operational state change events of the components, determining a geographic location of the server host, determining capacities of the components, and creating an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein creating the object-oriented model comprises creating a first object that represents a first element of the elements of the data center and creating a second object that represents a second element of the elements of the data center, and wherein creating the first object comprises creating an attribute of the first object, wherein the attribute defines a relationship between the first element and the second element, and wherein the attribute defines an operational state of the first element, the operational state of the first element being one of available, unavailable, assigned, unassigned, reassigned, provisioned, non-provisioned, instantiated, or non-instantiated, and wherein constructing the network topology model further comprises constructing, in unified modeling language, the network topology model, wherein objects are added for the components, and wherein the operational states of the components, the geographic location, and the capacities of the components are represented in the network topology model by relationships in the unified modeling language.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an update to the network data has been received via realtime monitoring of an operation state change associated with one of the elements of the data center; and

correlating operation state change events of virtualized network components in server hosts to update the network topology model.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a new service request;

mapping the new service request to the elements of the data center using the network topology model; and

allocating the elements of the data center based on the new service request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an existing service upgrade request;

mapping the existing service upgrade request to the elements of the data center using the network topology model; and

allocating the elements of the data center based on the existing service upgrade request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a fault event at the data center;

determining a cause of the fault event using the network topology model; and

outputting, to a software defined networking controller, an action item relating to repair of the cause of the fault event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is represented in the network topology model as an aggregation relationship.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute further comprises information that identifies a geographic location of the first element, and wherein the second object inherits the geographic location from the first object via the attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the components comprise virtualized network functions, a virtual machine, a blade, and an operational association between the virtualized network functions, the virtual machine, and the blade.

9. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

obtaining network data that describes elements of a data center, wherein the network data comprises information that describes relationships between the elements, operations state information for the elements, and capacity data that describes capacities and usage of the elements, and

constructing a network topology model based on the network data, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises selecting a server host associated with the data center, identifying components associated with the server host, determining operational states of the components, correlating operational state change events of the components, determining a geographic location of the server host, determining capacities of the components, and creating an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein creating the object-oriented model comprises creating a first object that represents to a first element of the elements of the data center and creating a second object that represents to a second element of the elements of the data center, and wherein creating the first object comprises creating an attribute of the first object, wherein the attribute defines a relationship between the first element and the second element, and wherein the attribute defines an operational state of the first element, the operational state of the first element being one of available, unavailable, assigned, unassigned, reassigned, provisioned, non-provisioned, instantiated, or non-instantiated, and wherein constructing the network topology model further comprises constructing, in unified modeling language, the network topology model, wherein objects are added for the components, and wherein the operational states of the components, the geographic location, and the capacities of the components are represented in the network topology model by relationships in the unified modeling language.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribute is represented in the network topology model as an aggregation relationship.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the components comprise virtualized network functions, a virtual machine, a blade, and an operational association between the virtualized network functions, the virtual machine, and the blade.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

detecting a fault event at the data center;

determining a cause of the fault event using the network topology model; and

outputting, to a software defined networking controller, an action item relating to repair of the cause of the fault event.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a request comprising a new service request or an existing service upgrade request;

mapping the request to the elements of the data center using the network topology model; and

allocating the elements of the data center based on the request.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribute further comprises information that identifies a geographic location of the first element, and wherein the second object inherits the geographic location from the first object via the attribute.

15. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining network data that describes elements of a data center, wherein the network data comprises information that describes relationships between the elements, operations state information for the elements, and capacity data that describes capacities and usage of the elements; and

constructing a network topology model based on the network data, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises selecting a server host associated with the data center, identifying components associated with the server host, determining operational states of the components, correlating operational state change events of the components, determining a geographic location of the server host, determining capacities of the components, and creating an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein creating the object-oriented model comprises creating a first object that represents to a first element of the elements of the data center and creating a second object that represents to a second element of the elements of the data center, and wherein creating the first object comprises creating an attribute of the first object, wherein the attribute defines a relationship between the first element and the second element, and wherein the attribute defines to an operational state of the first element, the operational state of the first element being one of available, unavailable, assigned, unassigned, reassigned, provisioned, non-provisioned, instantiated, or non-instantiated, and wherein constructing the network topology model further comprises constructing, in unified modeling language, the network topology model, wherein objects are added for the components, and wherein the operational states of the components, the geographic location, and the capacities of the components are represented in the network topology model by relationships in the unified modeling language.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute is represented in the network topology model as an aggregation relationship.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the components comprise virtualized network functions, a virtual machine, a blade, and an operational association between the virtualized network functions, the virtual machine, and the blade.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

detecting a fault event at the data center;

determining a cause of the fault event using the network topology model; and

outputting, to a software defined networking controller, an action item relating to repair of the cause of the fault event.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a request comprising a new service request or an existing service upgrade request;

mapping the request to the elements of the data center using the network topology model; and

allocating the elements of the data center based on the request.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the attribute further comprises information that identifies a geographic location of the first element, and wherein the second object inherits the geographic location from the first object via the attribute.