Validating endpoint configurations between nodes

• US 10,567,229 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pani, Ayas, Harneja, Sanchay, Holankar, Manali
• Primary Examiner(s): Sison, June Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dabipi, Dixon F
• Application Number:
  US15/662,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/618 Details of network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for validating endpoint information for nodes in a network. A network assurance appliance is configured to retrieve first endpoint information about endpoints in the network from one or more spine nodes in a network and second endpoint information about the endpoints in the network from one or more leaf nodes in the network. The network assurance appliance compares the first endpoint information with the second endpoint information and generates an event based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a first collection of endpoint information about endpoints in a network, wherein the first collection of endpoint information is retrieved from a plurality of spine nodes in a network, the first collection of endpoint information including the endpoints that each of the spine nodes detected;

obtaining a second collection of endpoint information about endpoints in the network, wherein the second collection of endpoint information is retrieved from a plurality of leaf nodes in the network, the second collection of endpoint information including the endpoints that the leaf nodes detected;

first determining that there is an inconsistency based on a comparison of the first collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of spine nodes with the second collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of leaf nodes; and

generating an event specifying the inconsistency;

wherein the first determining includes second determining whether all endpoints detected by the leaf nodes are also known to each spine nodes, and a negative result of the second determining is an inconsistency.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing, based on the event, a user interface comprising network status information.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

calculating, based on the event, a health score for one or more endpoints in the network,

wherein the network status information comprises the health score for the one or more endpoints.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event is associated with a severity level and an event type.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of leaf nodes comprises, for each endpoint detected by the plurality of leaf nodes, an association between the endpoint and a leaf node in the plurality of leaf nodes, the method further comprising determining that at least one endpoint detected by the plurality of leaf nodes is associated with more than one leaf node in the plurality of leaf nodes.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,

wherein the first collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of spine nodes comprises flag information for an endpoint;

wherein the second collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of leaf nodes comprises flag information for the endpoint; and

wherein the method further comprising identifying an inconsistency between the flag information for the endpoint in the first collection of endpoint information and the flag information for the endpoint in the second collection of endpoint information.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,

wherein the first collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of spine nodes comprises IP address information for an endpoint;

wherein the second collection of endpoint information retrieved from the plurality of leaf nodes comprises IP address information for the endpoint; and

wherein the method further comprising identifying an inconsistency between the IP address information for the endpoint in the first collection of endpoint information and the IP address information for the endpoint in the second collection of endpoint information.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the IP address information for the endpoint comprises at least one of a bridge domain address, a MAC address, or an IP address.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

retrieve, from one or more spine nodes in a network, first endpoint information about endpoints in the network, the first endpoint information including the endpoints that each of the spine nodes detected;

retrieve, from one or more leaf nodes in the network, second endpoint information about the endpoints in the network, the endpoint information including the endpoints that the leaf nodes detected;

compare the first endpoint information from the one or more spine nodes with the second endpoint information from the one or more leaf nodes;

first determine that there is an inconsistency based on the comparison;

and generating an event based on the comparison;

wherein the first determine includes a second determine whether all endpoints detected by the leaf nodes are also known to each spine nodes, and a negative result of the second determining is an inconsistency.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the system to provide, based on the event, a user interface comprising network status information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the system to generate, based on the event, a report comprising network status information.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the event is associated with a severity level and an event type.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first endpoint information is retrieved from routing tables of the one or more spine nodes in the network and wherein the second endpoint information is retrieved from routing tables of the one or more leaf nodes in the network.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

retrieve, from one or more spine nodes in a network, first endpoint information about endpoints in the network, the first endpoint information including the endpoints that each of the spine nodes detected;

retrieve, from one or more leaf nodes in the network, second endpoint information about the endpoints in the network, the second endpoint information including the endpoints that the leaf nodes detected;

compare the first endpoint information from the one or more spine nodes with the second endpoint information from the one or more leaf nodes; and

first determine that there is an inconsistency based on the comparison;

wherein the first determine includes a second determine whether all endpoints detected by the leaf nodes are also known to each spine nodes, and a negative result of the second determining is an inconsistency.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to generate an event based on the inconsistency.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to provide, to a remote machine via the network, an interface comprising network status information based on the event.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

combine routing table information from the one or more spine nodes into the first endpoint information; and

combine routing table information from the one or more leaf nodes into the second endpoint information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the network is a software-defined network (SDN).