Reduced orthogonal network policy set selection

• US 10,623,339 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Wackerly, Shaun, Mentze, Duane Edward, Clark, Charles F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US16/063,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• 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 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/503 Policing

Abstract

In some examples, a method includes accessing an orthogonal network policy set that represents a first intent-based network policy and a second intent-based network policy. The method may also include determining multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets from the orthogonal network policy set. The multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets may differ from one another, and each represent the first and second intent-based network policies. The method may further include selecting a particular reduced orthogonal network policy set among the multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets to implement on a target switching device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a conflict resolution engine to derive an orthogonal network policy set that represents a first intent-based network policy and a second intent-based network policy; and

an orthogonal policy reduction engine to;

determine a first reduced orthogonal network policy set that combines a pair of orthogonal network policies from the orthogonal network policy set into a first reduced orthogonal network policy;

determine a second reduced orthogonal network policy set that combines a different pair of orthogonal network policies from the orthogonal network policy set into a second reduced orthogonal network policy;

select the first reduced orthogonal network policy set, and not the second reduced orthogonal network policy set, to implement on a target switching device based on a characteristic of the target switching device and further based on a table capability of the target switching device,

wherein the table capability of the target switching device comprises a number of tables implemented by the target switching device, a table size of a table implemented by the target switching device, a number, type, or combination of actions supported by the table implemented by the target switching device, a particular action that the table implemented by the target switching device implements with increased efficiency, or any combination thereof; and

transmit the first reduced orthogonal network policy set in a protocol-specific format supported by the target switching device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first reduced orthogonal network policy includes a wildcard value for a particular match field of the first reduced orthogonal network policy;

and

wherein the orthogonal policy reduction engine is to select the first reduced orthogonal network policy set based on the target switching device including a wildcard processing capability for the particular match field.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second reduced orthogonal network policy includes a wildcard value for a particular match field of the second reduced orthogonal network policy;

and

wherein the orthogonal policy reduction engine is to select the first reduced orthogonal network policy set, and not the second reduced orthogonal network policy set, based on the target switching device not including a wildcard processing capability for the particular match field of the second reduced orthogonal network policy.

4. A method comprising:

accessing an orthogonal network policy set that represents a first intent-based network policy and a second intent-based network policy;

determining multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets from the orthogonal network policy set, the multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets differing from one another and each representing the first and second intent-based network policies;

selecting a particular reduced orthogonal network policy set among the multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets to implement on a target switching device in a protocol-specific format supported by the target switching device based on a table capability of the target switching device,

wherein the table capability of the target switching device comprises a number of tables implemented by the target switching device, a table size of a table implemented by the target switching device, a number, type, or combination of actions supported by the table implemented by the target switching device, a particular action that the table implemented by the target switching device implements with increased efficiency, or any combination thereof; and

transmit the first reduced orthogonal network policy set in a protocol-specific format supported by the target switching device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set comprises:

translating each of the multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets into protocol-specific messages; and

determining that the protocol-specific messages translated from the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set has the least number of dataflows to match for from among protocol-specific messages translated from each of the multiple reduced orthogonal network policy sets.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving an indication of a table capability from the target switching device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the table capability comprises wildcard processing capability for a particular match field in the orthogonal network policy set;

and

wherein selecting the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set comprises determining that the particular reduced orthogonal network policy includes a wildcard value for the particular match field.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting comprises selecting the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set based on a number of data values for a particular match field in the orthogonal network policy set.

9. The method of claim 4, comprising selecting the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set even when a different reduced orthogonal network policy set translates into a lesser number of protocol-specific messages than the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set, but the target switching device includes a particular table that processes the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set at a greater speed than the different reduced orthogonal network policy set.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the particular table of the target switching includes a wildcard processing capability for a particular match field of the particular reduced orthogonal network policy set but not a wildcard processing capability of a different match field of the different reduced orthogonal network policy set.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processing resource to:

access an orthogonal network policy set that represents a first intent-based network policy and a second intent-based network policy;

determine a first reduced orthogonal network policy set that combines a pair of orthogonal network policies from the orthogonal network policy set into a first reduced orthogonal network policy;

determine a second reduced orthogonal network policy set that combines a different pair of orthogonal network policies from the orthogonal network policy set into a second reduced orthogonal network policy;

select the first reduced orthogonal network policy set, and not the second reduced orthogonal network policy set, to implement on a first target switching device based on a characteristic of the first target switching device and further based on a table capability of the first target switching device;

select the second reduced orthogonal network policy set, and not the first reduced orthogonal network policy set, to implement on a second target switching device based on a characteristic of the second target switching device and further based on a table capability of the second target switching device,

wherein a table capability of a respective target switching device comprises a number of tables implemented by the respective target switching device, a table size of a table implemented by the respective target switching device, a number, type, or combination of actions supported by the table implemented by the respective target switching device, a particular action that the table implemented by the respective target switching device implements with increased efficiency, or any combination thereof; and

transmit the first or the second reduced orthogonal network policy set in a protocol-specific format supported by the first or the second target switching device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first reduced orthogonal network policy includes a wildcard value for a particular match field of the first reduced orthogonal network policy;

and

wherein the instructions are executable by the processing resource to select the first reduced orthogonal network policy set based on the first target switching device including a wildcard processing capability for the particular match field of the first reduced orthogonal network policy.