System and method for configuration, management and monitoring of network resources

• US 20020069274A1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Focus Global Solutions LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Intelliden, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Tindal, Glen D., Schenk, Jeffery A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,249,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A method and apparatus to configure, monitor and manage network devices without regard for device type and/or manufacturer is disclosed. One implementation of this embodiment includes a network manager unit disposed between the network administrator and the network devices. The network manager unit allows the administrator to holistically view, configure and manage an entire network without regard to device type and/or manufacturer. The administrator can implement this holistic approach with the use of a central repository for all configuration information and/or a central posting location for all network events.

Claims

1. A computerized method for configuring a network device, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving a configuration record from a common repository of configuration records, the retrieved configuration record being associated with the network device;

modifying the retrieved configuration record;

storing the modified configuration record in the common repository;

generating at least one device-specific command corresponding to the modified configuration record; and

transferring the generated first device-specific command to the network device.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

searching the common repository for the configuration record;

wherein the configuration record is one of a plurality of configuration records stored in the common repository.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

publishing a message to an event bus;

wherein the published message indicates that the retrieved configuration record has been modified.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

verifying that the modified configuration record complies with a network policy.

5. The computerized method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

publishing a work order to an event bus in response to verifying that the modified configuration record complies with a network policy.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

verifying the successful completion of the step of transferring the generated first device-specific command to the network device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving an event notification at an event bus, the event notification being generated by the network device;

wherein the step of retrieving the configuration record is initiated in response to the receiving of the event notification at the event bus.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the at least one device-specific command comprises the steps of:

retrieving a device-specific command template, wherein the device-specific command template comprises at least one variable field; and

populating the at least one variable field with data included in the modified configuration record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the retrieved configuration record indicates that the network device is from a particular manufacturer, and wherein the retrieved device-specific command template is unique to the particular manufacturer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the retrieved configuration record indicates that the network device is a particular device type and wherein the retrieved device-specific command template is unique to the particular device type.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the configuration record comprises the step of:

retrieving the configuration record from a distributed common repository.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a configuration storage module in communication with the event posting component, the configuration storage module configured to store at least one configuration record for each of the plurality of network devices;

wherein the action manager is configured to configure the first of the plurality of network devices by utilizing a configuration record corresponding to the first of the plurality network device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the configuration storage module comprises a distributed storage arrangement.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a policy manager in communication with the event posting component.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a health manager in communication with the event posting component;

wherein the health manager is configured to monitor the health of at least one of the plurality of network devices and to report the health of the at least one of the plurality of network devices to the event posting component.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the event posting component comprises:

a central posting location.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the event posting component comprises:

a distributed posting location.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a device-specific template storage module in communication with the action manager, the device-specific template storage module configured to store a plurality of device-specific command templates.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the action manager is configured to read a first of the plurality of device-specific templates from the device-specific template storage module and generate a device-specific command using the read device-specific template;

wherein the generated device-specific command is enabled to configure the first of the plurality of network devices in accordance with the network posting.

12. A system for configuring a network including a plurality of network devices, the system comprising:

an event posting component configured to receive a network event posting related to a first of the plurality of network devices; and

an action manager in communication with the event posting component, the action manager configured to receive the network event posting and to configure the first of the plurality of network devices in accordance with the network event posting.

21. A system for configuring a network including a plurality of network devices, the system comprising:

a configuration storage module configured to store at least one configuration record for each of the plurality of network devices; and

an action manager in communication with the configuration storage module, the action manager configured to receive an indication that a first of the configuration records has been altered, and the action manager being further configured to generate a device-specific command for a network device included in the plurality of network devices, wherein the network device corresponds to the first of the configuration records.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

an event posting component configured to provide to the action manager the indication that the first of the configuration records has been altered.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a policy manager in communication with the event posting component.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a device-specific template storage module in communication with the action manager, the device-specific template storage module configured to store a plurality of device-specific command templates;

wherein at least a first of the plurality of device-specific command templates is usable by the action manager to generate the device-specific command for the network device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

searching the common repository for the configuration record;

wherein the configuration record is one of a plurality of configuration records stored in the common repository.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

publishing a message to an event bus;

wherein the published message indicates that the retrieved configuration record has been modified.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

verifying that the modified configuration record complies with a network policy.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

publishing a work order to an event bus in response to verifying that the modified configuration record complies with a network policy.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

verifying the successful completion of the step of transferring the generated first device-specific command to the network device.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of:

receiving an event notification at an event bus, the event notification being generated by the network device;

wherein the step of retrieving the configuration record is initiated in response to the receiving of the event notification at the event bus.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are configured to cause the at least a first processor to generate the at least a first device-specific command by:

retrieving a device-specific command template, wherein the device-specific command template comprises at least one variable field; and

populating the at least one variable field with data included in the modified configuration record.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the retrieved configuration record indicates that the network device is from a particular manufacturer and wherein the retrieved device-specific command template is unique to the particular manufacturer.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the retrieved configuration record indicates that the network device is a particular device type and wherein the retrieved device-specific command template is unique to the particular device type.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of instructions are configured to cause the at least a first processor to perform the step of retrieving the configuration record by:

retrieving the configuration record from a distributed common repository.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

means for generating at least a first device-specific command corresponding to the modified configuration record; and

means for transferring the generated first device-specific command to the network device.

25. A system for configuring a network device, the system comprising:

at least a first processing element configured to execute instructions;

at least a first memory device electronically coupled with the at least a first processing element; and

a plurality of instructions stored on the memory device, the plurality of instructions configured to cause the at least a first processing element to perform the steps of;

retrieving a configuration record from a common repository of configuration records, the retrieved configuration record being associated with the network device;

modifying the retrieved configuration record;

storing the modified configuration record in the common repository;

generating at least a first device-specific command corresponding to the modified configuration record; and

transferring the generated first device-specific command to the network device.

36. A system for configuring a network device, the system comprising:

means for retrieving a configuration record from a common repository of configuration records, the retrieved configuration record associated with the network device;

means for modifying the retrieved configuration record; and

means for storing the modified configuration record in the common repository.