LAUNCHING SERVICE APPLICATIONS USING A VIRTUAL NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20070150597A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Ganesan, Elango, Hasan, Taqi
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• 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 41/12 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A network service administration system including a plurality of service objects, a plurality of address objects; and a service configuration application for a multifunction appliance running on a client computer coupled to the appliance via a network. The service configuration application includes an interface allowing subscribers to configure at least a subset of application content services provided by the appliance and including a rule set implementing rules in ones of said application content services in said subset based on changes to configurations of any other of said application content services. Each of said service objects may comprise an individual network service definition.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a data center that has a plurality of geographically distributed facilities that provide network services to a plurality of different company subscribers, the method comprising:

providing a user interface via computer network, wherein the user interface presents an administrative hierarchy of topology objects,

wherein the topology objects include a global data center object that represents the data center as a whole,

wherein the topology objects include a set of facility objects that represent the distributed facilities of the data center,

wherein the topology objects include a set of subscriber objects that represent the different company subscribers,

wherein the topology objects include a set of device objects that represent physical devices located at the facilities of the data center;

receiving configuration input through the user interface from an administrator; and

launching, in response to the configuration input, a service application that operates within a context of one of the topology objects in the administrative management hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the service application operates within the context of the one of the topology objects, information generated by the service application applies only to the one of the topology objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the service application operates within the context of one of the topology objects, the service application uses data associated with the one of the topology objects and data associated with any topology object that is subordinate to the one of the topology objects within the administrative management hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein launching a service application comprises launching the service application in a context of one of the device objects;

and

wherein the service application uses data that emanates from a physical device that the one of the device objects represents in order to present a status of the physical device.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein launching a service application comprises launching the service application in a context of the global data center object;

and

wherein the service application uses data that emanates from all of the physical devices of the data center in order to present a status of the data center.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein launching a service application comprises launching the service application in a context of one of the subscriber objects;

and

wherein the service application provides one of the network services in response to network packets associated with a company subscriber that the one of the subscriber objects represents.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network service comprises a network address translation service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein launching a service application comprises launching the service application on one of the physical devices located at the facilities of the data center.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein launching a service application on one of the physical devices comprises sending a request to launch the service application over a computer network.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein launching a service application comprises launching a management service module that operates in the context of the global data center object, and

wherein the management service module assists the configuration manager to launch other service applications in response to configuration input from the administrator.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the management service module comprises an authentication manager that provides access control and regulated administrative privileges.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of service applications operate on a network management server.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a user interface comprises presenting a graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a graphical user interface comprises displaying the graphical user interface with a client device that receives the graphical user interface from a device that provides the graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a graphical user interface comprises:

presenting a facility object in the set of facility objects as a root of the administrative management hierarchy; and

presenting one or more of the subscriber objects and one or more of the device objects as being subordinate to the facility object in the administrative management hierarchy.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a graphical user interface comprises:

presenting a subscriber object in the set of subscriber objects as a root of the administrative management hierarchy; and

presenting one or more of the facility objects and one or more of the device objects as being subordinate to the subscriber object in the administrative management hierarchy.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a graphical user interface comprises:

presenting a device object in the set of device objects as a root of the administrative management hierarchy; and

presenting one or more of the subscriber objects and one or more of the facility objects as being subordinate to the device object in the administrative management hierarchy.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the administrator is an agent of one of the company subscribers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the service application is not launched unless the agent is attempting to launch the service application within a context of a one of the subscriber objects that is associated with the one of the company subscribers.

20. The method of claim 1,

wherein the administrator is an facility administrator for a particular facility of the network data center;

and

wherein the service application is not launched unless the facility administrator is attempting to launch the service application within a context of a one of the facility objects that is associated with the particular facility of the data center.

21. A network administration system for configuring a data center having a plurality of geographically distributed facilities that provide network services to a plurality of different company subscribers, the network administration system comprising:

a network device that provides a user interface via a computer network, wherein the user interface presents an administrative management hierarchy of topology objects,

wherein the topology objects include a global data center object that represents the data center as a whole,

wherein the topology objects include a set of facility objects that represent the distributed facilities of the data center,

wherein the topology objects include a set of subscriber objects that represent the different company subscribers,

wherein the topology objects include a set of device objects that represent physical devices located at the facilities of the data center; and

a configuration manager that launches, in response to configuration input from an administrator via the user interface, a service application that operates within a context of one of the topology objects in the administrative management hierarchy.

22. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions for configuring a data center that has a plurality of geographically distributed facilities that provide network services to a plurality of different company subscribers, the instructions causing a programmable-processor to:

provide a user interface via a computer network, wherein the user interface presents an administrative hierarchy of topology objects,

wherein the topology objects include a global data center object that represents the data center as a whole,

wherein the topology objects include a set of facility objects that represent the distributed facilities of the data center,

wherein the topology objects include a set of subscriber objects that represent the different company subscribers,

wherein the topology objects include a set of device objects that represent physical devices located at the facilities of the data center;

receive configuration input through the user interface from an administrator; and

launch, in response to the configuration input, a service application that operates within a context of one of the topology objects in the administrative management hierarchy.