SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONFIGURING NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE USING FUNCTIONAL BUILDING BLOCKS

• US 20080114863A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Huynh, Lap Thiet, Baskey, Michael E., Sahu, Sambit, Saha, Debanjan, Reumann, John, Verma, Dinesh Chandra
• Application Number:
  US11/559,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service

Abstract

A method of, and system for, configuring a network infrastructure, which includes representing the network infrastructure as a composition of a predetermined number of functional building blocks, configuring a network blue print based on the predetermined number of functional building blocks, and mapping the predetermined number of functional building blocks onto available physical resources of the network infrastructure, such that network configuration can be automated for a wide set of services representing network configuration as a functional composition of elemental blocks.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a network infrastructure, said method comprising:

specifying a network service required by an application as a composition of abstract functional building blocks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said specifying comprises:

mapping each of said abstract functional building blocks onto available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

18. A method of deploying computing infrastructure in which computer-readable code is integrated into a computing system, and combines with said computing system to perform the method according to claim 1.

19. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of recordable, computer-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

configuring said network infrastructure based on at least one of quality of service requirements and software licensing agreement requirements.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said software licensing agreement requirements comprise at least one of:

bandwidth requirements, delay requirements, and loss requirements.

3. A method of configuring a network infrastructure, comprising:

representing said network infrastructure as a composition of abstract functional building blocks; and

mapping each of said abstract functional building blocks onto available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said mapping comprises:

mapping each of said abstract functional building blocks onto at least one of distinct devices of said available physical resources and different kinds of devices of said available physical resources.

22. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

configuring said network infrastructure based on at least one of quality of service requirements and software licensing agreement requirements.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said software licensing agreement requirements comprise at least one of:

bandwidth requirements, delay requirements, and loss requirements.

5. A method of configuring a network infrastructure, comprising:

representing said network infrastructure as a composition of a predetermined number of functional building blocks;

configuring a network blue print based on said predetermined number of functional building blocks; and

mapping said predetermined number of functional building blocks onto available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said mapping comprises:

providing a set of algorithms for mapping said predetermined number of functional blocks on logical devices of said available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said configuring comprises:

generating a set of choices for each of said predetermined number of functional blocks in an abstract connectivity;

choosing a feasible realization of the abstract connectivity on a predetermined physical network fabric of said network infrastructure; and

generating configurations using lower level configuration abstraction.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of said predetermined number of functional building blocks is mapped onto more than one of said available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein said mapping is based on at least one of resource connectivity details, a current network configuration, and said network blue print.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined number of functional building blocks is mappable to more than one of said available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein said mapping comprises other than one-to-one mapping between each of said predetermined number of functional building blocks and said available physical resources of said network infrastructure.

24. The method according to claim 5, wherein said configuring comprises configuring said network blue print based on at least one of quality of service requirements and software licensing agreement requirements.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said software licensing agreement requirements comprise at least one of:

bandwidth requirements, delay requirements, and loss requirements.

12. A system for configuring a network infrastructure, comprising:

a representing unit that represents said network infrastructure as a composition of a predetermined number of functional building blocks;

a configuring unit that configures a network blue print based on said predetermined number of functional building blocks; and

a mapping unit that maps said predetermined number of functional building blocks onto available physical resources of said network infrastructure based on said network blue print.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said mapping unit includes an executing unit that maps said predetermined number of functional blocks on logical devices of said available physical resources of said network infrastructure based on a predetermined set of algorithms.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said configuring unit includes:

a first generating unit that generates a set of choices for each of said predetermined number of functional blocks in an abstract connectivity;

a selecting unit that selects a feasible realization of the abstract connectivity on a predetermined physical network fabric of said network infrastructure; and

a second generating unit that generates configurations using lower level configuration abstraction.

26. The system according to claim 12, wherein said configuring unit configures said network blue print based on at least one of quality of service requirements and software licensing agreement requirements.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein said software licensing agreement requirements comprise at least one of:

bandwidth requirements, delay requirements, and loss requirements.

15. A system for configuring a network infrastructure, comprising:

means for representing said network infrastructure as a composition of a predetermined number of functional building blocks;

means for configuring a network blue print based on said predetermined number of functional building blocks; and

means for mapping said predetermined number of functional building blocks onto available physical resources of said network infrastructure based on said network blue print.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said means for mapping maps said predetermined number of functional blocks on logical devices of said available physical resources of said network infrastructure based on a predetermined set of algorithms.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said means for configuring includes:

first generating means for generating a set of choices for each of said predetermined number of functional blocks in an abstract connectivity;

selecting means for selecting a feasible realization of the abstract connectivity on a predetermined physical network fabric of said network infrastructure; and

second generating means for generating configurations using lower level configuration abstraction.

28. The system according to claim 15, wherein said means for configuring configures said network blue print based on at least one of quality of service requirements and software licensing agreement requirements.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein said software licensing agreement requirements comprise at least one of:

bandwidth requirements, delay requirements, and loss requirements.