Switch Management System and Method

• US 20140059234A1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matthews, Abraham R., Berenberg, Anna
• Granted Patent: US 9,509,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• 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 45/10 Routing in connection-oriented networks, e.g. X.25 or ATM

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing a service provider switch are provided. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for provisioning a switch with a network-based managed Internet Protocol (IP) service. A network operating system (NOS) is provided on each processor element (PE) of the switch. The NOS includes an object manager (OM) responsible for managing global software object groups, managing software object configurations, managing local software objects and groups and routing control information between address spaces based on locations of software objects. The OM performs management plane communications among software objects by way of system calls. The OM performs data plane communications among software objects by way of object-to-object channels. The switch is provisioned with a network-based managed IP service for a particular customer by pushing discrete and customized software objects representing the network-based managed IP service onto an object-to-object channel established between two of the software objects.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a network operating system (NOS) on each processor element (PE) of a plurality of PEs of a switch;

establishing, via the NOS, a plurality of object groups, wherein each of the plurality of objects corresponds to one of a plurality of virtual routers provided by the switch;

assigning, via the NOS, a plurality of software objects to each of the plurality of object groups, wherein each software object provides a discrete network service;

distributing, via the NOS, each of the plurality of software objects to at least one of the PEs;

providing, at the switch, discrete network services for the plurality of virtual routers according to the assigned plurality of software objects for each of the plurality of object groups; and

dynamically redistributing, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects to another of the PEs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of software objects comprises a managed security service object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of software objects comprises a managed firewall service object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of software objects comprises a managed virtual private network (VPN) object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering a failure of the least one of the PEs to which each of the plurality of software objects has been distributed,

wherein dynamically redistributing, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects to another of the PEs comprises redistributing at least one of the plurality of software objects from the at least one of the PEs for which the failure was registered to an other of the plurality of PEs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically redistributing the at least one of the plurality of software objects to the other of the PEs comprises dynamically redistributing the at least one of the plurality of software objects in response to a change in traffic through the switch.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the NOS to assign a new a software object, wherein the new software object provides a new discrete network service;

assigning, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the plurality of software groups;

distributing, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the PEs; and

providing, at the switch, the new discrete network service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the distribution of the plurality of software objects in a global database for the switch.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the distribution of the plurality of software objects to the at least one of the PEs in a local database for the at least one of the PEs.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a new virtual router on the switch, wherein establishing the new virtual router comprises:

establishing, via the NOS, a new object group;

assigning, via the NOS, a plurality of software objects to the new object group; and

distributing, via the NOS, each of the plurality of software objects assigned to the new object group to at least one of the PEs.

11. A system comprising:

a plurality of processing elements (PEs), wherein one or more of the plurality the PEs is configured to;

provide a network operating system (NOS) on each PE;

establish, via the NOS, a plurality of object groups, wherein each of the plurality of objects corresponds to one of a plurality of virtual routers;

assign, via the NOS, a plurality of software objects to each of the plurality of object groups, wherein each software object provides a discrete network service;

distribute, via the NOS, each of the plurality of software objects to at least one of the PEs;

provide discrete network services for the plurality of virtual routers according to the assigned plurality of software objects for each of the plurality of object groups; and

dynamically redistribute, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects to another of the PEs.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more of the plurality the PEs is further configured to:

register a failure of the least one of the PEs to which each of the plurality of software objects has been distributed; and

dynamically redistribute, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects from the at least one of the PEs for which the failure was registered to an other of the plurality of PEs.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more of the plurality the PEs is further configured to dynamically redistribute the at least one of the plurality of software objects in response to a change in traffic through the switch.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more of the plurality the PEs is further configured to:

configure the NOS to assign a new a software object, wherein the new software object provides a new discrete network service;

assign, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the plurality of software groups;

distribute, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the PEs; and

provide, at the switch, the new discrete network service.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more of the plurality the PEs is further configured to assign, via the NOS, at least one of a managed security service object, a managed firewall service object, or a managed virtual private network (VPN) object.

16. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

provide a network operating system (NOS) on each processor element (PE) of a plurality of PEs of a switch;

establish, via the NOS, a plurality of object groups, wherein each of the plurality of objects corresponds to one of a plurality of virtual routers provided by the switch;

assign, via the NOS, a plurality of software objects to each of the plurality of object groups, wherein each software object provides a discrete network service;

distribute, via the NOS, each of the plurality of software objects to at least one of the PEs;

provide discrete network services for the plurality of virtual routers according to the assigned plurality of software objects for each of the plurality of object groups; and

dynamically redistribute, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects to another of the PEs.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

register a failure of the least one of the PEs to which each of the plurality of software objects has been distributed; and

dynamically redistribute, via the NOS, at least one of the plurality of software objects from the at least one of the PEs for which the failure was registered to an other of the plurality of PEs.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to dynamically redistribute the at least one of the plurality of software objects in response to a change in traffic through the switch.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

configure the NOS to assign a new a software object, wherein the new software object provides a new discrete network service;

assign, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the plurality of software groups;

distribute, via the NOS, the new software object to at least one of the PEs; and

provide, at the switch, the new discrete network service.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to assign, via the NOS, at least one of a managed security service object, a managed firewall service object, or a managed virtual private network (VPN) object.