SHARED INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION IN A COMPUTER NETWORK

• US 20140215028A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donner, Paul, Clemm, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,819,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• 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 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery

Abstract

In one implementation, a protocol for dissemination of information, such as configuration information, in a computer network is provided. The dissemination of the payload or content is separated from the dissemination of the fact that a new revision of that payload or content exists. The availability of a new revision of the payload or content is signaled prior to the transfer. Only nodes receiving the notice of existence of the new revision and requesting the new revision receive the payload or content. While the payload or content revision notifications potentially arrive at a receiving node from many different neighbors, the payload or content is only requested once by the receiving node and transmitted once over links between neighbors. This scheme may result in low end-to-end delays and in resiliency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

pushing, by a computer network device, a first message of availability of new configuration information to first neighboring devices;

pulling, by the first neighboring devices in response to the first message, the new configuration information when the first neighboring devices do not have the new configuration information;

pushing a second message from the first neighboring devices that pulled the new configuration information to second neighboring devices of the first neighboring devices other than the computer network device, the second message indicating availability of new configuration information;

failing, by the first neighbor devices, to perform the pulling of the new configuration information and pushing the second message when the first neighboring devices have the new configuration information prior to receiving the first message; and

pulling, by the second neighboring devices in response to the second message, the new configuration information when the second neighboring devices do not have the new configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein pushing the first and second messages comprises broadcasting the first and second messages, respectively, and wherein pulling in response to the first and second messages comprises requesting by the first and second neighboring devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein pushing the first and second messages comprises pushing the first and second messages with a version number for the new configuration information and a first hash of the new configuration information.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

calculating a second hash of the new configuration information after pulling; and

checking the first hash against the second hash after pulling.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein failing comprises failing when the version number matches a current version.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein pushing and pulling comprise distributing the new configuration information as an intent file in an autonomic network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein failing comprises terminating distribution of the new configuration information at nodes which have already participated in distribution of the new configuration information, and wherein the pushing is performed only to ones of the first and second neighboring devices which have not themselves already pushed the availability of the new configuration information.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at the first and second neighboring devices that perform the pulling, configuring operation based on the pulled new configuration information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer network device comprises an originating node of the new configuration information, a user inputting the new configuration information;

further comprising automatically incrementing, by the computer network device, a version number of a file, the new configuration information being in the file.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein pulling by the first and second neighboring devices comprises requesting transmittal of the new configuration information;

further comprising;

forwarding the new configuration information by the computer network device to the first neighboring devices in response to the requesting by the first neighboring devices; and

forwarding the new configuration information by the first neighboring devices to the second neighboring devices in response to the requesting by the second neighboring devices.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

pushing, by one of the second neighboring devices to an added device in response to discovery of the added device, a third message of availability of new configuration information; and

pulling the new configuration information by the added device from the one of the second neighboring devices in response to the third message.

12. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a computer node of a network, a first revision message from a first adjacent node in the network;

requesting, by the computer node and from the first adjacent node, a file in response to the first revision message;

flooding adjacent nodes to the computer node, other than the first adjacent node, with a second revision message; and

transmitting the file to the adjacent nodes in response to a request responsive to the second revision message and from the adjacent nodes.

13. The logic of claim 12 wherein the first revision message comprises a message for configuration revision appropriate for the computer node, the first adjacent node, and the other adjacent nodes, and wherein requesting the file comprises requesting a configuration file.

14. The logic of claim 13 wherein the network comprises an autonomic network, and wherein the file comprises an intent file indicating a network wide intent for configuration of the computer node, the first adjacent node, and the other adjacent nodes;

further comprising;

configuring, by the computer node, the computer node to operate based on the intent file.

15. The logic of claim 12 wherein receiving comprises receiving a first hash of the file and a version number in the first revision message;

further comprising;

receiving the file in response to the requesting and prior to the flooding;

calculating a second hash of the file; and

confirming that the first and second hashes are equal and that the version number is greater than a current version at the computer node.

16. The logic of claim 12 wherein flooding is limited to the adjacent nodes from which revision messages are not received.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a memory operable to store a file of shared information;

a processor configured to pull the file in response to a received communication about a revision to the file, to disseminate revision information about the revision, and to transmit the file based on a request in response to the dissemination of the revision information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to configure operation by the processor as a function of the shared information, and wherein the shared information is useable by other processors of a network for configuration of operation.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to calculate a first hash of the file and compare the first hash to a second hash received in the received communication.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to not pull and not disseminate when the received communication indicates a version number that is equal to or less than a current version of the file.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to limit the dissemination to only a sub-set of adjacent nodes of a network, the dissemination not provided to the adjacent nodes from which communications, including the received communication, indicate the revision.