Dynamic Virtual Network Topology Discovery Engine

• US 20170048110A1
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Shyhyann, Wu, Tsong-Ho, Li, Wen-Jui
• Granted Patent: US 10,511,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/036 Updating the topology between route computation elements, e.g. between OpenFlow controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for a realtime dynamic virtual network topology discovery engine to discover a dynamic network topology in virtualized networks in realtime. A processor that executes a network topology discovery engine can obtain network data that can describe elements of a data center and operational state of the elements. Obtaining network data can include obtaining network data from a network topology inventory database and through detecting operational state change events from virtual network components. The processor can construct a network topology model based upon the network data. The network topology model can include an object (representing an element of the data center) and an attribute representing a state of the element. The processor can update the network topology model in realtime. The network topology model and configurations can be stored for root cause analysis of fault events, resource orchestration in SDN networks, and other applications.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, at a processor that executes a network topology discovery engine, network data, wherein the network data describes elements of a data center and information that relates to the elements;

constructing, by the processor, a network topology model based upon the network data, wherein the network topology model comprises an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein the object-oriented model comprises an object that corresponds to one of the elements of the data center, and wherein the object comprises an attribute that corresponds to a state of the one of the elements; and

storing, by the processor, the network topology model.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, if the network topology model is to be updated; and

in response to a determination that the network topology model is to be updated,

updating the network topology model, and

storing an updated version of the network topology model.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining if the network topology model is to be updated comprises:

determining if an update to the network data has been received via realtime monitoring of an operation state change; and

correlating operation state change events of virtualized network components in server hosts.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining if the network topology model is to be updated comprises determining that a timer job of the update has expired.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises constructing the network topology model in unified modeling language, and wherein the attribute is represented in the network topology model as a composition relationship.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the attribute comprises an operational state of the one of the elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises constructing the network topology model in unified modeling language, and wherein the attribute is represented in the network topology model as an aggregation relationship.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the attribute comprises a geographic location of the one of the elements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises:

selecting a server host associated with the data center;

identifying components associated with the server host;

determining operational states of the components;

correlating operational state change events of the components;

determining locations of the components;

determining capacities of the components; and

constructing, in unified modeling language, the network topology model, wherein each of the components are represented by objects comprising the object, and wherein the states of the components, the locations of the components, and the capacities of the components are represented by relationships in the unified modeling language.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the components comprise virtualized network functions, a virtual machine, and a blade, and an association supporting a virtualized network function.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

obtaining network data that describes elements of a data center and information that relates to the elements,

constructing a network topology model based on the network data, wherein the network topology model comprises an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein the object-oriented model comprises an object that corresponds to one of the elements of the data center, and wherein the object comprises an attribute that corresponds to a state of the one of the elements, and

storing the network topology model.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining if the network topology model is to be updated; and

in response to a determination that the network topology model is to be updated,

updating the network topology model, and

storing an updated version of the network topology model.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises constructing the network topology model in unified modeling language.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the attribute is represented as a relationship selected from a group of relationships comprising a composition relationship, an aggregation relationship, and a peer-to-peer relationship.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the attribute further comprises a geographic location associated with the one of the elements and a capacity associated with the one of the elements.

16. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining network data that describes elements of a data center and information that relates to the elements;

constructing a network topology model based on the network data, wherein the network topology model comprises an object-oriented model of the data center, wherein the object-oriented model comprises an object that corresponds to one of the elements of the data center, and wherein the object comprises an attribute that corresponds to a state of the one of the elements; and

storing the network topology model.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining if the network topology model is to be updated; and

in response to a determination that the network topology model is to be updated,

updating the network topology model, and

storing an updated version of the network topology model.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein constructing the network topology model comprises constructing the network topology model in unified modeling language.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the attribute is represented as a relationship selected from a group of relationships comprising a composition relationship, an aggregation relationship, and a peer-to-peer relationship.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein the attribute further comprises a geographic location associated with the one of the elements and a capacity associated with the one of the elements.