Dynamically adaptive network element in a feedback-based data network

• US 6,539,427 B1
• Filed: 06/29/1999
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rawat, Vipin, Harvey, Andrew G., Lee, Hsuan-Chung, Pereira, Leo, Natarajan, Shankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/342,743
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management

Abstract

A feedback-based adaptive network is described wherein at least a portion of the network elements report operating information relating to network conditions to a centralized data store. The information which is reported to the data store is analyzed by a policy engine which includes a plurality of application specific plug-in policies for analyzing selected information from the data store and for computing updated control information based upon the analysis of the information. The updated control information is fed back to selected network elements to thereby affect operation of the selected elements. Typically, when the operation of a network element has been affected, its corresponding operating information will change. The new or changed network element operating information is then reported to the data store and analyzed by the policy engine. The policy engine may then generate new or updated control information for affecting the operation of selected elements in the network. In this way, the dynamic and automatic feedback control of network elements is provided in order to allow the rework to adapt to changing conditions. Events relating to changing conditions in the network may be reported to selected elements in the network using an event notification service. Additionally the adaptive, feedback-based network of the present invention may include a network quality monitoring system for evaluating performance characteristics or other aspects of the network based upon predetermined standards or criteria. If it is determined that a particular characteristic of the network does not conform with the standards established for that characteristic, the policy which controls that particular characteristic of the network may be automatically and dynamically modified to thereby affect the network performance.

Claims

1. A method for providing dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, the data network including at least one network element, said network element having a plurality operating parameters associated therewith, said operating parameters being related to at least one control parameter of said element, said method comprising:

reporting operating parameter information related to at least one network element to a data store;

receiving an event notification, said event notification relating to available updated information for at least one control parameter associated with said network element;

said updated information being generated in response to changes in net-work conditions; and

dynamically configuring said network element using said updated information to thereby affect operation of said network element.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving, in response to said event notification, the at least a portion of the updated information at the network element.

3. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer code embodied therein for implementing the method of claim 1.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said dynamically configuring includes dynamically configuring said network element using said at least one control parameter to thereby affect operating parameter information reported to said data store.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said control information is retrieved from said data store.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said network element includes a data structure, and wherein said method includes storing said retrieved updated information in said data structure.

7. The method of claim 6 further including using the data stored within said data structure to dynamically configure said network element.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said control information is retrieved from said data store using a directory access protocol (DAP).

9. The method of claim 1 further including registering said network element with an event notification service in order to receive notification of events relating to control parameters associated with said network element.

10. The method of claim 9 further including reporting errors detected by said network element to an event notification server.

11. The method of claim 10 further including notifying at least one other network element of said error reported by said first network element.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said event notification service is implemented using a common object request broker architecture (CORBA).

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said operating parameter information is selected from a group consisting of:

committed information rate data, committed burst size data, excess information rate data, circuit queue length data, congestion indicator data, and packets dropped data.

14. A method for providing dynamic feedback control of network elements in a data network, the data network including at least one network element, said network element having a plurality operating parameters associated therewith, said operating parameters being related to at least one control parameter of said element, said method comprising:

providing operating parameter information relating to at least one network element to a data store;

receiving control data, said control data relating to updated information generated in response to changing network conditions, the control data being for affecting operation of the network element; and

automatically configuring said network element using said control data to thereby affect operation of said network element.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer code embodied therein for implementing the method of claim 14.

16. The method of claim 14 further including requesting said control data in response to notification of an event relating to an update of said control data.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said receiving includes accessing said control data in response to notification of an event relating to an update of said control data.

18. A dynamically configurable data network comprising:

at least one network element, said network element having a plurality operating parameters associated therewith, said operating parameters being related to at least one control parameter of said element;

said element being operable to report information related to at least a portion of said operating parameters to a data store;

said element further being operable to retrieve updated information relating to at least one control parameter in response to receiving an event notification relating to available updated information generated in response to changes in network conditions; and

said element further being operable to automatically configure itself using the retrieved updated information to thereby affect at least one of said operating parameters.

19. The network of claim 18 wherein said element is further operable to retrieve said updated information from said data store.

20. The network of claim 18 wherein said element further includes an event notification entity configured to register said network element with an event notification service, and to receive notification of a registered event.

21. The network element of claim 18 wherein said element further includes a data structure for storing said retrieved updated information.

22. The network of claim 18 wherein said network element is a router.

23. The network of claim 18 wherein said network element is a data terminating equipment device.

24. The network of claim 18 wherein said network element is a data communication equipment device.

25. The network of claim 18 wherein said network element is a switching circuit.

26. The network of claim 18 wherein said network is a frame relay network.

27. The network of claim 18 wherein said network is an ATM network.

28. A dynamically configurable network element in a feedback-based adaptive network, said element comprising:

at least one CPU;

memory;

a data structure for storing control parameter information used for configuring said network element; and

an event handling entity operable to receive event notification information relating to updated information generated in response to changing network conditions;

said event handling entity being further operable to cause said network element to automatically configure itself using the updated information to thereby affect its operation.

29. A system for providing dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, the data network including at least one network element, said network element having a plurality operating parameters associated therewith, said coerating parameters being related to at leas one control parameter of said element, said system comprising:

means for reporting operating parameter information related to at least one network element to a data store;

means for receiving an event notification, said event notification relating to available updated information for at least one control parameter associated with said network element;

said updated information being generated in response to changes in network conditions; and

means for dynamically configuring said network element using said updated information to thereby affect operation of said network element.