Dynamically adaptive network element in a feedback-based data network

• US 6,769,024 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• 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:
  US10/361,479
• Time in Patent Office: 538 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 network 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 facilitating dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, the method comprising:

receiving an event notification relating to available updated control information for at least a selected one of the network elements, the updated control information being generated and sent by a control element in response to a change in a network condition of the data network;

dynamically configuring the selected network element using the updated control information to thereby affect operation of the selected network element; and

reporting operating parameter information related to the affected operation of the selected network element to a data store which is accessible to the control element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, in response to receiving the event notification, the updated control information at the selected network element.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the updated control information is retrieved from the data store.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected network element includes a data structure, and wherein the method further comprises storing the retrieved updated control information in the data structure.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising using the data stored within the data structure to dynamically configure the selected network element.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the updated control information is retrieved from the data store using a directory access protocol (DAP).

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

8. The method of claim 7 further including reporting errors detected by the selected network element to an event notification server.

9. The method of claim 8 further including notifying at least one other network element of the error reported by the selected network element.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said event notification service is implemented using a common object request broker architecture (CORBA).

11. 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.

12. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for facilitating dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer readable code for receiving an event notification relating to available updated control information for at least a selected one of the network elements, the updated control information being generated and sent by a control element in response to a change in a network condition of the data network;

computer readable code for dynamically configuring the selected network element using the updated control information to thereby affect operation of the selected network element; and

computer readable code for reporting operating parameter information related to the affected operation of the selected network element to a data store which is accessible to the control element.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, further comprising retrieving, in response to receiving the event notification, the updated control information at the selected network element.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the updated control information is retrieved from the data store.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the selected network element includes a data structure, and wherein the method further comprises storing the retrieved updated control information in the data structure.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 further comprising using the data stored within the data structure to dynamically configure the selected network element.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the updated control information is retrieved from the data store using a directory access protocol (DAP).

18. The computer readable medium of claim 12 further including registering the selected network element with an event notification service in order to receive notification of events relating to control parameters associated with said network element.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further including reporting errors detected by the selected network element to an event notification server.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 further including notifying at least one other network element of the error reported by the selected network element.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein said event notification service is implemented using a common object request broker architecture (CORBA).

22. The computer readable medium of claim 12 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.

23. An apparatus for facilitating dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, comprising:

means for receiving an event notification relating to available updated control information for at least a selected one of the network elements, the updated control information being generated and sent by a control element in response to a change in a network condition of the data network;

means for dynamically configuring the selected network element using the updated control information to thereby affect operation of the selected network element; and

means for reporting operating parameter information related to the affected operation of the selected network element to a data store which is accessible to the control element.

24. A network element for facilitating dynamic configuration of network elements in a data network, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory, wherein at least one of the processors and memory are adapted to;

receive an event notification relating to available updated control information for at least a selected one of the network elements, the updated control information being generated and sent by a control element in response to a change in a network condition of the data network;

dynamically configure the selected network element using the updated control information to thereby affect operation of the selected network element; and

report operating parameter information related to the affected operation of the selected network element to a data store which is accessible to the control element.

25. The network element of claim 24, wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to retrieve, in response to receiving the event notification, the updated control information at the selected network element.

26. The network element of claim 25 wherein the updated control information is retrieved from the data store.

27. The network element of claim 24 wherein the selected network element includes a data structure, and wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to store the retrieved updated control information in the data structure.

28. The network element of claim 27 wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to use the data stored within the data structure to dynamically configure the selected network element.

29. The network element of claim 24 wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to register the selected network element with an event notification service in order to receive notification of events relating to control parameters associated with said network element.

30. The network element of claim 29 wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to report errors detected by the selected network element to an event notification server.

31. The network element of claim 30 wherein at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted to notify at least one other network element of the error reported by the selected network element.