Remote customer management of virtual routers allocated to the customer

• US 7,159,031 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2001
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Nara, Larkin, Daithi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean; Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/771,346
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224, 709/226, 709/242, 709/238, 379/15.03, 379/201.12, 370/400, 370/355, 726/15
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability

Abstract

A computerized system for providing subscriber control of network parameters includes a service processing switch having a plurality of network resources; a service provider management server communicably coupled to the service processing switch and operable to configure the plurality of network resources. The configuration includes an allocation of a subset of the network resources to a subscribing enterprise. A subscriber management server is communicably coupled to the service provider management system and is operable to further configure the subset of the network resources. The system also includes a subscriber management client communicably coupled to the subscriber management server. The client is operable to issue configuration requests to the subscriber management server.

Claims

1. A computerized system for providing subscriber control of network parameters comprising:

a service processing switch having a plurality of network resources allocatable to one or more virtual routers of a plurality of virtual routers executing within the service processing switch, wherein differing subsets of the plurality of virtual routers are allocatable to each of a plurality of subscribing enterprises;

a service provider management server communicably coupled to the service processing switch and operable to configure the plurality of network resources, said configuration including an allocation of a subset of the network resources to a first subscribing enterprise of the plurality of subscribing enterprises by allocating a first set of virtual routers of the plurality of virtual routers to which the subset of the network resources have been allocated to the first subscribing enterprise;

a subscriber management server communicably coupled to the service provider management system and operable to further configure the subset of the network resources responsive to configuration requests received from the first subscribing enterprise; and

a subscriber management client, associated with the first subscribing enterprise, communicably coupled to the subscriber management server, said subscriber management client operable to cause the subscriber management server to further configure the subset of the network resources as desired by the first subscribing enterprise by issuing the configuration requests to the subscriber management server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a packet filter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a firewall.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a network address translation module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a virtual private network (VPN).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network resources includes one or more processing elements.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider management server includes a choking component logically interposed between the subscriber management server and the service provider management server, the choking component configured to protect the service provider management server from a flood of subscriber management requests by queuing configuration requests when a pending number of configuration requests exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first subscribing enterprise is provided with an ability to easily and rapidly generate configuration information for large numbers of the subset of the network resources based on profiles.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first subscribing enterprise may issue to the subscriber management server requests relating to one or more of:

monitoring a current configuration of the subset of the network resources allocated to the first subscribing enterprise;

monitoring a current status of the subset of the network resources allocated to the first subscribing enterprise;

generating reporting information for ports of the service processing switch allocated to the first subscribing enterprise; and

generating reporting information for tunnels allocated to the first subscribing enterprise.

10. A computerized method for configuring network resources, the method comprising:

allocating, by a service provider, a subset of network processing resources of a service processing switch operated by the service provider to one or more virtual routers of a plurality of virtual routers executing on the service processing switch;

allocating at least one of the one or more virtual routers to a subscribing enterprise of a plurality of subscribing enterprises associated with the service provider;

receiving, by a subscriber management system associated with the service provider, a configuration request related to the subset of network processing resources allocated to the at least one virtual router from the subscribing enterprise;

forwarding the configuration request to a service provider management server associated with the service provider; and

configuring the subset of network processing resources in accordance with the configuration request by processing the configuration request by the service provider management server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a packet filter.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a firewall.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of network resources includes a network address translation module.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of network resources includes one or more processing elements.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising a choking component of the subscriber management system logically interposed between the subscriber management system and the service provider management server, protecting the service provider management system from a flood of subscriber management requests by queuing configuration requests received from the subscribing enterprise when a pending number of configuration requests exceeds a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the subscribing enterprise generating configuration information for large numbers of the subset of network processing resources based on profile-driven approach.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the subscriber management system responding to requests from the subscribing entity for information regarding one or more of:

a current configuration of the subset of the network processing resources allocated to the subscribing enterprise;

a current status of the subset of the network processing resources allocated to the subscribing enterprise;

statistics regarding ports of the service processing switch allocated to the subscribing enterprise; and

statistics regarding tunnels allocated to the subscribing enterprise.