System and method for dynamically configuring and transitioning wired and wireless networks

• US 7,483,390 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Keddy, Asha R., Sistla, Amber D., Rover, Jeremy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Robert W
• Application Number:
  US10/610,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20040264388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,038 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• 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 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration

Abstract

A network may be abstracted into four layers: a control layer, a network management layer, a verification and validation layer, and a physical network layer. The control layer interacts with the other three layers to execute network scenarios. The network management layer automatically performs network configurations and network transitions to support the network scenarios executed by the control layer.

Claims

1. A method of automatically transitioning a node comprising:

receiving a human-readable description of a transition for the node, the human-readable description having a standardized syntax and including a subnet group section and a device section;

selecting one or more network components from a list of network components based on resources of the selected components and the description of the transition of the node, wherein selecting one or more network components includes

referencing the list of network components,

creating a first virtual map of an existing network in volatile memory based on the referenced list of network components, and

populating a second virtual map of another network in volatile memory with network components from the referenced list based on the description of transitioning the node; and

configuring at least one of the selected network components based on a resource of the selected component and the description of the transition of the node, wherein the at least one of the selected network components has an associated network resource wrapper to provide a machine accessible and standardized description of the functionality of the at least one of the selected network components, wherein configuring the at least one of the selected network components includes programmatically altering the associated network resource wrapper.

2. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of a transition for the node comprises:

receiving a randomly generated human-readable description of a transition for the node.

3. The method of automatically transitioning the node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of the transition for the node comprises:

receiving a predetermined human-readable description of the transition for the node.

4. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of transitioning the node:

receiving the description of transitioning the node from a first network interface to a second network interface.

5. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of transitioning the node having:

receiving the description of transitioning the node from a first subnet to a second subnet.

6. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of transitioning the node, the description having a standardized syntax comprises:

receiving the description of transitioning the node from a first Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) to a second VLAN.

7. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein receiving the description of transitioning the node, the description having a standardized syntax comprises:

receiving the description of transitioning the node from a first topology to a second topology.

8. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein referencing the list of network components comprises:

referencing the list of network components, the referenced list having a standardized syntax.

9. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, wherein configuring at least one of the selected network components based on a resource of the selected component and the received description of transitioning the node comprises:

programmatically configuring a VLAN switch to include the node to be transitioned in a VLAN.

10. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 9, wherein programmatically configuring the VLAN switch to include the node to be transitioned in a VLAN comprises:

calling a function to alter the configuration of the VLAN switch.

11. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 1, further comprising:

interrupting a link that connects the node to be transitioned to a network.

12. The method of automatically transitioning a node of claim 11, further comprising:

establishing the link that connects the node to be transitioned to the network; and

providing configuration information to the node to be transitioned responsive to a request for configuration information.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

validating the configured network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein validating the configured network comprises:

sending a ping packet to the selected node to determine whether the selected node is reachable.

15. A network comprising:

a plurality of network components; and

a network management node to automatically transition one of the plurality of network components, the network management node coupled with the plurality of network components and having a processor and logic executable thereon to

receive a human-readable description of a transition for a node, the human-readable description having a standardized syntax and including a subnet group section and a device section;

select one or more network components from a list of network components having a standardized syntax based on resources of the selected components and the description of the transition of the node, wherein selecting one or more network components includes

referencing the list of network components,

creating, in volatile memory, a first virtual map of an existing network based on the referenced list of network components, and

populating, in volatile memory, a second virtual map of another network with network components from the referenced list based on the description of transitioning the node; and

configure at least one of the selected network components based on a resource of the selected component and the description of the transition of the node, wherein the at least one of the selected network components has an associated network resource wrapper to provide a machine accessible and standardized description of the functionality of the at least one of the selected network components, wherein configuring the at least one of the selected network components includes programmatically altering the associated network resource wrapper.

16. The network of claim 15, wherein

the network management node to automatically transition one of the plurality of network components, the network management node coupled with the plurality of network components and having a processor and logic executable thereon further to

reference the list of network components;

create a first virtual map of a network based on the referenced list of network components; and

populate a second virtual map of another network with network components from the referenced list based on the description of transitioning the node.

17. The network of claim 16, wherein

the plurality of network components comprises a VLAN switch;

and

the network management node to automatically transition one of the plurality of network components, the network management node coupled with the plurality of network components and having a processor and logic executable thereon further to

programmatically configure the VLAN switch to include the node to be transitioned in a VLAN.

18. The network of claim 17, wherein

the network management node to automatically transition one of the plurality of network components, the network management node coupled with the plurality of network components and having a processor and logic executable thereon further to

interrupt a link that connects the node to be transitioned to the network.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein

the network management node to automatically transition one of the plurality of network components, the network management node coupled with the plurality of network components and having a processor and logic executable thereon further to

provide configuration information to the node to be transitioned responsive to a request for configuration information from the node.