Application of a configuration patch to a network device

• US 7,558,835 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Shafer, Philip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): MADAMBA, GLENFORD J
• Application Number:
  US10/392,201
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 714/12, 714/13, 714/20, 709/219, 717/110, 717/172
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0863 by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/563 Software download or update

Abstract

A network device includes an initial data source to store configuration data for the network device, and a management module to generate a configuration patch that lists any differences between a working copy of the initial data source and the initial data source. The management module modifies the working copy based on configuration commands received from a client, and updates the initial data source in accordance with the differences defined by the configuration patch. During the update process, the management module verifies that any conditions specified by the patch are satisfied. The management module may generate the configuration patch in response to a first command from a client, and apply the patch in response to a second command from the client. The configuration patch may be communicated to other network devices for configuring the devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing current configuration data that defines a physical configuration of components of a network device in a first data source;

maintaining a second data source on the network device that stores a copy of the configuration data of the first data source;

receiving from each of a first plurality of clients a respective command to configure the network device in a first configuration mode;

allowing, in the first configuration mode, the first plurality of clients to concurrently edit the configuration data of the second data source;

receiving from each of a second plurality of clients a respective command to configure the network device in a second configuration mode;

creating, for each of the second plurality of clients, a respective private data source on the network device that stores a copy of the configuration data of the first data source in response to the commands to configure the network device in the second configuration mode

allowing, in the second configuration mode, the second plurality of clients to edit the respective private data sources such that each of the private data sources is edited by only one of the second plurality of clients;

accessing a configuration patch that defines differences between the first data source and one of the second data source and one of the private data sources; and

applying the configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with the configuration data of the one of the second data source and one of the private data sources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing a configuration patch comprises accessing the configuration patch in response to a load patch command that specifies the configuration patch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing a configuration patch comprises accessing the configuration patch in response to a commit command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the configuration patch comprises:

processing the configuration patch to identify at least one configuration object defined within the patch; and

modifying the first data source in accordance with the defined configuration object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein modifying the first data source includes at least one of:

inserting the defined configuration object within the first data source; and

deleting the defined configuration object from the first data source.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein applying the configuration patch comprises:

processing the configuration patch to identify at least one context identifier specified in the patch; and

identifying a modification location within the first data source based on the context identifier.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

processing the configuration patch to identify a leading context identifier specified in the configuration patch;

locating the leading context identifier within the first data source; and

inserting the configuration object within the first data source after the leading context identifier.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

processing the configuration patch to identify a trailing context identifier specified in the configuration patch;

locating the trailing context identifier within the first data source; and

inserting the configuration object within the first data source prior to the trailing context identifier.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying a modification location comprises identifying a modification location within a text-based configuration file.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising aborting the application of the configuration patch when one or more of the context identifiers specified in the patch are absent from the first data source.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

processing the configuration patch to identify a control indicator for the configuration object; and

selectively inserting or deleting the configuration object from the first data source based on the control indicator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing a configuration patch comprises accessing a text-based data file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the configuration patch to the first data source comprises modifying a text-based data file in accordance with the configuration patch.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the configuration patch comprises:

processing the patch to identify a header specifying a location and one or more associated configuration objects to be modified;

identifying the location within the first data source; and

updating the configuration objects of the location in accordance with the configuration patch.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising

comparing the first data source to the edited one of the shared data source and the one of the private data sources to generate the configuration patch that defines the differences between the first data source and one of the second data source or one of the private data sources.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the configuration patch comprises:

creating a temporary copy of the first data source;

loading the patch into the temporary copy of the first data source to apply the patch; and

replacing the first data source with the temporary copy of the first data source with the patch loaded.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein access the configuration patch and applying the configuration patch further comprise:

accessing a first configuration patch that defines differences between the first data source and the second data source;

applying the first configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with the configuration data of the second data source;

accessing a second configuration patch that defines differences between the first data source and one of the private data sources; and

applying the second configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with the configuration data of the one of the private data sources.

34. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command from a client to configure the network device in a third configuration mode;

locking the second data source in response to the command from the client to configure the network device in the third configuration mode; and

allowing, in the third configuration mode, only the client from which the command to configure the network device in the third configuration mode was received to edit the configuration data of the third data source.

17. A network device comprising:

a first data source to store configuration data that defines a physical configuration of components of a network device;

a second data source on the network device to store a copy of the configuration data of the first data source, wherein a first plurality of clients edit the configuration data of the second data source simultaneously;

at least one private data source on the network device to store a copy of the configuration data of the first data source, wherein only a single client edits the configuration data of the private data source; and

a management module to;

receive from each of the first plurality of clients a respective command to configure the network device in a first configuration mode;

allow, in the first configuration mode, the first plurality of clients to concurrently edit the configuration data of the second data source;

receive from the single client a respective command to configure the network device in a second configuration mode;

create, for the single client, the private data source on the network device in response to the command to configure the network device in the second configuration mode;

allow, in the second configuration mode the single client to edit the configuration data of the at least one private data sources; and

apply a configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with configuration data of one of the second data source and the private data source, wherein the configuration patch lists differences between the first data source and the one of the second data source and the private data source.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the management module applies the configuration patch in response to a load patch command that specifies the configuration patch.

19. The network device of claim 17, wherein the management module applies the configuration patch in response to a commit command.

20. The network device of claim 17, wherein the configuration patch defines at least one configuration object, and the management module modifies the first data source in accordance with the defined configuration object.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the management module inserts the defined configuration object within the first data source.

22. The network device of claim 20, wherein the management module deletes the defined configuration object within the first data source.

23. The network device of claim 20, wherein configuration patch specifies at least one context identifier, and the management module identifies a modification location within the first data source based on the context identifiers.

24. The network device of claim 23, wherein configuration patch specifies at least one of a leading context identifier and a trailing context identifier, and the management module identifies a modification location within the first data source based on the context identifiers.

25. The network device of claim 20, wherein the configuration patch includes a control indicator associated with the configuration object, and the management module selectively inserts and deletes the configuration object from the first data source based on the control indicator.

26. The network device of claim 17, wherein the first data source and the configuration patch comprise text files.

27. The network device of claim 17, wherein the configuration patch includes a header specifying a location and one or more associated configuration objects to be modified, and the management module identifies the specified location within the first data source, and updates the configuration objects of the location in accordance with the configuration patch.

28. The network device of claim 17, further comprising comparing the first data source to the one of the shared data source and the one of the private data sources to generate the configuration patch that defines the differences between the first data source and the one of the second data source and the private data source.

29. The network device of claim 28, wherein the management module creates a temporary copy of the first data source, loads the patch into the temporary copy of the first data source to apply the patch, and replaces the first data source with the temporary copy of the first data source with the patch loaded.

30. A network device comprising:

a first data source to store configuration data that defines a physical configuration of components of a network device; and

a management module having an interface to receive configuration commands from a client, wherein the management module;

generates a second data source on the network device to store a copy of the configuration data of the first data source in response to a first command that specifies a first configuration mode, wherein the management module allows a first plurality of clients to simultaneously edit the configuration data of the second data source,

generates a private data source on the network device to store a copy of the configuration data of the first data source in response to a second command that specifies a private configuration mode, wherein the management module allows only one of the clients to edit the configuration data of the private data source,

generates a configuration patch that lists any differences between the data source and one of the second data source and the private data source in response to a third command, and

applies the configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with the configuration data of one of the second data source and the private data source in response to a fourth command.

31. The network device of claim 30, wherein the first command comprises a default configure command, the second command comprises a configure private command, the third command comprises a show|compare command, and the fourth command comprises a load patch command.

32. The network device of claim 30, wherein the second command comprises a configure private command, and the third command and fourth command comprise a single commit command.