Managing and changing device settings

• US 7,603,445 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Fehrle, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqi; Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US10/984,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-226, 370/254, 370/453, 713/100
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration

Abstract

A system facilitates the configuring of a set of devices. The system stores templates, where each template includes configuration data that applies to one or more of the devices. The system configures the devices based on the configuration data in the templates.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a device, comprising:

a memory device to store a plurality of templates, the templates including parameter values for the device; and

a processor to;

prioritize the templates, a parameter value associated with a higher priority one of the templates overriding a parameter value associated with a lower priority one of the templates,

configure the device based on the parameter values in the templates and the priorities of the templates,

import configuration information from the device,

determine whether a device value in the imported configuration information equals a parameter value in one of the templates,

remove, when the device value in the imported configuration information equals the parameter value in the template, the device value from the imported configuration information to form modified configuration information,

determine whether a connection exists with the device, and

forward, when the connection exists, the modified configuration information to the device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the templates refers to another one of the templates.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the templates comprises a generic template associated with a plurality of types of devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the templates comprises a specific template associated with a specific type of device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a parameter in the one template matches a parameter associated with the device by performing a keyword or key list match.

6. A computer-implemented system for configuring a device, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of templates, the templates including configuration information for the device;

means for prioritizing the templates, configuration information associated with a higher priority one of the templates overriding configuration information associated with a lower priority one of the templates; and

means for configuring the device based on device configuration information, the configuration information in the templates, and the priorities of the templates, wherein the device configuration information overrides the configuration information in the templates where a conflict exists between the device configuration information and the configuration information in the templates.

7. A method for configuring a device, comprising:

associating a plurality of templates with the device, the templates including configuration information for the device;

prioritizing the templates, configuration information associated with a higher priority one of the templates overriding configuration information associated with a lower priority one of the templates for a configuration parameter associated with the device; and

configuring the device based on device configuration information, the configuration information in the templates and the priorities of the templates, wherein the device configuration information overrides the configuration information in the templates where a conflict exists between the device configuration information and the configuration information in the templates.

8. A system for configuring a device, comprising:

a memory device to store a plurality of templates, a first one of the templates obtaining a parameter value associated with the device from a second one of the templates; and

a processor to;

configure the device based on the parameter value in the first template that was obtained from the second template,

import configuration information from the device,

determine whether a device value in the imported configuration information equals a parameter value from one of the templates,

remove, when the device value in the imported configuration information equals the parameter value in the template, the device value from the imported configuration information to form modified configuration information, and

forward the modified configuration information to the device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

assign priorities to a set of the templates that specify a same configuration parameter associated with the device, and

configure the device based on the templates and the assigned priorities.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein one of the templates comprises a generic template associated with a plurality of different types of devices.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein one of the templates comprises a specific template associated with a specific type of device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a parameter in the one template matches a parameter associated with the device by performing a keyword or key list match.

13. A system for configuring a set of devices of different types, comprising:

a memory device to store a template associated with the devices, the template including generic configuration data that applies to the different types of devices; and

a processor to;

configure the devices based on the generic configuration data in the template,

import configuration information from one of the devices,

determine whether a device value in the imported configuration information equals a parameter value in the generic configuration data from the template,

remove, when the device value in the imported configuration information equals the parameter value in the template, the device value from the imported configuration information to form modified configuration information, and

save, to the memory device, a device object including the modified configuration information and corresponding to the one device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the template obtains at least some of the configuration data from another template.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

modify the generic configuration data included in the template to obtain modified configuration data,

identify the devices that are associated with the template, and

load the modified configuration data from the template into the identified devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to validate data associated with the identified devices prior to loading the modified configuration data from the template into the identified devices.

17. A system for configuring a device, comprising:

a memory device to store a template that includes a parameter value for configuring the device; and

a processor to;

import configuration information from the device,

determine whether a device value in the imported configuration information equals the parameter value in the template, and

remove, from the imported configuration information, the device value when the device value equals the parameter value in the template to form modified configuration information associated with the device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the template obtains the parameter value from another template.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the template comprises a generic template associated with a plurality of different types of devices.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the template comprises a specific template associated with a specific type of device.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

modify the parameter value included in the template to obtain a modified parameter value,

identify one or more devices that are associated with the template, and

load the modified parameter value from the template into the one or more identified devices.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to validate data associated with the one or more identified devices prior to loading the modified parameter value from the template into the one or more identified devices.

23. A system for configuring devices, comprising:

a memory device to store a template that is associated with a set of devices, the template including configuration data for configuring the devices; and

a processor to;

modify configuration data included in the template,

identify the devices that are associated with the template,

validate data associated with the identified devices,

load the configuration data from the template into the identified devices after validating the data associated with the identified devices,

import configuration information from one of the devices,

determine whether a device value in the imported configuration information equals a parameter value in the configuration data in the template, and

remove, from the imported configuration information, the device value when the device value equals the parameter value.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the template obtains at least some the configuration data from another template.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of devices comprise a plurality of different types of devices.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the set of devices comprise a specific type of devices.