Method of diagnosing and repairing network devices based on scenarios

• US 7,620,848 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanner, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUYTON, PHILIP A
• Application Number:
  US10/723,929
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/26, 714/57, 706/45, 706/60, 706/61, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are disclosed for diagnosing and repairing network devices based on scenarios. The method and apparatus aggregate responses to a selectable list of queries for a plurality of network scenarios that involve a plurality of applications on the network devices. In addition, the responses are automatically evaluated to formulate the appropriate corrective actions to address the scenarios for the applications.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing and repairing network devices on a network, wherein the method is performed by a network management system located on a client computer, comprising:

communicating with and managing a plurality of network devices, each of the network devices having at least one application located therein;

the network management system maintaining and updating a plurality of queries that communicate with the applications associated with the one or more network devices;

the network management system selecting one or more of the plurality of queries to be performed on one or more of the network devices;

the network management system automatically, without user intervention, detecting modifications to the network and automatically, without user intervention, modifying the selected queries to match the modifications to the network;

the network management system performing the selected queries on one or more of the network devices;

the network management system receiving and aggregating responses to the selected queries, wherein the responses are received from the plurality of applications on the network devices;

the network management system receiving responses to the selected queries and automatically evaluating the responses to formulate corrective actions, wherein the corrective actions cause automatically repairing failures of one or more of the network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected queries reflect a plurality of potential scenarios within the network, wherein said network scenarios further comprise at least one of a sequence of tests to be performed;

data aggregation results;

communication test results;

network errors;

possible causes of network errors;

suggested repair actions, and results of repairs that have been performed.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein each of the selected queries corresponds to at least one of the plurality of scenarios.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising issuing the selected queries to the applications in an automatically established sequence.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the applications comprise command parsers, utility programs, and device agents.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a user interface, located within and working in conjunction with the network management system, displaying information related to network scenarios.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the user interface having an option to customize the selected queries, the plurality of the scenarios, and the corrective actions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of aggregating responses further comprises filtering the responses to the selected queries according to a predetermined template of a plurality of templates;

organizing the responses to the selected queries in a format that conforms to a format of the specific predetermined template.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising generating the predetermined template according to one or more of an operator'"'"'s specifications, patterns of past retrieved data, or configurations of the network.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of aggregating responses further comprises retrieving specific types of data from distinct applications of differing network devices.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein detecting modifications to the network is not done automatically, but is performed at the user'"'"'s request through the user interface.

12. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein modifying the selected queries to match the modifications to the network is performed at a user'"'"'s request through the user interface.

13. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein evaluating the responses to formulate corrective actions is performed at a user'"'"'s request through the user interface.

14. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein repairing failures is performed at a user'"'"'s request through the user interface.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically repairing failures comprises resetting one or more of the network devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically repairing failures comprises restarting one or more of the network devices.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically repairing failures comprises performing a configuration command or operation on one or more of the network devices.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein automatically repairing failures comprises executing a script on one or more of the network devices.

19. A computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a network management system located on a client computer, cause:

communicating with and managing a plurality of network devices, each network device having at least one application located therein;

the network management system maintaining and updating a plurality of selected queries, wherein the selected queries communicate with the applications associated with the one or more network devices;

the network management system selecting one or more of the plurality of selected queries to be performed on one or more of the network devices;

the network management system automatically, without user intervention, detecting modifications to the network and automatically, without user intervention, modifying the selected queries to match the modifications;

the network management system performing the selected queries on one or more of the network devices;

the network management system receiving and aggregating responses to the selected queries, wherein the responses are received from the plurality of applications on the network devices;

the network management system receiving responses to the selected queries and automatically evaluating the responses to formulate corrective actions, wherein the corrective actions automatically repairing failures of one or more of the network devices.

21. The computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, wherein the selected queries reflect a plurality of potential scenarios within the network, wherein said network scenarios further comprise at least one of a sequence of tests to be performed;

data aggregation results;

communication test results;

network errors;

possible causes of network errors;

suggested repair actions, and results of repairs that have been performed.

22. The computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, wherein the applications comprise command parsers, utility programs, and device agents.

23. The computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions which cause aggregating responses further comprise instructions which cause filtering the responses to the selected queries according to a predetermined template of a plurality of templates;

organizing the responses to the selected queries in a format that conforms to a format of the specific predetermined template.

24. The computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions which cause aggregating responses further comprise instructions which cause retrieving specific types of data from distinct applications of differing network devices.

25. The computer-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions which cause automatically repairing failures comprise instructions which cause performing a configuration command or operation on one or more of the network devices.

20. An apparatus for managing a plurality of network devices on a network, comprising:

one or more processors;

means for communicating with and managing a plurality of network devices, each network device having at least one application located therein;

means for maintaining and updating a plurality of queries, wherein the queries communicate with the applications associated with the one or more network devices;

means for selecting one or more of the plurality of queries to be performed on one or more of the network devices;

means for automatically, without user intervention, detecting modifications to the network and automatically, without user intervention, modifying the selected queries to match the modifications;

means for performing the selected queries on one or more of the network devices;

means for receiving and aggregating responses to the selected queries, wherein the responses are received from the plurality of applications on the network devices;

means for receiving responses to the selected queries and automatically evaluating the responses to formulate corrective actions, wherein the corrective actions cause automatically repairing failures of one or more of the network devices.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the selected queries reflect a plurality of potential scenarios within the network, wherein said network scenarios further comprise at least one of a sequence of tests to be performed;

data aggregation results;

communication test results;

network errors;

possible causes of network errors;

suggested repair actions, and results of repairs that have been performed.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the applications comprise command parsers, utility programs, and device agents.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for aggregating responses further comprises means for filtering the responses to the selected queries according to a predetermined template of a plurality of templates;

means for organizing the responses to the selected queries in a format that conforms to a format of the specific predetermined template.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the means for aggregating responses further comprises means for retrieving specific types of data from distinct applications of differing network devices.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the means for automatically repairing failures comprises means for performing a configuration command or operation on one or more of the network devices.