Method and system for validating a CLI/configlet on a given image

• US 7,707,275 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Livingston, Richard, Joshi, Praveen, Chandrasekaran, Balachander, Saravanan, Kannan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Ashok B
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLINS, JOSHUA L
• Application Number:
  US11/110,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-221
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/427 Parsing

Abstract

A method and system for validating a Command Line Interface (CLI) configlet on an image is provided. The method includes creating a parse graph using a plurality of self-describing data constructs, identifying a plurality of parse chain data constructs in the parse graph, deriving at least one CLI/configlet from the image file based on the plurality of self-describing data constructs; and comparing the at least one CLI/configlet derived from the image file with a plurality of CLIs/configlets.

Claims

1. A method for validating a Command Line Interface(CLI)/configlet on an image, the method comprising:

creating a parse graph using a plurality of self-describing data constructs, wherein each of the self-describing data constructs is a parser specific data structure;

identifying a plurality of parse chain data constructs in the parse graph;

deriving at least one CLI/configlet from the image file based on the plurality of self-describing data constructs; and

comparing the at least one CLI/configlet derived from the image file with a plurality of CLIs/configlets, wherein the steps above are implemented by a processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file is an Executable and Linking Format image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of self-describing data constructs created for the image file comprises a plurality of link points.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of self-describing data constructs created for the image file comprises a plurality of link exits.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of self-describing data constructs created for the image file comprises a plurality of parser modes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of self-describing data constructs created for the image file comprises a plurality of commands.

7. The method of claim l wherein said validating a CLI/configlet on an image is without running the image on a device.

8. A system for validating a Command Line Interface(CLI)/configlet on an image, the system comprising:

means for creating a parse graph using a plurality of self-describing data constructs, wherein each of the self-describing data constructs is a parser specific data structure;

means for identifying a plurality of parse chain data constructs in the parse graph;

means for deriving at least one CLI/configlet from the image file based on the plurality of self-describing data constructs; and

means for comparing the at least one CLI/configlet derived from the image file with a plurality of CLIs/configlets, wherein the means above are implemented by a processor.

9. A system for validating a Command Line Interface (CLI)/configlet on an image, the system comprising:

a data construct creator for creating a plurality of self-describing data constructs for an image file, wherein each of the self-describing data constructs is a parser specific data structure;

a graph creator for creating a parse graph using the plurality of self-describing data constructs;

a construct identifier for identifying a plurality of parse chain data constructs in the parse graph;

a CLI extractor for deriving at least one CLI/configlet from the image file based on the plurality of parse chain data constructs; and

a comparing unit for comparing the at least one CLI/configlet derived from the image file with a plurality of CLIs/configlets, wherein the elements above are implemented by a processor.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the image is an Executable and Linking Format image.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the self-describing data constructs created from the image file comprise a plurality of link points.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the self-describing data constructs created from the image file comprise a plurality of link exits.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the self-describing data constructs created from the image file comprise a plurality of parser modes.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the self-describing data constructs created from the image file comprise a plurality of commands.

15. A computer-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor for validating a Command Line Interface (CLI)/configlet on an image, the computer-readable medium comprising:

program instruction means for creating a parse graph using a plurality of self-describing data constructs, wherein each of the self-describing data constructs is a parser specific data structure;

program instruction means for identifying a plurality of parse chain data constructs in the parse graph;

program instruction means for deriving at least one CLI/configlet from the image file based on the plurality of self-describing data constructs; and

program instruction means for comparing the at least one CLI/configlet derived from the image file with a plurality of CLIs/configlets.