Platform for managing and configuring network state

• US 8,086,701 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goel, Mudit, Mayfield, Paul G
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US12/111,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/223, 709/200, 709/221, 709/224, 709/201, 717/106
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements

Abstract

A network state platform for managing a network having a number of network nodes is disclosed. A user provides a policy layer a high level instruction indicative of the desired network performance. The policy layer parses the high level instruction to generate a number of configuration instructions for the network nodes. The network nodes provide data logs of their activity to a data layer that collates the logs into a single entry that is stored, and can be accessed by an observation layer. External applications interface with the observation layer to access the stored data and use this information to generate requests to change portions of the network configuration. These requests are provided to a control layer that converts the requests from the applications to a high level instruction that is then provided to the policy layer to implement.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a plurality of network nodes, the network nodes including at least two different types of network nodes, comprising:

receiving data indicative of a desired performance of a network including the plurality of network nodes;

converting the data into at least two separate configuration instructions, each of the configuration instructions associated with one of the plurality of network nodes;

transmitting the configuration instructions to the associated plurality of network nodes;

receiving data logs from each of the plurality of network nodes configured based upon the configuration instructions, the data logs providing a historical view of activity on each of the plurality of network nodes;

storing the data logs in an network state database;

reading at least a portion of the data logs from the network state database at an observation layer;

providing the portion of the data logs to at least one application;

receiving at the observation layer information from the at least one application, the information including at least one request to reconfigure the performance of the plurality of network nodes, the at least one request to reconfigure based on the portion of the data logs provided to the at least one application;

processing the at least one request at a control layer to generate data indicative of a desired reconfigured performance of the plurality of network nodes; and

converting, at a policy layer, the reconfiguration data into configuration instructions for at least one of the plurality of network nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining at the control layer that the information contains conflicting requests; and

resolving the conflicting requests through a logic module disposed on the control layer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests:

sending an indication to a network administrator that there are conflicting requests;

receiving a resolution from the network administrator, the resolution indicating how to resolve the conflict; and

generating the instruction incorporating the indicated resolution.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests, the control layer removes the conflicting requests from the generated instruction.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating, at the observation layer, requests to change the state of the network independent from the plurality of applications connected to the observation layer; and

passing the requests to the control layer along with requests received from the plurality of applications.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collating data in each of the data logs into a single entry, wherein a single entry represents activity of a user across the plurality of network nodes.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

modifying output in the data logs for some of the plurality of network nodes to include data that allows for the data in the data log to be collated with data in other data logs from others of the plurality of network nodes.

8. One or more computer storage media storing computer readable instructions that when executed perform a method of configuring a plurality of network nodes, the network nodes including at least two different types of network nodes, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of a desired performance of a network including the plurality of network nodes;

converting the data into at least two separate configuration instructions, each of the configuration instructions associated with one of the plurality of network nodes;

transmitting the configuration instructions to the associated plurality of network nodes;

receiving data logs from each of the plurality of network nodes configured based upon the configuration instructions, the data logs providing a historical view of activity on each of the plurality of network nodes;

storing the data logs in a network state database;

reading at least a portion of the data logs from the network state database at an observation layer;

providing the portion of the data logs to at least one application;

receiving at the observation layer information from the at least one application, the information including at least one request to reconfigure the performance of the plurality of network nodes, the at least one request to reconfigure based on the portion of the data logs provided to the at least one application;

processing the at least one request at a control layer to generate data indicative of a desired reconfigured performance of the plurality of network nodes; and

converting, at a policy layer, the reconfiguration data into configuration instructions for at least one of the plurality of network nodes.

9. The one or more computer storage media of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining at the control layer that the information contains conflicting requests; and

resolving the conflicting requests through a logic module disposed on the control layer.

10. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests:

sending an indication to a network administrator that there are conflicting requests;

receiving a resolution from the network administrator, the resolution indicating how to resolve the conflict; and

generating the instruction incorporating the indicated resolution.

11. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9 wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests, the control layer removes the conflicting requests from the generated instruction.

12. The one or more computer storage media of claim 8, the method further comprising:

generating, at the observation layer, requests to change the state of the network independent from the plurality of applications connected to the observation layer; and

passing the requests to the control layer along with requests received from the plurality of applications.

13. The one or more computer storage media of claim 8, the method further comprising:

collating data in each of the data logs into a single entry, wherein a single entry represents activity of a user across the plurality of network nodes.

14. The one or more computer storage media of claim 8, the method further comprising:

modifying output in the data logs for some of the plurality of network nodes to include data that allows for the data in the data log to be collated with data in other data logs from others of the plurality of network nodes.

15. A system for managing and configuring a network comprising:

a plurality of network nodes, the network nodes including at least two different types of network nodes; and

a computing device comprising one or more processing units to;

receive data indicative of a desired performance of a network including the plurality of network nodes;

convert the data into at least two separate configuration instructions, each of the configuration instructions associated with one of the plurality of network nodes;

transmit the configuration instructions to the associated plurality of network nodes;

receive data logs from each of the plurality of network nodes configured based upon the configuration instructions, the data logs providing a historical view of activity on each of the plurality of network nodes;

store the data logs in a network state database;

read at least a portion of the data logs from the network state database at an observation layer;

provide the portion of the data logs to at least one application;

receive at the observation layer information from the at least one application, the information including at least one request to reconfigure the performance of the plurality of network nodes, the at least one request to reconfigure based on the portion of the data logs provided to the at least one application;

process the at least one request at a control layer to generate data indicative of a desired reconfigured performance of the plurality of network nodes; and

convert, at a policy laver, the reconfiguration data into configuration instructions for at least one of the plurality of network nodes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device:

determines at the control layer that the information contains conflicting requests; and

resolves the conflicting requests through a logic module disposed on the control layer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests the computing device:

sends an indication to a network administrator that there are conflicting requests;

receives a resolution from the network administrator, the resolution indicating how to resolve the conflict; and

generates the instruction incorporating the indicated resolution.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein when the control layer cannot resolve the conflicting requests, the control layer removes the conflicting requests from the generated instruction.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device:

generates, at the observation laver, one or more additional requests to change a state of the network independently from the at least one application connected to the observation layer; and

passes the one or more additional requests to the control layer along with the at least one request received from the at least one application.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing devicecollates data in each of the data logs into a single entry, the single entry representing activity of a user across the plurality of network nodes.