System, apparatus, and method for filtering network configuration information

• US 8,386,937 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netbrain Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Netbrain Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Gao, Lingping, Liao, Guangdong
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iturralde, Enrique
• Application Number:
  US12/510,467
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 715733-740
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information

Abstract

Methods to match certain context of commands directed to a network technology or a network design from configuration files and a user interface to display these results. A language with the simple syntax similar to the human language is provided. The language includes rules to define the parameter and syntax for the parameter operations and also standard functions to parse commands. A script file can be conveniently written in this language to filter the desired contexts from a configuration file. In the exemplary embodiment, the system translates the script file to an executable standard Perl programming and Perl programming is run with the configuration file as the input. The result is displayed in the graphic user interface, which is designed to work with an interactive network topology map.

Claims

1. A method of filtering network device configuration files by a network management system, the method comprising:

storing a set of design filters in a storage device by providing at least one input screen via a graphical user interface;

receiving a design filter script via the at least one input screen, wherein the design filter script includes primitives for searching lines and paragraphs in the network device configuration files having specified attributes;

converting the design filter script into an executable design filter, the executable design filter configured to implement the searching when executed; and

storing at least one of the design filter script or the executable design filter in the storage device;

receiving, via the graphical user interface, user input identifying a selected design filter from among the set of design filters and selecting a plurality of network device configuration files;

applying the selected design filter to the plurality of selected network device configuration files to produce filtered results including filtered results for the plurality of network device configuration files; and

providing the filtered results via the graphical user interface for display on a user display device, the filtered results provided via a screen having at least two windows arranged side-by-side within the screen, wherein each window includes the filtered results associated with one of the plurality of network device configuration files, the filtered results displayed as at least one of individual commands or command lines from the plurality of network device configuration files.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein applying the selected design filter comprises:

retrieving a network device configuration file from the storage device; and

applying the selected design filter to the retrieved network device configuration file.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein applying the selected design filter comprises:

transmitting a request to a network device;

receiving a network device configuration file from the network device in response to the request; and

applying the selected design filter to the received network device configuration file.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the request includes a command line interface (CLI) command, and wherein the request is transmitted via a network interface.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein providing the filtered results comprises:

providing a screen including the filtered results and a graphical representation of at least one network element associated with the filtered results.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the design filter script is converted into Perl.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein applying the selected design filter comprises:

applying the executable design filter to the plurality of network device configuration files.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user input selecting the plurality of network device configuration files includes a path associated with a stored network device configuration file.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user input selecting the plurality of network device configuration files includes selection of a network element from among a set of network elements presented via the graphical user interface.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the network element represents a network device having an associated network device configuration file, and wherein the selected design filter is applied to such associated network device configuration file.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the network element represents a logical component having a number of associated network devices, each network device having an associated network device configuration file, and wherein the selected design filter is applied to each of such associated network device configuration files.

12. A network management system employing at least one hardware processor comprising:

a network manager including the at least one hardware processor;

a storage device in which the network manager stores a set of design filters;

a graphical user interface through which users interact with the network manager; and

a network interface through which the network manager obtains information about network devices;

the network manager configured to store the set of design filters in the storage device by providing at least one input screen via the graphical user interface;

receiving a design filter script via the at least one input screen, wherein the design filter script includes primitives for searching lines and paragraphs in the network device configuration files having specified attributes;

converting the design filter script into an executable design filter, the executable design filter configured to implement the searching when executed; and

storing at least one of the design filter script or the executable design filter in the storage device;

the network manager further configured to receive, via the graphical user interface, user input identifying a selected design filter from among the set of design filters and selecting a plurality of network device configuration files;

the network manager further configured to apply the selected design filter to the plurality of selected network device configuration files to produce filtered results, including the filtered results for the plurality of network device configuration files; and

the network manager further configured to provide the filtered results via the graphical user interface for display on a user display device, the filtered results provided via a screen having at least two windows arranged side-by-side within the screen, each window including the filtered results associated with one of the plurality of network device configuration files, the filtered results displayed as at least one of individual commands or command lines from the plurality of network device configuration files.

13. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the network manager is configured to apply the selected design filter by retrieving a network device configuration file from the storage device and applying the selected design filter to the retrieved network device configuration file.

14. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the network manager is configured to apply the selected design filter by transmitting a request to a network device;

receiving a network device configuration file from the network device in response to the request; and

applying the selected design filter to the received network device configuration file.

15. A network management system according to claim 14, wherein the request includes a command line interface (CLI) command, and wherein the request is transmitted via a network interface.

16. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the network manager is configured to provide the filtered results by providing a screen including the filtered results and a graphical representation of at least one network element associated with the filtered results.

17. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the design filter script is converted into Perl.

18. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the network manager is configured to apply the selected design filter by applying the executable design filter to the plurality of network device configuration files.

19. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the user input selecting the plurality of network device configuration files includes a path associated with a stored network device configuration file.

20. A network management system according to claim 12, wherein the user input selecting the plurality of network device configuration files includes selection of a network element from among a set of network elements presented via the graphical user interface.

21. A network management system according to claim 20, wherein the network element represents a network device having an associated network device configuration file, and wherein the network manager is configured to apply the selected design filter to such associated network device configuration file.

22. A network management system according to claim 20, wherein the network element represents a logical component having a number of associated network devices, each network device having an associated network device configuration file, and wherein the network manager is configured to apply the selected design filter to each of such associated network device configuration files.

23. A method of filtering network device configuration files by a network management system, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of design filters in a storage device, the design filters specifying different filtering criteria;

receiving, via a graphical user interface, a first user input identifying a first design filter from among the plurality of design filters;

applying the first design filter to a network device configuration file to produce first filtered results;

providing the first filtered results via the graphical user interface for display on a user display device;

receiving, via the graphical user interface, a second user input identifying a second design filter from among the plurality of design filters;

applying the second design filter to the network device configuration file to produce second filtered results; and

providing the second filtered results via the graphical user interface for display on the user display device,

wherein storing the plurality of design filters in the storage device comprises providing at least one input screen via the graphical user interface;

receiving a design filter script via the at least one input screen, wherein the design filter script includes primitives for searching lines and paragraphs in the network device configuration files having specified attributes;

converting the design filter script into an executable design filter, the executable design filter configured to implement the searching when executed; and

storing at least one of the design filter script or the executable design filter in the storage device; and

wherein providing the first and second filtered results via the graphical user interface includes providing the first and second filtered results via a screen having at least two windows arranged side-by-side within the screen, each window including one of the first and second filtered results associated with the plurality of network device configuration files, the first and second filtered results displayed as at least one of individual commands or command lines from the network device configuration file.

24. Apparatus comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for filtering network device configuration files in a network management system, the computer program including instructions that, when run on a computer processor of the network management system, causes the computer processor to perform processes comprising:

storing a set of design filters in a storage device by providing at least one input screen via a graphical user interface;

receiving a design filter script via the at least one input screen, wherein the design filter script includes primitives for searching lines and paragraphs in the network device configuration files having specified attributes;

converting the design filter script into an executable design filter, the executable design filter configured to implement the searching when executed; and

storing at least one of the design filter script and the executable design filter in the storage device;

receiving, via the graphical user interface, user input identifying a selected design filter from among the set of design filters and selecting a plurality of network device configuration files;

applying the selected design filter to the plurality of selected network device configuration files to produce filtered results including filtered results for the plurality of network device configuration files; and

providing the filtered results via the graphical user interface for display on a user display device, the filtered results provided via a screen having at least two windows arranged side-by-side within the screen, each window including the filtered results associated with one of the plurality of network device configuration files, the filtered results being displayed as at least one of individual commands or command lines from the plurality of network device configuration files.