Propagation of changes in a network

• US 8,400,957 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: French, Paul Basil, Lucas, Mark Jonathan, Lucey, Niall Jude
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, ROBERT W
• Application Number:
  US13/417,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20120178430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A network of nodes and connections is provided, each connection connecting two nodes. A method of operating a first node in the network includes detecting a change in a node connected to the first node, identifying that the number of nodes connected to the first node with the detected change is above a predetermined threshold, and executing the detected change at the first node and/or propagating the detected change to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the detected change.

Claims

1. A method of operating a first node in a network of nodes and connections, each connection connecting two nodes, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

detecting, in response to a configuration change, a different configuration in a node connected to the first node;

identifying a number of nodes, from a plurality of nodes connected to the first node, that include the different configuration;

determining that the identified number of nodes exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

instructing each of the plurality of nodes to implement the different configuration in response to the determination.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the detected change.

3. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising storing a node group membership list defining a group of nodes comprising one or more nodes, and wherein the step of propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have different configuration comprises propagating the different configuration to the nodes defined in the node group membership list.

4. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising designating the first node as a gateway node and wherein the step of propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the different configuration comprises propagating the different configuration to one or more other gateway nodes.

5. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising storing one or more rules, ascertaining whether the different configuration conflicts with the one or more rules, and only propagating the different configuration if the different configuration does not conflict with the one or more rules.

6. The method according to claim 1, and further comprising storing one or more rules, ascertaining whether the different configuration conflicts with the one or more rules, and only executing different configuration if the different configuration does not conflict with the one or more rules.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the configuration change in the node connected to the first node comprise instructions for receiving a notification from the node detailing the different configuration.

8. The method of operating a first node in a network of nodes and connections, each connection connecting two nodes, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

detecting a change in a node connected to the first node;

identifying that a number of nodes connected to the first node with the different configuration is above a predetermined threshold; and

propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the detected change.

9. The method according to claim 8, and further comprising storing a node group membership list defining a group of nodes comprising one or more nodes, and wherein the step of propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the different configuration comprises propagating the different configuration to the nodes defined in the node group membership list.

10. The method according to claim 8, and further comprising designating the first node as a gateway node and wherein the step of propagating the different configuration to one or more nodes connected to the first node that do not have the different configuration comprises propagating the different configuration to one or more other gateway nodes.

11. The method according to claim 8, and further comprising storing one or more rules, ascertaining whether the different configuration conflicts with the one or more rules, and only propagating the different configuration if it does not conflict with the one or more rules.