Systems and methods for configuring multiple network interfaces

• US 8,539,056 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Harmelin, Shai, Kirsch, Nicholas Montgomery, Lu, Qichu, Passey, Aaron, Van Woudenberg, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, April Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEJIA, FELICIANO S
• Application Number:
  US11/497,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20080031238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,603 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In one embodiment, systems and methods are provided for configuring multiple network interfaces based on a network profile. In one embodiment, a user interface module manages the creation, modification, and deletion of active and inactive profiles, which may be stored to a configuration file accessible to computers with network interfaces belonging to the respective profiles, such as homogeneous or heterogeneous nodes in a clustered network of computers. In one embodiment, a configuration module reads a configuration file with embedded network profiles and builds the appropriate network interfaces according to the interface parameters specified in the network profiles.

Claims

1. A method of automatically configuring a plurality of network interfaces on a distributed system, the method comprising:

detecting, by a computer processor of at least one node of a plurality of nodes, a change to a distributed configuration file comprising a plurality of network profiles and stored on one or more of the plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of network profiles comprising interface parameters, the at least one node comprising a computer processor, local memory, a plurality of network ports, and two or more logical interfaces, each of the two or more logical interfaces associated with one of the plurality of network profiles and at least one of the network ports;

determining, by the computer processor of the at least one node, whether a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the at least one node based on the changed distributed configuration file; and

if the computer processor of the at least one node determined that a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the at least one node, building, by the computer processor of the at least one node, at least one changed logical interface based on a network profile associated with the changed logical interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes comprise homogeneous nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nodes comprise heterogeneous nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of network profiles comprise one or more criteria to determine membership of a node in a network profile, and the method further comprises determining whether the one or more of the plurality of network profiles apply to the at least one node based on the one or more criteria.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more criteria comprise one or more of the following characteristics:

node type, interface type, network type, load conditions, and physical location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving interface parameters for one or more of the plurality of network profiles; and

updating one or more of the plurality of network profiles in the distributed configuration file based on the received interface parameters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the updating one or more of the plurality of network profiles in the distributed configuration file comprises:

saving, by the computer processor of the at least one node, the received interface parameters to a local configuration file stored on the local memory of the at least one node; and

copying, by the computer processor of the at least one node, the local configuration file to the distributed configuration file.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting a change to the distributed configuration file comprises receiving a signal from one of the plurality of nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the at least one node based on the changed distributed configuration file comprises:

copying the distributed configuration file into a local configuration file on the local memory of the at least one node, the local configuration file comprising the plurality of network profiles; and

determining, by the computer processor of the at least one node, a subset of the plurality of network profiles which applies to the at least one node based on the plurality of network profiles in the local configuration file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of a subset of two or more of the plurality of nodes further comprise a distributed memory and the distributed configuration file comprises multiple portions distributed among the distributed memories of the subset of the two or more of the plurality of nodes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a logical interface corresponds to a connection for a sub-network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a network profile identifies network characteristics of a corresponding sub-network.

13. A distributed system capable of configuring multiple network interfaces, the distributed system comprising:

a plurality of nodes in communication with each other, each of the plurality of nodes comprising a computer processor, local memory, a plurality of network ports, two or more logical interfaces, and at least one executable software module, each of the two or more logical interfaces associated with one of a plurality of network profiles and at least one of the network ports;

a distributed configuration file comprising the plurality of network profiles, the distributed configuration file stored on one or more of the plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of network profiles comprising interface parameters;

wherein the at least one executable software module of each node of the plurality of nodes is configured, when executed by the computer processor of the node, to;

detect a change to the distributed configuration file;

determine whether a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the node based on the distributed configuration file; and

if it is determined that a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the node, build at least one changed logical interface based on a network profile associated with the changed logical interface.

14. The distributed system of claim 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of network profiles comprise one or more criteria to determine membership of a node in a network profile, and the at least one executable software module of each node of the plurality of nodes is further configured to determine whether the one or more of the plurality of network profiles apply to the corresponding node based on the one or more criteria.

15. The distributed system of claim 14, wherein the one or more criteria comprise one or more of the following characteristics:

node type, interface type, network type, load conditions, and physical location.

16. The distributed system of claim 13, further comprising a computer system comprising a computer processor and one or more input modules, the one or more input modules configured, when executed by the computer processor, to:

receive interface parameters for one or more of the plurality of network profiles; and

update one or more of the plurality of network profiles in the distributed configuration file based on the received interface parameters.

17. The distributed system of claim 16, wherein the computer system is one of the plurality of nodes and the one or more input modules are further configured to update one or more of the plurality of network profiles in the distributed configuration file by:

saving the received interface parameters to a local configuration file stored on a local memory of the computer system;

detecting a change to the local configuration file; and

copying the local configuration file to the distributed configuration file.

18. The distributed system of claim 16, wherein the at least one executable software module of each node of the plurality of nodes is configured to detect a change to the distributed configuration file by receiving a signal from the one or more input modules.

19. The distributed system of claim 13, wherein the at least one executable software module of each node of the plurality of nodes is further configured to determine whether a change is necessary to one or more of the two or more logical interfaces of the node based on the distributed configuration file by:

copying the distributed configuration file into a local configuration file on the local memory of the node, the local configuration file comprising the plurality of network profiles; and

determining a subset of the plurality of network profiles which applies to the node based on the plurality of network profiles in the local configuration file.

20. The distributed system of claim 13, wherein each of a subset of two or more of the plurality of nodes further comprise a distributed memory and the distributed configuration file comprises multiple portions distributed among the distributed memories of the subset of the two or more of the plurality of nodes.

21. The distributed system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of network profiles comprise at least three interface parameters, one of the interface parameters comprising an identifier for each of a member subset of one or more of the plurality of nodes, the member subset comprising members of a network associated with the network profile, one of the interface parameters comprising an indication of an interface connection to be used by the member subset, and one of the interface parameters comprising a range of addresses available for logical interfaces associated with the member subset.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein a logical interface corresponds to a connection for a sub-network.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein a network profile identifies network characteristics of a corresponding sub-network.