Systems and methods for analysis of network equipment command line interface (CLI) and runtime management of user interface (UI) generation for same

• US 8,744,980 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Petrick, Christopher S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, LI WU
• Application Number:
  US13/238,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that may be implemented for network management system (NMS) configuration management support for network devices using a learning and natural language processing application to capture the usage and behavior of the Command Line Interface (CLI) of a network device with the aid of a CLI knowledge model, which in one example may be ontology-based.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

one or more processing devices configured to execute a network management system (NMS) that includes an ontology-based command line interface (CLI) knowledge model;

where the one or more processing devices of the information handling system are configured to be communicatively-coupled across a network to one or more network devices of a networking system;

where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the NMS to maintain and administer the networking system using the ontology-based CLI knowledge model;

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology build module, the one or more processing devices configured to execute the ontology build module as one or more ontology build steps that comprise;

a seed learning step where build parameter information is received by the ontology build module,

a learning and knowledge building step for CLI command structure and network device behavior where each given one of the network devices is interrogated over the network to elicit and receive a response from the given network device describing one or more of the CLI characteristics it possesses, and

a CLI knowledge model creation step where the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device is organized as CLI data to create a CLI knowledge model; and

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model further comprises an ontology implementation module, the one or more processing devices configured to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise;

a NMS deployment step where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model is bound to one or more NMS functions, and

a dynamic graphical user interface (GUI) creation step where a GUI is created at runtime based on the created CLI knowledge model.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device;

and where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise;

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device;

collecting user input from a user of the information handling system;

utilizing the data of the created CLI knowledge model to issue commands to the CLI of each given network device across the network based on the collected user input; and

receiving and processing CLI responses to the issued commands from each given network device across the network.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device;

and where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise;

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device, the presented runtime GUI comprising at least first and second interface windows;

where the first interface window comprises a write interface window that comprises a configuration tree and input interface for writing information to a given network device, the write interface allowing a user of the information handling system to make selections, and the ontology implementation module using the created CLI knowledge model to generate CLI commands to a given network device based on one or more of the user selections; and

where the second interface window comprises a read back interface window that comprises a configuration tree and interface for reading CLI response information back from the same given network device that is written to by interface window, the ontology implementation module dynamically constructing the runtime read back interface window using the created CLI knowledge model to map components of the read back interface window to the created CLI knowledge model output.

where the first interface window and second interface window enable the user to edit the CLI command phrase and check the CLI syntax of the edited command phrase using the CLI knowledge model.

4. The information handling system of claim 1, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device;

and where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise;

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device, the runtime GUI configured to display discrete interactions between CLI and generated icons;

where the runtime GUI comprises at least one of a chassis view, a network topology view, or a combination thereof.

5. An information handling system, comprising:

one or more processing devices configured to execute a network management system (NMS) that includes an ontology-based command line interface (CLI) knowledge model;

where the one or more processing devices of the information handling system are configured to be communicatively-coupled across a network to one or more network devices of a networking system;

where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the NMS to maintain and administer the networking system using the ontology-based CLI knowledge model;

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology build module, the one or more processing devices configured to execute the ontology build module as one or more ontology build steps that comprise;

a seed learning step where build parameter information is received by the ontology build module,

a learning and knowledge building step for CLI command structure and network device behavior where each given one of the network devices is interrogated over the network to elicit and receive a response from the given network device describing one or more of the CLI characteristics it possesses, and

a CLI knowledge model creation step where the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device is organized as CLI data to create a CLI knowledge model; and

where the information handling system further comprises at least one storage device coupled to the one or more processing devices; and

where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute ontology build steps comprising;

issuing a CLI stimulus from the information handling system across the network to each given network device being interrogated,

receiving and collecting at least one text based CLI response back across the network from each given interrogated network device, the CLI response includes CLI output data,

classifying collected CLI data received from each given interrogated network device,

analyzing the classified CLI data, the current location in CLI command structure, and the current state of each given network device,

determining a set of commands based on the analysis of the classified CLI data, the current location in CLI command structure, and the current state of each given network device, and

creating the determined set of commands for issuance across the network to the given network device.

6. The information handling system of claim 5, where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology implementation module, the one or more processing devices configured to execute the ontology implementation module as one or more ontology implementation steps.

7. The information handling system of claim 5, where the one or more processing devices are configured to organize the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device as CLI data using one or more ontology related standards.

8. The information handling system of claim 5, where the one or more processing devices are configured to execute the NMS such that the ontology-based CLI knowledge model links the NMS to at least one of:

web content management systems, semantic web applications, shopping portals or services, warranty services, test and design tools, auto generated CLI manuals, or a combination thereof.

9. A method of managing a networking system, comprising:

providing an information handling system, the information handling system comprising one or more processing devices communicatively-coupled across a network to one or more network devices of the networking system; and

using the one or more processing devices to execute a network management system (NMS) that includes an ontology-based command line interface (CLI) knowledge model to maintain and administer the networking system using the ontology-based CLI knowledge model;

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology build module, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology build module as one or more ontology build steps that comprise;

a seed learning step where build parameter information is received by the ontology build module,

a learning and knowledge building step for CLI command structure and network device behavior where each given one of the network devices is interrogated over the network to elicit and receive a response from the given network device describing one or more of the CLI characteristics it possesses, and

a CLI knowledge model creation step where the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device is organized as CLI data to create a CLI knowledge model; and

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model further comprises an ontology implementation module, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise;

a NMS deployment step where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model is bound to one or more NMS functions, and

a dynamic graphical user interface (GUI) creation step where a GUI is created at runtime based on the created CLI knowledge model.

10. The method of claim 9, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise:

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device;

collecting user input from a user of the information handling system;

utilizing the data of the created CLI knowledge model to issue commands to the CLI of each given network device across the network based on the collected user input; and

receiving and processing CLI responses to the issued commands from each given network device across the network.

11. The method of claim 9, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise:

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device, the presented runtime GUI comprising at least first and second interface windows;

where the first interface window comprises a write interface window that comprises a configuration tree and input interface for writing information to a given network device, the write interface allowing a user of the information handling system to make selections, and the ontology implementation module using the created CLI knowledge model to generate CLI commands to a given network device based on one or more of the user selections; and

where the second interface window comprises a read back interface window that comprises a configuration tree and interface for reading CLI response information back from the same given network device that is written to by interface window, the ontology implementation module dynamically constructing the runtime read back interface window using the created CLI knowledge model to map components of the read back interface window to the created CLI knowledge model output

where the first interface window and second interface window enable the user to edit the CLI command phrase and check the CLI syntax of the edited command phrase using the CLI knowledge model.

12. The method of claim 9, where the information handling system further comprises at least one display device, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology implementation module as ontology implementation steps that comprise:

presenting the created runtime GUI on the display device, the runtime GUI configured to display discrete interactions between CLI and generated icons;

where the runtime GUI comprises at least one of a chassis view, a network topology view, or a combination thereof.

13. A method of managing a networking system, comprising:

providing an information handling system, the information handling system comprising one or more processing devices communicatively-coupled across a network to one or more network devices of the networking system; and

using the one or more processing devices to execute a network management system (NMS) that includes an ontology-based command line interface (CLI) knowledge model to maintain and administer the networking system using the ontology-based CLI knowledge model;

where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology build module, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology build module as one or more ontology build steps that comprise;

a seed learning step where build parameter information is received by the ontology build module,

a learning and knowledge building step for CLI command structure and network device behavior where each given one of the network devices is interrogated over the network to elicit and receive a response from the given network device describing one or more of the CLI characteristics it possesses, and

a CLI knowledge model creation step where the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device is organized as CLI data to create a CLI knowledge model; and

where the information handling system further comprises at least one storage device coupled to the one or more processing devices, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute ontology build steps comprising;

issuing a CLI stimulus from the information handling system across the network to each given network device being interrogated,

receiving and collecting at least one text based CLI response back across the network from each given interrogated network device, the CLI response includes CLI output data,

classifying collected CLI data received from each given interrogated network device;

analyzing the classified CLI data, the current location in CLI command structure, and the current state of each given network device,

determining a set of commands based on the analysis of the classified CLI data, the current location in CLI command structure, and the current state of each given network device, and

creating the determined set of commands for issuance across the network to the given network device.

14. The method of claim 13, where the ontology-based CLI knowledge model comprises an ontology implementation module, and where the method further comprises using the one or more processing devices to execute the ontology implementation module as one or more ontology implementation steps.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the one or more processing devices to organize the one or more CLI characteristics received from each given network device as CLI data using one or more ontology related standards.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the one or more processing devices to execute the NMS such that the ontology-based CLI knowledge model links the NMS to at least one of web content management systems, semantic web applications, shopping portals or services, warranty services, test and design tools, auto generated CLI manuals, or a combination thereof.