Content switch management

• US 8,949,297 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Bigian, Armond, Feldmeier, John T., Yang, Connie Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, CHERYL MARIA
• Application Number:
  US11/616,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,960 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method manage a configuration of a plurality of content switching devices in a networked system by generating a first configuration data file and translating the first configuration data file into one or more device specific configuration data files, each device specific configuration file corresponding to a device type of the one or more content switching devices. Some embodiments of the system and method then communicate the one or more device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each content switching device.

Claims

1. A method, including:

managing, using one or more processors, a configuration of a plurality of content switching devices by;

retrieving configuration data files from each of the plurality of content switching devices;

comparing a last deployed one of a plurality of device specific configuration data files to a current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

making a determination whether there are differences between the last deployed one of the plurality of device specific configuration data files and the current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

creating a first configuration data file;

translating the first configuration data file and producing a generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to each of a plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files being based on the translating of the first configuration data file and including physical and logical configurations for handling data, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to one of the plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices; and

communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each content switching device.

2. The method of claim 1, further including prior to the creating of the first configuration data file, for each content switching device type of the plurality of content switching devices:

receiving raw configuration data from a first of the plurality of content switching devices;

creating a raw configuration data file from the raw configuration data; and

associating the raw configuration data file to a template configuration data file associated with the device type of the first of the plurality of content switching devices.

3. The method of claim 2, further including after the creating the raw configuration data file, storing the raw configuration data file in a configuration repository.

4. The method of claim 1, further including prior to the communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type, determining if a targeted one of the content switching device is available.

5. The method of claim 1, further including prior to the communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type:

registering a new content switching device of a specific device type; and

determining if the new content switching device is available to receive the device specific configuration data file.

6. The method of claim 1, including comparing a device specific configuration data file operating on a content switching device to a last deployed device specific configuration data file associated with the content switching device and generating a report when detecting a mismatch.

7. The method of claim 1, including prior to the communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type:

reserving the content switching device to be configured;

querying the content switching device for its existing services, expressions, and policies;

validating the device specific configuration data file corresponding to the content switching device; and

ceasing communication of the device specific configuration data file to the content switching device if there is a mismatch based on the validation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the managing the configuration of the plurality of content switching devices includes managing the configuration of a plurality of load balancers configured to balance incoming web data.

9. The method of claim 1, including prior to the communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type, receiving a ticket approving deployment of the device specific configuration data files to each content switching device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a configuration manager coupled to a plurality of content switching devices to generate a first configuration data file;

translate the first configuration data file into a plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to each of a plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices, each of the plurality of device specific configuration data files being based on the translating of the first configuration data file and including physical and logical configurations for handling data, each of the plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to one of the plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices;

validate a device specific configuration by comparing a last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files to a current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

make a determination as to whether there are differences between the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files and the current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files; and

communicate the plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each of the plurality of content switching devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further including:

a GUI (graphical user interface) module communicatively coupled to the configuration manager, the GUI module to receive raw configuration data from a first of the plurality of content switching devices; and

wherein the configuration manager is to create a raw configuration data file from the raw configuration data and to associate the raw configuration data file to a template configuration data file associated with the device type of the first of the plurality of content switching devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the configuration manager also includes a configuration repository to store the raw configuration data file.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration manager is to communicate the plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type, and the configuration manager is to determine if the content switching device targeted is available.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration manager is to register a new content switching device of a specific device type and is to determine if the new content switching device is available to receive at least one of the plurality of device specific configuration data files.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further including a GUI module communicatively coupled to the configuration manager, the configuration manager is further to communicate determined differences to the GUI module.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration manager is to compare a device specific configuration data file that operates on a content switching device to a last deployed device specific configuration data file associated with the content switching device and is further to generate a report when a mismatch is detected.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configuration manager is further to:

reserve a content switching device of the plurality of content switching devices to be configured;

query the content switching device for its existing services, expressions, and policies;

validate the device specific configuration data file corresponding to the content switching device; and

cease the communication of the device specific configuration data file to the content switching device if there is a mismatch based on the validation.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, further including a ticketing module communicatively coupled to the configuration manager, the ticketing module to generate a ticket corresponding to an approval of a deployment of at least one of the device specific configuration data files to at least one content switching device.

19. A tangible machine-readable storage medium that includes instructions to be executed by a machine, the tangible machine-readable medium not comprising transitory signals, the instructions when executed cause the machine to perform operations, the operations comprising:

comparing a last deployed one of a plurality of device specific configuration data files to a current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

making a determination whether there are differences between the last deployed one of the plurality of device specific configuration data files and the current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

creating a first configuration;

generating a first configuration data file;

translating the first configuration data file and producing a generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to each of a plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files being based on the translating of the first configuration data file and including physical and logical configurations for handling data, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to one of the plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices; and

communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each content switching device.

20. A method, including:

managing, using one or more processors, a configuration of a plurality of content switching devices by;

validating a device specific configuration by

comparing a last deployed one of a plurality of device specific configuration data files to a current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files, and

identifying differences between the last deployed one of the plurality of device specific configuration data files and the current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

creating a first configuration data file;

translating the first configuration data file and producing a generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to each of a plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files being based on the translating of the first configuration data file and including physical and logical configurations for handling data, each of the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to one of the plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices; and

communicating the generated plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each content switching device.

21. A system, including:

a plurality of content switching devices; and

a configuration manager coupled to the plurality of content switching devices to generate a first configuration data file;

translate the first configuration data file into a plurality of device specific configuration data files corresponding to each of a plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices, each of the plurality of device specific configuration data files being based on the translating of the first configuration data file and corresponding to one of the plurality of device types of the plurality of content switching devices;

validate a device specific configuration by comparing a last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files to a current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files;

identify differences between the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files and the current version of the last deployed one of the device specific configuration data files; and

communicate the plurality of device specific configuration data files to each content switching device of a corresponding device type to configure each of the plurality of content switching devices.