Configuration file framework to support high availability schema based upon asynchronous checkpointing

• US 8,959,053 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cilli, Bruce, Grinshpun, Ed
• Primary Examiner(s): KUDDUS, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/191,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,379 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements

Abstract

In various exemplary embodiments, a method and related system for configuration file management in a network element comprise one or more of the following: upon initialization of the network element, reading a first configuration file that is in a character-encoded format; for each application process, translating the first configuration file into a plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files; configuring each application process based on the respective plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files; modifying, in real-time, at least one of the non-character-encoded configuration files; and merging each of the non-character-encoded configuration files into a second configuration file that is in a character-encoded format.

Claims

1. A method for configuration file management in a network element that executes a plurality of application processes, the method comprising:

upon initialization of the network element, reading a first configuration file that is in a character-encoded format from a non-volatile memory device;

for each application process, translating the first configuration file into a plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files;

storing the plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files in a dynamic random access memory;

configuring each application process based on the respective plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files;

modifying, in real-time, at least one of the non-character-encoded configuration files; and

merging each of the non-character-encoded configuration files into a second configuration file that is in a character-encoded format.

2. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, wherein the character-encoded format is an American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format.

3. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, wherein the non-character-encoded format is a binary format.

4. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first configuration file in a non-volatile memory in the network element.

5. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 4. wherein the non-volatile memory is a flash memory device.

6. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, wherein the step of translating the first configuration file into a plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files is done per object type.

7. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, via inter-process communication, that each application process create a temporary copy of the respective non-character-encoded configuration files.

8. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the second configuration file to a network operator for editing.

9. The method for configuration file management in the network element according to claim 1, wherein the step of merging occurs at substantially a same time as the execution of the plurality of application processes.

10. A network element for configuration file management in a high-availability, embedded system, the network element comprising:

a non-volatile memory device storing a first configuration file in a character-encoded format;

a dynamic random access memory; and

a processor configured to execute a plurality of application processes, read the first configuration file upon receiving an initialization signal, for each application process, translate the first configuration file into a plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files, store the plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files on the dynamic random access memory, configure each application process based on the respective plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files, modify, in real-time, at least one of the non-character-encoded configuration files, and merge each of the non-character-encoded configuration files into a second configuration file that is in a character-encoded format.

11. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the character-encoded format is an American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format.

12. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the non-character-encoded format is a binary format.

13. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory device is a flash memory device.

14. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the processor translates the first configuration file into a plurality of non-character-encoded configuration files per object type.

15. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to request, via inter-process communication, that each application process create a temporary copy of the respective non-character-encoded configuration files.

16. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to forward the second configuration file to a network operator for editing.

17. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the non-character-encoded format is a decimal format.

18. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the non-character-encoded format is a hexadecimal format.

19. The network element according to claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory device is a hard drive.