Evaluating electronic network devices in view of cost and service level considerations

• US 9,565,080 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jain, Navendu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Chirag R
• Application Number:
  US13/861,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0622 based on time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/064 involving time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0826 for reduction of network costs H04L41/0833 takes precedence
• 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 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5016 based on statistics of service availability, e.g. in percentage or over a given time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

The described implementations relate to processing of electronic data. One implementation is manifest as one or more computer-readable storage devices comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform acts. The acts can include determining service levels provided by multiple network configurations, determining costs associated with the multiple network configurations, and evaluating the multiple network configurations based on both the costs and the service levels. The multiple network configurations can include redundantly-deployed devices. Furthermore, some implementations may determine cost/service level metrics that can be used to compare devices based on expected costs to provide a particular service level.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processing devices, the method comprising:

determining a first number of first network devices of a first network device classification for deployment in a network stamp of an application;

determining a second number of second network devices of a second network device classification for deployment in the network stamp of the application;

determining an expected first service level provided by a first redundant configuration of the first number of first network devices, the expected first service level being determined using first production data reflecting availability or reliability of the first network devices when deployed redundantly;

determining an expected second service level provided by a second redundant configuration of the second number of second network devices, the expected second service level being determined using second production data reflecting availability or reliability of the second network devices when deployed redundantly; and

predicting expected application service levels of the application with the first redundant configuration and the second redundant configuration incorporated into the network stamp of the application, the predicting being based at least on the expected first service level and the expected second service level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device classification is a first network device model and the second network device classification is a second network device model.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking the first network device classification relative to the second network device classification based at least on the expected application service levels.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first total number of ports on the first network devices;

determining the first number of first network devices subject to a specified oversubscription ratio based at least on the first total number of ports;

determining a second total number of ports on the second network devices; and

determining the second number of second network devices subject to the specified oversubscription ratio based at least on the second total number of ports.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a first aggregate capacity for the first total number of ports based at least on a first per-port capacity of the ports on the first network devices;

determining a second aggregate capacity for the second total number of ports based at least on a second per-port capacity of the ports on the second network devices; and

outputting the first aggregate capacity, the second aggregate capacity, the first per-port capacity, and the second per-port capacity.

6. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more computer-readable storage devices comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to;

obtain first production data reflecting failures of deployed first network devices of a first network device classification;

based at least on the first production data, determine a first expected service level of a first redundant configuration of a first number of the first network devices;

obtain second production data reflecting failures of deployed second network devices of a second network device classification;

based at least on the second production data, determine a second expected service level of a second redundant configuration of a second number of the second network devices; and

predict a first overall network service level provided by a tree of devices incorporating the first redundant configuration and a second overall network service level provided by the tree of devices incorporating the second redundant configuration.

7. The system of claim 6, the first production data comprising first failure events logged by the deployed first network devices and the second production data comprising second failure events logged by the deployed second network devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:

filter various first events logged by the deployed first network devices to obtain the first failure events, the various first events being filtered to remove other first events that did not actually impact carrying of network traffic by the deployed first network devices; and

filter various second events logged by the deployed second network devices to obtain the second failure events, the various second events being filtered to remove other second events that did not actually impact carrying of network traffic by the deployed second network devices.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:

filter various first events logged by the deployed first network devices to obtain the first failure events, the various first events being filtered to remove redundant first events that relate to failures identified by the first failure events; and

filter various second events logged by the deployed second network devices to obtain the second failure events, the various second events being filtered to remove redundant second events that relate to failures identified by the second failure events.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to:

filter various first events logged by the deployed first network devices to obtain the first failure events, the various first events being filtered to remove first spurious failure events logged while the deployed first network devices are operational; and

filter various second events logged by the deployed second network devices to obtain the second failure events, the various second events being filtered to remove second spurious failure events logged while the deployed second network devices are operational.

11. The system of claim 6, the first redundant configuration and the second redundant configuration being active-active configurations.

12. The system of claim 11, the first redundant configuration comprising first access routers or aggregation switches of a first model, the second redundant configuration comprising second access routers or aggregation switches of a second model.

13. The system of claim 6, the first redundant configuration and the second redundant configuration being active-standby configurations.

14. The system of claim 13, the first redundant configuration comprising first access routers or aggregation switches of a first model, the second redundant configuration comprising second access routers or aggregation switches of a second model.

15. A method comprising:

monitoring deployed first network devices of a first network device classification to detect first failure events logged by the deployed first network devices;

based at least on the first failure events, predicting a first expected service level of a first redundant configuration of a first number of the first network devices;

monitoring deployed second network devices of a second network device classification to detect second failure events logged by the deployed second network devices;

based at least on the second failure events, predicting a second expected service level of a second redundant configuration of a second number of the second network devices;

predicting a first overall network service level provided by a tree of devices incorporating the first redundant configuration and carrying network traffic; and

predicting a second overall network service level provided by the tree of devices incorporating the second redundant configuration and carrying the network traffic.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a specified oversubscription ratio constraint; and

determining the first number and the second number subject to the specified oversubscription ratio constraint.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the tree of devices carries the network traffic to servers, the first network devices and the second network devices are switches, and the specified oversubscription ratio constraint defines oversubscription of bandwidth capacity of the switches relative to the servers.

18. The method of claim 15, the tree comprising an application stamp carrying the network traffic for a particular application.

19. The method of claim 15, the first network devices and the second network devices being the same network device model with different firmware revisions.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

using the first failure events to determine a first probability of co-occurring failures of the deployed first network devices and using the first probability to predict the first expected service level; and

using the second failure events to determine a second probability of co-occurring failures of the deployed second network devices and using the second probability to predict the second expected service level.