Network failure triage assisted by embedded agents

• US 9,619,315 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mallin, Mike R. E., Semco, Ianik, Brissette, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Yolanda L
• Application Number:
  US14/524,155
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor

Abstract

A method is provided for performing first line triage of network issues after receiving an indication of an error in a computer network. At least one software agent in a network element of the computer network is queried. The software agent(s) are embedded in the source code for processes running on the network element. Data from the software agent(s) are received in response to the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of an error in a computer network;

querying at least one software agent in a network element of the computer network, the at least one software agent being embedded in source code for corresponding processes running on the network element; and

receiving data from the at least one software agent in response to the querying.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the data to determine a source of the error in the computer network, and generating processed data identifying the source of the error.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a destination responsible for fixing the source of the error; and

sending a message to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error, the message including the processed data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is sent only to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the error is received from one of a user client, a test engineering client, or an automated process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes secure data that is not permitted to be transmitted from the network element.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a software agent embedded within the source code for every process running on the network element.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface comprising a plurality of ports and one or more network processors that perform networking functions in a network;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, wherein the processor;

receives, via the network interface, an indication of an error in the network;

queries at least one software agent in the apparatus, the at least one software agent being embedded in source code stored in the memory for corresponding processes; and

receives data from the at least one software agent in response to the querying.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor processes the data to determine a source of the error in the network, and generates processed data identifying the source of the error.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor:

determines a destination responsible for fixing the source of the error; and

causes a message to be sent, via the network interface, to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error, the message including the processed data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the message is sent only to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data includes secure data that is not permitted to be transmitted from the network element.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor receives the indication of the error from one of a user client, a test engineering client, or an automated process.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a software agent embedded in the source code for every process running on the network element.

15. A system comprising:

at least one network element to carry traffic in a network; and

a server to;

receive an indication of an error in the network; and

query at least one software agent in the network element, the at least one software agent being embedded within source code for corresponding processes running on the network element;

wherein the network element generates data from the at least one software agent in response to the querying.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network element further processes the data to determine a source of the error in the network, and generates processed data identifying the source of the error, and wherein the server further receives the processed data in response to the querying.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server further:

determines a destination responsible for fixing the source of the error; and

sends a message to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error, the message including the processed data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the message is sent only to the destination responsible for fixing the source of the error.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the data includes secure data that is not permitted to be transmitted from the network element.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the server receives the indication of the error from one of a user client, a test engineering client, or an automated process.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the network element further comprises a software agent embedded within the source code for every process running on the network element.