Network manager, system and method for remote management of switch stacks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to remote management of a switch stack. An example network manager receives an active configuration from a conductor switch of the switch stack. The network manager determines a switch model type for a plurality of switches of the switch stack based on the active configuration. The network manager determines a plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack and a current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack based on the switch model type and the active configuration. The network manager updates a device configuration element of a network management user interface to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner indicating that the switch stack is a single logical switch.

Description

Background Art

[0001] High capacity network switches are usually very expensive. For network architects with limited resources, high capacity network switches may not be feasible within their budget, which can affect network design, scale and functionality. An alternative technique is to connect multiple lower capacity network switches together into a switch stack. Although multiple physical switches are part of the switch stack, the switch stack is configured as a single logical switch. Typically, the combined cost of the lower capacity switches in the switch stack is still lower than the cost of purchasing an equivalent high capacity network switch. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, examples according to the various features described herein may be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

[0003] Figure 1 An example network including a network manager is illustrated;

[0004] Figure 2 An example network manager is illustrated;

[0005] Figure 3 is a flow chart of an example method for managing a network;

[0006] Figure 4 is a flow chart of another example method for managing a network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] Although switch stacks are a more economical alternative to high-capacity switches, network administrators are often hampered by the extensive manual network configuration that enables switch stacks to replace high-capacity switches. This manual work runs counter to the overall industry trend toward increased automation and remote network management. However, automation and remote management are hampered by limited access to the physical switches of the switch stack. Not all physical switches of the switch stack are required to have functional uplinks to a wide area network (e.g., the Internet), making it difficult to obtain configuration data from these switches using a remote network management system (also known as a network manager or network orchestrator).

[0008] A remote network management system, such as a cloud-based network manager, typically does not have management access to the physical switches of a switch stack to determine the configuration of each switch of the switch stack. For example, a network manager cannot query each physical switch of the switch stack to determine how many ports each physical switch has. Therefore, the switch stack cannot be properly represented in a remote network management system without significant manual intervention. The switch stack is configured with a director switch that communicates with the network manager.

[0009] In an example according to the present disclosure, a network administrator configures a switch stack using a network management user interface. The network management user interface provides a network administrator device configuration element (such as a web form) to configure features of network devices, including a switch stack. Configurable features can be configured on a per-switch or per-port basis. Before displaying a web form for configuring features of a switch stack, the network management user interface receives information about the switch stack from a backend service running on a network manager. The backend service transmits the configuration information to the network management user interface by sending structured data (such as by sending Javascript Object Notation (JSON) data to a REST API of the network management user interface). The backend service generates structured data based on an active configuration received from a conductor switch of the switch stack. The active configuration includes information such as the model type of the physical switches of the switch stack and the port configuration of the ports of the switch stack (such as speed, virtual local area network (VLAN) mode, VLAN number, etc.).

[0010] In this example, the backend service uses the model type of each physical switch (from the active configuration) to build structured data for the switch stack, including multiple ports of the switch stack and the configuration of each port. The backend service selects a corresponding switch configuration file from the switch library for each physical switch in the switch stack based on the model type of the switch. The backend service builds structured data for the switch stack based on the switch configuration file, and the structured data is applied as a template by the network management user interface. When the network administrator accesses one of the web forms for configuring the switch stack, he will be presented with the current configuration information of each physical switch of the switch stack as a single logical switch. The network administrator is also constrained by the user interface to make physically possible configuration changes only to specific combinations of physical switches present in the switch stack.

[0011] In some examples, if the director of the switch stack fails, the switch stack fails over to the backup director. The network manager receives the active configuration from the backup director and migrates the configuration information for the switch stack to the backup director instead of generating new configuration files and structured data.

[0012] Figure 1 An example network 100 including a network manager 102 is illustrated. The network 100 includes the network manager 102 having a network management user interface 104. The network manager 102 is coupled to a switch stack 106 via a WAN 108. The network 100 may be an enterprise network, a university network, a campus network, a multi-site network, or any other centrally managed network. The network 100 may include a variety of wired and wireless technologies, may be incorporated into multiple management domains, and may be configured in a variety of different ways. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the details of the network 100 do not affect the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0013] The network manager 102 provides a single point of configuration for the network 100. For example, the network 100 may include multiple local area networks (LANs) (not shown), and the network manager 102 may enable a network administrator to monitor, troubleshoot, and configure devices in all LANs of the network 100 from a single interface. This is sometimes also referred to as a "single pane of glass", "cloud-based network manager", or "remote network management". The network manager 102 may be a hardware device that includes a memory and processing circuit system deployed at a site of the network 100, a cloud-based device deployed in a public or private cloud, or a collection of physical devices deployed in a configuration as a service or subscription. The specific configuration and deployment model of the network manager 102 do not affect the teachings of the present disclosure. The network manager 102 provides a network management user interface 104. The network management user interface 104 may take one of a variety of forms, depending on the details of the network manager 102, but a common form is a cloud-hosted website accessible by a network administrator. The network management user interface 104 provides status information about the network devices of the network 100, including the switch stack 106. The network management user interface 104 also provides device configuration elements for the network devices of the network 100, including the switch stack 106. The network management user interface 104 may provide any number of device configuration elements, depending on the number of configurable elements of the network devices, the enabled features of the network 100, and the configuration rights granted to a particular network administrator. The device configuration elements may take a variety of forms, including web forms, web input elements, graphical user interface input elements, console commands, etc. The specific form of the device configuration elements does not affect the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0014] The switch stack 106 is a logically connected set of physical switches 106a-n of the network 100. The switch stack 106 may act as a single logical switch when viewed by other network devices of the network 100. For example, not all physical switches 106a-n may have active uplinks to the WAN 108. In addition, the switch stack 106 is managed by the network manager 102 via connections between the director switch 106a of the switch stack 106, rather than via individual connections between the network manager 102 and each physical switch 106a-n of the switch stack 106. The switch stack 106 is initially configured physically and logically on each physical switch 106a-n so that each physical switch knows that it is part of the switch stack 106. The director switch 106a is also selected during the initial configuration. In some examples, the network administrator configures the physical switches 106a-n directly to form the switch stack 106, and the switch stack 106 in the network manager 102 is provisioned separately as a single logical switch. However, provisioning a switch stack 106 cannot be done in the same way as provisioning a single physical switch. As mentioned above, the network manager 102 may not have active uplinks with each physical switch 106a-n of the switch stack 106. Even in the presence of active uplinks, the physical switches 106a-n are configured to act as a single logical switch and may not provide the network manager 102 with the required information.

[0015] Because the network manager 102 and the switch stack 106 are separated by the WAN 108, the communication between them may be limited by bandwidth and security constraints, among other concerns. The WAN 108 may include private links (e.g., MPLS), but the WAN 108 may also include public Internet links that are not owned, controlled, or managed by the owner of the network 100. This is particularly likely to occur when the network manager 102 is cloud-based or provided as a service.

[0016] The director switch 106a transmits the active configuration 110 to the network manager 102 via the WAN 108. In the case where a single physical switch (not a stack of switches) is provided with the network manager 102, the single physical switch may also transmit the active configuration to the network manager 102. The active configuration includes, among other information, the model type of the switch. The network manager 102 may then reference static configuration files stored in a switch library. The switch library may include static configuration files for each model type that the network manager 102 is capable of managing. The static configuration files associated with a single physical switch include information such as a number of ports, a default port configuration, and a default switch configuration for that model of switch.

[0017] When the director switch 106a of the switch stack 106 transmits the active configuration 110 to the network manager 102, the active configuration 110 includes model information of the physical switches 106a-n. Based on the active configuration 110, the network manager 102 determines the switch model type for each of the physical switches 106a-n. The network manager 102 then refers to the static configuration files of each of the physical switches 106a-n based on the respective switch model types of these physical switches to collect information about the switch stack 106. For example, the network manager 102 can determine a plurality of ports of the switch stack based on a plurality of ports of each physical switch of the switch stack. The network manager 102 can also determine a default configuration for each of the ports of the switch stack 106 based on a default port configuration from a static configuration file associated with the switches 106a-n. The network manager 102 can then build a dynamic configuration file for the switch stack 106 based on the static configuration files associated with the switches 106a-n. The network manager 102 can then compare the default port configuration from the dynamic configuration file with the current port configuration transmitted from the director switch 106a in the active configuration 110 to determine the current configuration and determine which configurations have changed in the switch stack 106. In some examples, the current configuration is cached for comparison with future active configurations received from the director switch 106a when additional configuration changes are made. The network manager 102 also generates structured data 112 describing the current configuration and characteristics of the switch stack 106, and transmits the structured data 112 to the network management user interface 104. For example, the structured data 112 can be transmitted to the network management user interface 104 using a REST API. The structured data 112 can be formatted as javascript object notation (JSON) data. In some examples, the structured data 112 indicates a single logical switch (corresponding to the switch stack 106) to the network management user interface 104. In some examples, structured data 112 represents a template or schema that provides configurable parameters for switch stack 106 and constrains and validates input into network management user interface 104 to allow configurability only within the scope of equipment capabilities. Figure 1The network manager 102 is shown as being separate from the network management user interface 104, but this configuration is not required. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the network management user interface can be implemented in a variety of ways, including as a component of the network manager 102, as instructions executed on the same physical device as the network manager 102, as a web form delivered by a web server to a client device of a network administrator, as a graphical user interface (GUI) on a device, etc. As long as the network manager 102 transmits the structured data 112 to the network management user interface 104, the specific implementation of the network management user interface 104 does not affect the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0018] The network administrator can configure the switch stack 106 via the network management user interface 104, and the configuration changes can be forwarded back to the switch stack 106 by the network manager 102. The network manager 102 can retain the configuration changes in the cached current configuration and forward the configuration changes to the switch stack 106. The network management user interface 104 can provide the network administrator with device configuration elements including the correct number and configuration of ports as present on the switch stack 106.

[0019] If the director switch 106a experiences a failure (including a link failure between the director switch 106a and the network manager 102 and a link failure between the director switch 106a and switches 106b-n), the network manager 102 loses the only channel for communicating with the switch stack 106. However, the switch stack 106 can fail over to the backup director switch 106b. In some examples, the backup director switch 106b has an uplink to the WAN 108 that remains in standby mode prior to the failover. In some other examples, the backup director switch 106b has an uplink to the WAN 108 that is active even when the director switch 106a is operational, but the backup director switch 106b is not connected to the network manager 102. In yet other examples, backup director switch 106b has an uplink to WAN 108 that is active even when director switch 106a is operational, and backup director switch 106b is connected to network manager 102, but the connection is inactive when director switch 106a is operational.

[0020] At the time of a failover, rather than building a new dynamic configuration file and establishing a new logical switch for the switch stack due to receiving a new active configuration 110 from a different director switch 106b, the network manager 102 detects that a failover has occurred to the switch stack 106 and detects that the parameters of the switch stack 106 still apply except for the change in directorship from the director switch 106a to the backup director switch 106b and any port configuration and state changes due to the failure of the director switch 106a. The network manager 102 saves and migrates the configuration information of the switch stack 106 to the backup director switch 106b after detecting the failover. For example, the network manager 102 can detect the failover by comparing the identifier of the backup director switch 106b with the backup director identifier present in the active configuration 110 sent by the director switch 106a before the failure.

[0021] Figure 2 An example network manager 200 is illustrated. Network manager 200 provides a single point of configuration for a network. For example, a network may include multiple local area networks (LANs), and network manager 200 may enable a network administrator to monitor, troubleshoot, and configure devices in all LANs of the network from a single interface. This is sometimes also referred to as a "single pane of glass," "cloud-based network manager," or "remote network management." Network manager 200 may be configured to be a single point of configuration for a network. Figure 2 200 is shown as a hardware device including a memory and processing circuit system deployed in a site of the network, or a cloud-based device deployed in a public or private cloud, but the network manager 200 may reside on a collection of physical devices or may be deployed in a configuration as a service or subscription. The specific configuration and deployment model of the network manager 200 do not affect the teachings of the present disclosure. The network manager 200 provides a network management user interface. The network management user interface may take one of a variety of forms, depending on the details of the network manager 200, but a common form is a cloud-hosted website accessible by a network administrator. The network management user interface provides status information about network devices (including switch stacks). The network management user interface also provides device configuration elements for network devices (including switch stacks). The network management user interface may provide any number of device configuration elements, depending on the number of configurable elements of the network device, the enabled features of the network, and the configuration permissions granted to a specific network administrator. The device configuration element may take a variety of forms, including web forms, web input elements, graphical user interface input elements, console commands, etc. The specific form of the device configuration element does not affect the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0022] The network manager 200 includes a processing circuit system 202 and a memory 204. The processing circuit system 202 receives instructions 206 from the memory 204 and executes these instructions to cause the network manager 200 to perform certain actions. The memory 204 stores the instructions 206 and data (not shown) and makes them serve the processing circuit system 202. The memory 204 is a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Each instruction in the instructions 206a-d can represent any number of instructions stored in the memory 204. Additional instructions (represented by the ellipsis between the instructions 206c and the instructions 206d) can be stored in the memory 204, which enable the execution of additional features of the present disclosure.

[0023] In instruction 206a, the network manager 200 receives an active configuration from a director of a switch stack. A switch stack is a logical switch composed of multiple physical switches connected together and configured to act as a single entity. In some examples, the active configuration is sent to the network manager 200 after a request is sent from the network manager 200 to the director of the switch stack. In some examples, the active configuration is sent to the network manager 200 after a configuration change occurs on the switch stack. In some examples, the active configuration is sent to the network manager 200 periodically. The active configuration includes information about the switch stack, such as the model name of each physical switch of the switch stack and the port configuration for the ports of the switch stack.

[0024] In instruction 206b, the network manager 200 determines the switch model type for each physical switch of the switch stack based on the received active configuration. In some examples, the network manager 200 refers to a lookup table (e.g., a hash table) to determine the switch model type from the model name received in the active configuration. The network manager 200 then retrieves the corresponding static configuration file from the switch library. The switch library can be a repository of static configuration files for all model types supported by the network manager 200. In some other examples, the network manager 200 determines the switch model type directly from the model name and retrieves the corresponding static configuration file based on the model name received in the active configuration.

[0025] In instruction 206c, the network manager 200 determines the current configuration of multiple ports of the switches of the switch stack and each port of each switch of the switch stack based on the switch model type and the active configuration. In some examples, the network manager 200 reads information from the retrieved static configuration file and determines the multiple ports of each switch of the switch stack and the default port configuration for each port of the switch. The default port configuration may not reflect the port configuration transmitted in the active configuration, so the network manager 200 can generate and cache the current configuration along with generating and saving the dynamic configuration file. The dynamic configuration file is the switch stack equivalent of the static configuration file in the switch library (and can also be saved in the switch library), but changes dynamically as physical switches are added to or removed from the switch stack. The dynamic configuration file (like the static configuration file) provides default configuration information about the switch stack.

[0026] In instruction 206d, the network manager 200 updates the device configuration element of the network management user interface to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack. The network manager 200 updates the device configuration element in a manner indicating that the switch stack is a single logical switch. In some examples, the network manager 200 updates the device configuration element by transmitting structured data to the network management user interface using a REST API. In some examples, the structured data is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formatted data. In some examples, the structured data represents a template or scheme that provides configurable parameters for the switch stack and constrains and validates input into the network management user interface to allow configurability only within the scope of the equipment capabilities.

[0027] exist Figure 2 In additional description not shown in the figure, the network manager 200 can retain device configuration elements when the director switch experiences a failure and replace the director switch with a backup director switch of the switch stack. At the time of failover, instead of building a new dynamic configuration file and establishing a new logical switch for the switch stack, the network manager 200 detects that the switch stack has failed over to the backup director switch and detects that the parameters of the switch stack are still applicable except for the change of command from the director switch to the backup director switch and any port configuration and status changes caused by the failure of the director switch. The network manager 200 saves and migrates the configuration information of the switch stack to the backup director switch after detecting the failover. The network manager 200 can detect the failover, for example, by comparing the identifier of the backup director switch with the backup director identifier presented in the active configuration sent by the director switch before the failure.

[0028] Figure 3 is a flow chart of an example method 300 for managing a network. The method 300 may be stored as instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executed on processing circuitry of a device, such as a network manager.

[0029] In block 302, a configuration for an additional switch to the switch stack is received from a network management user interface. In some examples, the network administrator can add a switch to the switch stack via the network management user interface by selecting a model type from a list of model types. Simply selecting a model type in the network management user interface does not add another physical switch to the switch stack, but once deployed, it can speed up the configuration of the additional physical switch. In some examples, the network manager can update a dynamic configuration file associated with the switch stack and a cached current configuration of the switch stack.

[0030] In block 304, an active configuration is received from the director of the switch stack. When the director of the switch stack transmits the active configuration, the active configuration includes model information of the physical switches of the switch stack, including model information of the additional switches configured in block 302. In some examples, information such as port configuration and switch configuration is included in the active configuration.

[0031] In block 306, based on the active configuration, a switch model type for a switch of the switch stack is determined. In some examples, the network manager references a lookup table (e.g., a hash table) to determine the switch model type from the model name received in the active configuration. The network manager then retrieves the corresponding static configuration file from a switch library. The switch library can be a repository of static configuration files for all model types supported by the network manager. In some other examples, the network manager determines the switch model type directly from the model name and retrieves the corresponding static configuration file based on the model name received in the active configuration.

[0032] In box 308, the current configuration of multiple ports of the switches of the switch stack and each port of each switch of the switch stack is determined. The multiple ports include multiple ports of additional switches. In some examples, the network manager reads information from the retrieved static configuration file and determines a default port configuration for multiple ports of each switch of the switch stack and for each port of the switch. The default port configuration may not reflect the port configuration transmitted in the active configuration, so the network manager can cache the current configuration along with saving the dynamic configuration file. The dynamic configuration file changes as physical switches are added to the switch stack (including additional switches) or removed from the switch stack. The dynamic configuration file (like the static configuration file) provides default configuration information about the switch stack.

[0033] In box 310, the device configuration element of the network management user interface is updated. The device configuration element is used to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner indicating that the switch stack is a single logical switch. In some examples, the network manager also generates structured data describing the current configuration and characteristics of the switch stack, and transmits the structured data to the network management user interface. For example, the structured data can be transmitted to the network management user interface using a REST API. The structured data can be formatted as javascript object representation (JSON) data. In some examples, the structured data indicates a single logical switch (corresponding to the switch stack) to the network management user interface. In some examples, the structured data represents a template or scheme that provides configurable parameters and constraints and verifications to the switch stack for the input into the network management user interface to allow configurability only within the scope of the equipment capability. The network administrator can configure the switch stack via the network management user interface, and the configuration changes can be forwarded back to the switch stack by the network manager. The network manager can retain the configuration changes in the cached current configuration and forward the configuration changes to the switch stack. The network management user interface may provide device configuration elements to the network administrator, including the correct number and configuration of ports as present on the switch stack.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flow chart of an example method 400 for managing a network. The method 400 may be stored as instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executed on processing circuitry of a device, such as a network manager.

[0035] In block 402, a configuration for an additional switch to the switch stack is received from a network management user interface. In some examples, the network administrator can add a switch to the switch stack via the network management user interface by selecting a model type from a list of model types. Simply selecting a model type in the network management user interface does not add another physical switch to the switch stack, but once deployed, it can speed up the configuration of the additional physical switch. In some examples, the network manager can update a dynamic configuration file associated with the switch stack and a cached current configuration of the switch stack.

[0036] In block 404, an active configuration is received from the director of the switch stack. When the director of the switch stack transmits the active configuration, the active configuration includes model information for the physical switches of the switch stack, including model information for the additional switches configured in block 402. In some examples, information such as port configuration and switch configuration is included in the active configuration.

[0037] In block 406, based on the active configuration, a switch model type for a switch of the switch stack is determined. In some examples, the network manager references a lookup table (eg, a hash table) to determine the switch model type from a model name received in the active configuration.

[0038] In block 408, for each switch of the switch stack, a switch configuration file is selected from the switch library. The network manager retrieves a static configuration file corresponding to the switch model type from the switch library. The switch library can be a repository of static configuration files for all model types supported by the network manager. In some other examples, the network manager determines the switch model type directly from the model name and retrieves the corresponding static configuration file based on the model name received in the active configuration.

[0039] In block 410, a plurality of ports for each switch of the switch stack is determined. The plurality of ports includes a plurality of ports of an additional switch. In some examples, the network manager reads information from a retrieved static configuration file and determines a plurality of ports for each switch of the switch stack and a default port configuration for each port of the switch.

[0040] In block 412, a plurality of ports of a switch stack and a current configuration of each port of the switch stack are updated, the plurality of ports including the plurality of ports of the additional switch. The default port configuration from the static configuration file may not reflect the port configuration transmitted in the active configuration, so the network manager may cache the current configuration along with saving the dynamic configuration file. The dynamic configuration file changes as physical switches are added to or removed from the switch stack (including the additional switch). The dynamic configuration file (like the static configuration file) provides default configuration information about the switch stack.

[0041] In box 414, the device configuration element of the network management user interface is updated. The device configuration element is used to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner indicating that the switch stack is a single logical switch. In some examples, the network manager also generates structured data describing the current configuration and characteristics of the switch stack, and transmits the structured data to the network management user interface. For example, the structured data can be transmitted to the network management user interface using a REST API. The structured data can be formatted as javascript object representation (JSON) data. In some examples, the structured data indicates a single logical switch (corresponding to the switch stack) to the network management user interface. In some examples, the structured data represents a template or scheme that provides configurable parameters for the switch stack and constrains and verifies the input into the network management user interface to allow configurability only within the scope of the equipment capability. The network administrator can configure the switch stack via the network management user interface, and the configuration changes can be forwarded back to the switch stack by the network manager. The network manager can retain the configuration changes in the cached current configuration and forward the configuration changes to the switch stack. The network management user interface can provide device configuration elements to a network administrator, including the correct number and configuration of ports as present on a switch stack. A network administrator is a person who has management access to network devices and configures the devices to conform to the network topology, network services, or a combination thereof.

[0042] A client device is a computing device operated or accessed by a network user or administrator. Client devices include laptops / desktop computers, tablets / mobile phones / PDAs, servers, IoT devices, sensors, etc.

[0043] A network device is a device that receives network traffic and forwards it to a destination. Network devices may include devices such as controllers, access points, switches, routers, bridges, and gateways. Some network devices may be SDN-capable and therefore able to receive network commands from a controller, network manager, or orchestrator, and adjust operations based on the received network commands. Some network devices perform packet services, such as application classification and deep packet inspection, on certain network traffic received at the network device. Some network devices monitor load parameters for various physical and logical resources of the network device and report load information to a controller, network manager, or orchestrator.

[0044] Processing circuit system is a circuit system that receives instructions and data and executes instructions. Processing circuit system may include application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), microcontroller (uC), central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), microprocessor or any other suitable circuit system that can receive instructions and data and execute instructions. Processing circuit system may include one processor or multiple processors. Processing circuit system may include cache. Processing circuit system may be connected with other component interfaces of device, which components include memory, network interface, peripheral device, support circuit system, data bus or any other suitable component. Processors of processing circuit system may communicate with each other through shared cache, inter-processor communication or any other suitable technology.

[0045] Memory is one or more non-transitory computer-readable media capable of storing instructions and data. Memory may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), processor cache, removable media (e.g., CD-ROM, USB flash drive), storage drive (e.g., hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD)), network storage (e.g., network attached storage (NAS)), and / or cloud storage. In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, all references to memory and instructions and data stored in memory can refer to instructions and data stored in any non-transitory computer-readable medium capable of storing instructions and data or any combination of such non-transitory computer-readable media.

[0046] The features of the present disclosure can be implemented using various specific devices including various different technologies and characteristics. As an example, the features including instructions to be executed by the processing circuit system can store the instructions in the cache, random access memory (RAM), hard drive, removable drive (e.g., CD-ROM), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) or any other non-transient computer readable medium of the processing circuit system, as applicable to the specific device and specific example implementation. As is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, the features of the present disclosure are not changed by the technology (whether the technology is known or unknown) that implements the features and the characteristics of the specific device. Any modifications or changes required to implement the features of the present disclosure on a specific device or in a specific example will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0047] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Any use of the words "may" or "can" with respect to features of the present disclosure indicates that, depending on the context, certain examples include the feature while certain other examples do not. Any use of the words "or" and "and" with respect to features of the present disclosure indicates that, depending on the context, the examples can include any combination of the listed features.

[0048] Phrases and parentheses beginning with "such as" or "i.e." are used to provide examples for clarity only. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the examples provided in these phrases and parentheses. The scope and understanding of the present disclosure may include certain examples not disclosed in such phrases and parentheses.

Claims

1. A network manager comprising a processing circuit system and a memory comprising instructions, the instructions when executed by the processing circuit system causing the network manager to: Receives the active configuration from the director of the switch stack; determining a switch model type for a plurality of switches of the switch stack based on the active configuration; determining a current configuration of a plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack and each port of each switch of the switch stack based on the switch model type and the active configuration; updating a device configuration element of a network management user interface to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner that indicates the switch stack is a single logical switch, wherein the network management user interface is a web form delivered to a client device that is remote from the network manager; and After the director switch experiences a failure, the device configuration elements are preserved and the director switch is replaced with a backup director switch of the switch stack, wherein replacing the director switch with the backup director switch includes migrating the active configuration to the backup director switch.

2. The network manager of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack are determined based on the switch model type and the active configuration. include: For each switch of the plurality of switches, a corresponding switch configuration file is selected from a switch library and a plurality of ports for each switch is identified according to the corresponding switch configuration file.

3. The network manager of claim 2, wherein each switch configuration file corresponds to a switch model type among the switch model types.

4. The network manager of claim 1, wherein updating the device configuration element of the network management user interface include: The structured data is transferred to the network management user interface using a REST API.

5. The network manager of claim 4, wherein the structured data is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formatted data indicating a single logical switch corresponding to the switch stack.

6. The network manager of claim 4, wherein the structured data represents a schema that provides configurable parameters for the switch stack and constrains and validates input into the network management user interface.

7. The network manager of claim 1, wherein the memory includes instructions that cause the network manager to detect the failure by comparing an identifier of the backup director switch with a backup switch identifier in the active configuration.

8. A system, include: a plurality of switches configured as a switch stack, wherein a first switch of the plurality of switches is a director switch of the switch stack; as well as NetworkManager, configured as: receiving an active configuration from a director switch of the switch stack; determining a switch model type for the plurality of switches of the switch stack based on the active configuration; determining a current configuration of a plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack and each port of each switch of the switch stack based on the switch model type and the active configuration; updating a device configuration element of a network management user interface to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner that indicates the switch stack is a single logical switch, wherein the network management user interface is a web form delivered to a client device that is remote from the network manager; and After the director switch experiences a failure, the device configuration elements are preserved and the director switch is replaced with a backup director switch of the switch stack, wherein replacing the director switch with the backup director switch includes migrating the active configuration to the backup director switch.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack are determined based on the switch model type and the active configuration. include: For each switch of the plurality of switches, a corresponding switch configuration file is selected from a switch library and a plurality of ports for each switch is identified according to the corresponding switch configuration file.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each switch configuration file corresponds to a switch model type of the switch model types.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein updating the device configuration element of the network management user interface include: The structured data is transferred to the network management user interface using a REST API.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the structured data is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formatted data indicating a single logical switch corresponding to the switch stack.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the structured data represents a schema that provides configurable parameters for the switch stack and constrains and validates input into the network management user interface.

14. The system of claim 8, the network manager configured to detect the failure by comparing an identifier of the backup director switch with a backup switch identifier in the active configuration.

15. A method, include: receiving, by a network manager from a network management user interface, a configuration for an additional switch of a switch stack, wherein the network management user interface is a web form delivered to a client device, the client device being remote from the network manager; receiving, by the network manager, an active configuration from a director switch of the switch stack; determining, by the network manager based on the active configuration, switch model types for a plurality of switches of the switch stack, the switch model types including the switch model type of the additional switch; determining, by the network manager, a current configuration of a plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack and each port of each switch of the switch stack based on the switch model type and the active configuration, the plurality of ports including a plurality of ports of the additional switch; updating, by the network manager, a device configuration element of the network management user interface to display the current configuration of each port of each switch of the switch stack in a manner indicating that the switch stack is a single logical switch; as well as After the director switch experiences a failure, the device configuration elements are preserved and the director switch is replaced with a backup director switch of the switch stack, wherein replacing the director switch with the backup director switch includes migrating the active configuration to the backup director switch.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of ports of the plurality of switches of the switch stack are determined based on the switch model type and the active configuration. include: For each switch in the plurality of switches, a corresponding switch configuration file is selected from a switch library and a plurality of ports for each switch is identified according to the corresponding switch configuration file, wherein each switch configuration file corresponds to a switch model type in the switch model types.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein updating the device configuration element of the network management user interface include: The structured data is transferred to the network management user interface using a REST API.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the structured data is JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formatted data indicating a single logical switch corresponding to the switch stack.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the structured data represents a schema that provides configurable parameters for the switch stack and constrains and validates input into the network management user interface.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: include: The failure is detected by comparing an identifier of the backup director switch with identifiers of backup switches in the active configuration.

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