System for automatic synchronization of information in a cloudy environment

Abstract

The application provides an information automatic synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment, which comprises a plurality of cloud centers and an asset management platform center end, wherein: each cloud center is configured to automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment through a timing task, send the network device information to a service personnel to enable the service personnel to configure corresponding labels for the network device information, and push the network device information with labels and the network topology information to a message middleware of the asset management platform center end; and the asset management platform center end is configured to consume and analyze messages in the message middleware, and perform warehousing processing on the analyzed network device information with labels and the network topology information. The embodiment of the application enables the warehoused information to be more comprehensive, and eliminates the problem that information cannot be returned to the center end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of information synchronization technology, and in particular to an automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment. Background Technology

[0002] With the development and expansion of cloud center environments across various regions, the amount of network device information is growing exponentially, thus placing higher demands on the management of this information. Currently, network device information is entered into the asset management platform using a combination of manual and automated discovery methods. The manual method utilizes tools such as Notepad and Excel for data entry and updates. The automated discovery method uses scripts or automated programs to collect network device information and then updates the data in the asset management platform. Compared to the manual method, the automated discovery method offers greater advantages in terms of real-time data maintenance, accuracy, and convenience. However, some problems still exist, such as the information uploaded by the automated method being incomplete, and the inability to transmit network device information from various cloud centers back to the central server due to network limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address at least one of the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment.

[0004] The automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment provided in this embodiment of the invention includes multiple cloud centers and an asset management platform central terminal, wherein:

[0005] Each cloud center is used to: automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment through scheduled tasks, send the network device information to business personnel so that the business personnel can configure corresponding tags for the network device information; and push the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center.

[0006] The central terminal of the asset management platform is used to: consume and parse messages in the message middleware, and store the parsed network device information with tags and the network topology information into the database.

[0007] In one embodiment, each cloud center is equipped with pre-set monitoring software, which has an automatic discovery function. The pre-set monitoring software is used to automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment from the monitoring interface through scheduled tasks.

[0008] In one embodiment, the label includes at least one of the following: the network area corresponding to the network device, the device type, and rack information.

[0009] In one embodiment, each cloud center is used to: extract information from the tagged network device information and the network topology information according to the information items required in the preset data template, and convert the extracted information into structured information before pushing the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center.

[0010] In one embodiment, each cloud center is used to: push tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center via a software-defined wide area network.

[0011] In one embodiment, the central terminal of the asset management platform is used to: determine whether the corresponding device has been entered into the asset database based on the device serial number in the tagged network device information; if so, update the network device information in the asset database other than the device serial number.

[0012] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center is further configured to: if the corresponding device is not entered into the asset database, add the tagged network device information of the corresponding device to the asset database and notify the asset management personnel via email.

[0013] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center is further configured to: display network device information of newly added devices under the account of the asset manager, so that the asset manager can modify the network device information.

[0014] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center is further configured to: display alarm information when a device alarm occurs, the alarm information including network device information with tags; and determine the associated devices affected by the device alarm based on the network topology information.

[0015] In one embodiment, the message middleware is the Kafka message middleware.

[0016] The automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment provided in this invention allows each cloud center to acquire network device information and network topology information using an automatic discovery function. This network device information is then pushed to business personnel who perform tagging operations. The tagged network device information and the network topology information are then pushed to the message middleware at the asset management platform's central end. This allows the central end to consume, parse, and store the messages in the message middleware. Because business personnel can tag the automatically discovered network device information, the stored information is greatly enriched, making it more comprehensive. Furthermore, the tags set by business personnel can be customized according to actual needs, facilitating the handling of related issues based on comprehensive information. For example, network device location can be determined based on rack information for alarms. Moreover, since each cloud center pushes information to the message middleware, allowing the central end to consume the messages, there is no issue of information failing to be transmitted back to the central end. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is an operation flowchart of an automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment, see [link to previous document]. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The system includes multiple cloud centers and an asset management platform center, among which:

[0020] Each cloud center is used to: automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment through scheduled tasks, send the network device information to business personnel so that the business personnel can configure corresponding tags for the network device information; and push the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center.

[0021] The central terminal of the asset management platform is used to: consume and parse messages in the message middleware, and store the parsed network device information with tags and the network topology information into the database.

[0022] In other words, multiple cloud centers and an asset management platform central endpoint are set up throughout the cloud environment. This central endpoint, referred to simply as the central endpoint, functions as follows: The cloud centers periodically acquire network device and network topology information via scheduled tasks, and then push this information to business personnel. Business personnel then tag the network device information to enrich the device's associated information. The network topology information includes the network device's association information, such as which devices a network device is associated with. The cloud centers then push the tagged network device and network topology information to the central endpoint's message middleware. The central endpoint can then consume and parse these messages one by one, obtaining the tagged network device and network topology information from each cloud center, and subsequently storing this information in a database.

[0023] The asset management platform is abbreviated as CMDB.

[0024] The tag can include at least one of the following: the network area corresponding to the network device, the device type, and rack information. Of course, the tag can also include other information, which users can customize, such as the deployment environment and application administrator. Since business administrators are familiar with network devices, combining this with automatic discovery information allows for quick and accurate tagging, further enriching network device-related information and facilitating subsequent device information maintenance.

[0025] The message middleware can be Kafka. Using Kafka, tagged network device information and network topology information from various cloud centers can be automatically synchronized to the central endpoint. This enhances the central endpoint's capabilities in operations monitoring and asset visualization.

[0026] As can be seen, since business personnel can tag automatically discovered network device information, the information stored in the database can be greatly enriched, making the database more comprehensive. Furthermore, the tags set by business personnel can be customized according to actual needs, thus facilitating the handling of related issues based on more comprehensive information. For example, network device location can be determined based on rack information for alarms. Moreover, since each cloud center pushes information to a message middleware, allowing the central end to consume messages from the middleware, there is no issue of information failing to be transmitted back to the central end.

[0027] In one embodiment, each cloud center is equipped with pre-set monitoring software, which has an automatic discovery function. The pre-set monitoring software is used to automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment from the monitoring interface through scheduled tasks.

[0028] The system includes pre-installed monitoring software, such as Zabbix. To ensure Zabbix can perform automatic discovery, the network device's MIB library file needs to be uploaded to the Zabbix directory. The MIB library file contains encapsulated protocols and methods. Zabbix's automatic discovery function supports multiple protocols, such as SSH, SNMPv1 agent, SNMPv2 agent, SNMPv3 agent, and ICMP ping. Taking SNMPv2 agent selection as an example, you must enter the port range, SNMP community name, and SNMPOID information.

[0029] Zabbix features a highly efficient and flexible auto-discovery function, enabling faster and more comprehensive discovery of network device information in the environment. This is especially beneficial in rapidly changing environments, where it can quickly identify altered device information.

[0030] In order to achieve automatic discovery, Zabbix constructs actions and conditions for triggering those actions. Once the conditions are met, the corresponding action is triggered, thereby achieving automatic discovery.

[0031] Once the scheduled task is started, Zabbix will call the Zabbix API to obtain network device information and network topology information.

[0032] In real-world scenarios, if the network device information does not include the device signal and serial number after the business personnel have labeled the device, they will need to supplement the information such as the device model and serial number.

[0033] In one embodiment, each cloud center can be used to: extract information from the tagged network device information and the network topology information according to the information items required in the preset data template, and convert the extracted information into structured information, before pushing the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center.

[0034] In other words, the preset data template contains multiple information fields that need to be filled in, such as device name and port number. The preset data template indicates which information needs to be uploaded to the central terminal. Therefore, based on the information fields in the preset data template, information is extracted from the tagged network device information and the network topology information. The extracted information is then filled into the preset data template to obtain structured information, which is then compressed and uploaded to the message middleware.

[0035] In one embodiment, each cloud center is used to: push tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center via a software-defined wide area network.

[0036] Software-defined wide area network is abbreviated as SDWAN.

[0037] In one embodiment, the central terminal of the asset management platform can be used to: determine whether the corresponding device has been entered into the asset database based on the device serial number in the tagged network device information; if so, update the network device information in the asset database other than the device serial number.

[0038] In other words, the central end consumes and parses messages in the message middleware to obtain tagged network device information and network topology information. The tagged network device information contains device serial numbers, so the central end can search the asset database based on the device serial numbers. If relevant information is found, it means that the corresponding device has been entered into the asset database, and at this time, information other than the device serial number can be updated.

[0039] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center can also be used to: if the corresponding device is not entered into the asset database, add the tagged network device information of the corresponding device to the asset database, and notify the asset management personnel via email.

[0040] In other words, if no relevant information is found, it means that the corresponding device has not been entered into the asset database. In this case, the information corresponding to the device serial number will be added, and the relevant asset management personnel will be notified by email.

[0041] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center can also be used to: display network device information of newly added devices under the account of the asset manager, so that the asset manager can modify the network device information.

[0042] In other words, after logging into the asset management platform's central system, asset managers can see the network device information of newly added devices. If they find any errors in the information, they can perform management operations such as modification or deletion.

[0043] Of course, in addition to storing the tagged network device information in the database, the network topology information will also be stored in the database.

[0044] In one embodiment, the asset management platform center can also be used to: display alarm information when a device alarm occurs, the alarm information including network device information with tags; and determine the associated devices affected by the device alarm based on the network topology information.

[0045] In other words, when a network device malfunctions and generates an alarm, corresponding alarm information will be displayed. This alarm information may include tagged network device information, such as rack information, allowing relevant personnel to locate the device based on the rack information. Furthermore, it can determine which devices will be affected by the alarm based on the devices associated with the alarmed device.

[0046] Each cloud center can leverage the efficient and flexible network auto-discovery feature of the open-source software Zabbix to quickly discover network device information in a multi-cloud environment. After the business manager tags the discovered devices, the cloud center can push network device information and network topology information to the Kafka middleware. The central server, acting as a consumer, subscribes to and consumes messages from the Kafka middleware, centrally aggregating network device information and thus resolving the issue of network device information not being able to be transmitted back to the central server from the cloud center. Furthermore, through tagging, alarm information can be enriched with tags such as the application system, deployment environment, application manager, related systems, and rack location.

[0047] It is evident that the process of automatically synchronizing information to the asset management platform center in a multi-cloud environment is actually a solution that uses Zabbix to automatically discover and combine it with manual tagging to supplement relevant information, and then aggregates it to the center. This approach can achieve the goal of aggregating network devices from various cloud centers more quickly, comprehensively, and accurately.

[0048] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the apparatus embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0049] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples above, the functions described in this invention can be implemented using hardware, software, widgets, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.

[0050] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic information synchronization system in a multi-cloud environment, characterized in that, This includes multiple cloud centers and asset management platform centers, among which: Each cloud center is used to: automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment through scheduled tasks, send the network device information to business personnel so that the business personnel can configure corresponding tags for the network device information; after the business personnel tag the network device, if the network device information does not include the device signal and serial number, they also need to supplement the device model and serial number information, and push the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center. The central terminal of the asset management platform is used to: consume and parse messages in the message middleware, and process the parsed network device information with tags and the network topology information into the database; Each cloud center is equipped with pre-set monitoring software, which has an automatic discovery function. The pre-set monitoring software is used to automatically discover network device information and network topology information in the multi-cloud environment from the monitoring interface through scheduled tasks. Each cloud center is used to: extract information from the tagged network device information and the network topology information according to the information items required in the preset data template before pushing the tagged network device information and the network topology information to the message middleware of the asset management platform center, and convert the extracted information into structured information. Each cloud center is used to: push tagged network device information and network topology information to the message middleware at the asset management platform center via software-defined wide area network; The central terminal of the asset management platform is also used to: display alarm information when a device alarm occurs, the alarm information including network device information with tags; and determine the associated devices affected by the device alarm based on the network topology information.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The label includes at least one of the following: the network area corresponding to the network device, the device type, and the rack information.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central terminal of the asset management platform is used to: determine whether the corresponding device has been entered into the asset database based on the device serial number in the tagged network device information; if so, update the network device information in the asset database other than the device serial number.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The central terminal of the asset management platform is also used to: if the corresponding device is not entered into the asset database, add the network device information with the corresponding device with the tag to the asset database, and notify the asset management personnel via email.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The central terminal of the asset management platform is also used to: display network device information of newly added devices under the account of the asset manager, so that the asset manager can modify the network device information.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The message middleware mentioned is the Kafka message middleware.

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