Automatic management system and method for network equipment based on SQL (Structured Query Language)

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system for automatically managing network equipment based on SQL (Structured Query Language). The system comprises a user interface module, an SQL (Structured Query Language) analysis and translation module and a network management request execution module, wherein the user interface module is used for receiving an SQL statement input by a user and sending the SQL statement to the SQL analysis and translation module; the SQL analysis and translation module is used for converting SQL statements into corresponding operation requests; the network management request execution module is used for sending the operation request to the target network equipment and receiving response data returned by the target network equipment; and the SQL analysis and translation module is also used for processing the response data, and returning the processed response data to the user interface module in the form of an SQL query result for display. By reducing the dependence on special scripts and tools, the technical threshold is reduced, and more personnel can participate in network management. Not only is the network management process optimized, but also powerful support is provided for the development of the future intelligent network management technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of network technology, and in particular to a method and system for querying, monitoring and configuring network equipment using structured query language (SQL). Background Art

[0002] With the development of network technology, the continuous expansion of network scale and the increasing complexity of network configuration, how to manage network devices efficiently and accurately has become an important issue.

[0003] Currently, the configuration and management of network devices usually rely on specific protocols and tools, such as Netconf (Network Configuration Protocol) and Restconf (REST-based configuration API). These technologies provide effective mechanisms to control and manage network devices, but they also have certain limitations. Among them: SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is mainly used for monitoring network devices, not configuration, and its information model is relatively simple, which does not support complex configuration and management tasks; CLI (Command Line Interface) relies on text commands, which requires administrators to be familiar with a large number of commands and parameters and is prone to errors; SDN (Software Defined Network) controller interface provides a flexible way to manage networks, but it usually requires writing specific scripts and applications; scripts and automation tools (such as Ansible, Puppet) are powerful, but scripts need to be written and maintained, which may be complicated for non-developers; NETCONF mainly configures devices through XML-based data exchange formats, while RESTCONF is an interface based on HTTP / HTTPS protocols. Although these methods perform well in existing technologies, they usually require network administrators to master specific scripting languages ​​and markup languages, which may be complicated for non-professionals. In addition, these methods may be cumbersome and less intuitive when dealing with large or complex network device configurations.

[0004] Based on this, a new solution is needed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a network equipment automation management method and system based on SQL language to address the problems of high complexity of network equipment management and high difficulty of user operation in the prior art, so as to handle the configuration and management of network equipment in a more direct and simple way, especially when involving large-scale equipment and complex network environments.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a network equipment automation management system based on SQL language, including a user interface module, an SQL parsing and translation module and a network management request execution module.

[0007] The user interface module is used to receive the SQL statement input by the user and send the SQL statement to the SQL parsing and translation module;

[0008] The SQL parsing and translation module is used to convert the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request;

[0009] The network management request execution module is used to send the operation request to the target network device and receive the response data returned by the target network device;

[0010] The SQL parsing and translation module is also used to process the response data, and return the processed response data to the user interface module in the form of SQL query results for display.

[0011] In the SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by the present invention, the SQL parsing and translation module includes:

[0012] A parsing unit, used to parse the SQL statement input by the user and convert the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree;

[0013] A protocol conversion unit, configured to convert the abstract syntax tree into the operation request corresponding to the target device based on the network management protocol type of the target device;

[0014] The result processing unit is used to convert the response data into SQL query results and return them to the user.

[0015] In the SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by the present invention, the SQL parsing and translation module also includes an error processing unit for detecting and reporting syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statements input by the user.

[0016] In the SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by the present invention, the SQL statements include query, insert, update and delete operations, which respectively correspond to status query, configuration addition, configuration update and configuration deletion of the target network equipment.

[0017] The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by the present invention also includes a security authentication module for performing identity authentication and authorization checks on the target network device before the network management request execution module sends the operation request to the target network device.

[0018] In addition, to achieve the above purpose, the present invention also provides a network device automatic management method based on SQL language, comprising the following steps:

[0019] Receive SQL statements entered by users;

[0020] Convert the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request;

[0021] Sending the operation request to the target network device, and receiving response data returned by the target network device; and

[0022] The response data is processed, and the processed response data is returned and displayed in the form of SQL query results.

[0023] In the SQL language-based network device automatic management method provided by the present invention, the step of converting the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request includes:

[0024] Parsing the SQL statement input by the user, and converting the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree;

[0025] Based on the network management protocol type of the target device, the abstract syntax tree is converted into the operation request corresponding to the target device.

[0026] In the SQL language-based network device automatic management method provided by the present invention, before the step of parsing the SQL statement input by the user and converting the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree, the method further includes:

[0027] Detect and report syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statement input by the user.

[0028] In the SQL language-based network device automatic management method provided by the present invention, before the step of sending the operation request to the target network device and receiving the response data returned by the target network device, it also includes:

[0029] An identity authentication and authorization check is performed on the target network device.

[0030] The present invention also provides a network equipment automation management device based on SQL language, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the network equipment automation management method based on SQL language as described above are implemented.

[0031] The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system and method provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects: the present invention realizes efficient query, configuration and monitoring of network equipment by combining SQL language with network management protocol; the standardized and structured characteristics of SQL not only reduce the complexity of network management, but also enhance the accuracy and scalability of management operations; at the same time, the system of the present invention is highly compatible with existing network equipment and management standards, and there is no need to replace or significantly transform the existing network architecture, and has good practicality and promotion prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative work:

[0033] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of an SQL parsing and translation module of an SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 The figure shows the workflow of the SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 The figure is a flow chart of a SQL language-based network equipment automatic management method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. Typical embodiments of the present invention are given in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0039] Figure 1FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a SQL-based network equipment automation management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the SQL language-based network equipment automation management system includes a user interface module 10, an SQL parsing and translation module 20, and a network management request execution module 30. The user interface module 10 is connected to the SQL parsing and translation module 20, and sends the SQL statement received from the user to the SQL parsing and translation module 20; the SQL parsing and translation module 20 is also connected to the network management request execution module 30, and converts the SQL statement input by the user into a corresponding operation request; the network management request execution module 30 is connected to the network device 40, and sends the operation request to the target network device, and receives the response data returned by the target network device, and then returns the received response data to the SQL parsing and translation module 20 for processing, and the processed response data is returned to the user interface module 10 in the form of SQL query results for display.

[0040] In this embodiment, by combining the SQL language with the network management protocol, efficient query, configuration and monitoring of network devices are achieved; the standardized and structured characteristics of SQL not only reduce the complexity of network management, but also enhance the accuracy and scalability of management operations; at the same time, the system of the present invention is highly compatible with existing network equipment and management standards, and there is no need to replace or significantly transform the existing network architecture, and has good practicality and promotion prospects.

[0041] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the user interface module 10 provides a command line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) for the user, allowing the user to input management instructions in the form of SQL statements. The user interface module passes the SQL statements input by the user to the SQL parsing and translation module, and displays the response results from the network device.

[0042] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the SQL parsing and translation module 20 is responsible for parsing the input SQL statements and converting them into corresponding operation requests. The SQL parsing and translation module will identify the operation type (such as query, update, delete, etc.) in the SQL statement and map it to an operation request supported by the target network device according to predefined rules. By mapping SQL statements to operation requests of different network management protocols, it can adapt to network devices of different brands and models, thereby enhancing the flexibility and cross-platform compatibility of the system. Therefore, Figure 2 As shown, the SQL parsing and translation module 20 includes:

[0043] The parsing unit 210 is used to parse the SQL statement input by the user and convert the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree;

[0044] A protocol conversion unit 220, configured to convert the abstract syntax tree into the operation request corresponding to the target device based on the network management protocol type of the target device;

[0045] The result processing unit 230 is used to convert the response data into SQL query results and return them to the user.

[0046] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the SQL statement input by the user includes query, insert, update and delete operations, which correspond to the status query, configuration addition, configuration update and configuration deletion of the target network device, respectively. Among them, an existing SQL parsing library or a custom implementation parsing unit can be used to parse the input SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree (AST).

[0047] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, when parsing SQL statements, the parsing unit 210 also includes optimizing the SQL statements to improve the execution efficiency of network management operations. When parsing SQL statements, the parsing unit 210 not only needs to complete basic grammatical and semantic analysis, but also needs to improve execution efficiency by optimizing queries. By merging redundant operations, selecting efficient execution plans, using indexes, supporting parallel and distributed queries, etc., the execution speed and resource utilization of network management operations can be significantly improved. These optimization measures work together to ensure that the system can still maintain efficient performance and low-latency response when facing a large number of devices and complex queries.

[0048] Furthermore, the SQL parsing and translation module also includes an error handling unit 240, which is used to detect and report syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statements input by the user, provide detailed error reports when SQL statement errors are detected, and suggest possible solutions. The error handling unit timely detects and reports various errors in SQL statements through efficient syntax and semantic analysis, helping users avoid performing illegal query operations. By providing detailed error reports, error repair suggestions and fault-tolerant mechanisms, the error handling unit not only improves the stability and robustness of the system, but also greatly improves the user experience.

[0049] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the network management protocol includes NETCONF, RESTCONF or other protocols suitable for network device management. The abstract syntax tree is converted into a corresponding operation request through a protocol conversion unit. For example, when the network management protocol adopted by the target network device is the NETCONF protocol, the abstract syntax tree is converted into a standardized XML or JSON format that can communicate with the target network device through the network protocol unit. The protocol conversion unit supports multi-protocol conversion, and can automatically select and convert operation requests supported by the corresponding management protocol according to different target network devices. For example, when the SQL statement entered by the user through the command line or GUI is SELECT Interface_Name, Status FROMInterfaces WHERE Device_ID='Switch01', the parsing unit parses the statement into an abstract syntax tree (AST), and the protocol conversion unit generates a corresponding operation request according to the statement type. For example, the above query statement will be translated into a NETCONF query to obtain the status of the network device interface. <rpc>ask.

[0050] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the protocol conversion unit 220 also includes support for conditional filtering, sorting and aggregation operations in the SQL statement when converting the SQL statement into a request message of the network management protocol. As a result, not only the user operation is simplified, the flexibility and query capability of the system are enhanced, but also the network management efficiency is improved, the complexity is reduced, and the data consistency is ensured. With the continuous development of the network environment, it also has the advantages of good scalability and easy maintenance, making the automated management of network devices more efficient and convenient.

[0051] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, when processing response data, the result processing unit aggregates and converts multiple data records returned by the network device into the standard output format of the SQL query. By aggregating and converting multiple data records returned by the network device into the standard output format of the SQL query, the result processing unit can achieve efficient processing and standardization of the original data. This method not only facilitates subsequent data analysis and query, but also improves the compatibility and operability of data storage, ensuring that the system is more efficient and reliable when processing and analyzing data.

[0052] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the network management request execution module is responsible for communicating with the network device, sending the operation request generated by the SQL parsing and translation module, and receiving the response data returned by the device. The network management request execution module is also responsible for processing various operations related to the protocol, such as obtaining device status, editing configuration, deleting configuration, etc.

[0053] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, a security authentication module is also included, which is used to authenticate and authorize the target network device before the network management request execution module sends the operation request to the target network device, so as to verify the identity of the network administrator and check his authority. Thus, it can be ensured that only authorized network administrators can perform operations to avoid unauthorized access or operations. Authentication usually ensures the identity of the administrator through username and password, certificate or multi-factor authentication; while authorization check verifies whether the administrator has the authority to perform the requested operation on a specific device, such as modifying the configuration or querying sensitive information. In this way, the security authentication module provides an additional layer of protection to ensure the security of the system.

[0054] Taking NETCONF, a network management protocol supported by the target network device, as an example, the workflow of the SQL language-based network device automation management system provided by the present invention is described in detail: Figure 3 As shown, the user enters an SQL statement through the command line or GUI of the user interface module, such as SELECT Interface_Name, Status FROM Interfaces WHERE Device_ID = 'Switch01'; after receiving the SQL statement, the SQL parsing and translation module parses the statement into an abstract syntax tree (AST) and generates a corresponding NETCONF request according to the statement type. For example, the above query statement will be translated into a NETCONF request for obtaining the status of the network device interface. <rpc>Request; the generated NETCONF request is sent to the specified network device through the network management request execution module; after the device processes the request, it returns the response data containing the query result or operation result; after receiving the response from the device, the network management request execution module passes the data back to the SQL parsing and translation module for result parsing; the parsed data is finally returned to the user in the form of SQL query results and displayed in the user interface module.

[0055] The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system provided by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0056] Simplify network management operations: Utilize the standardization and intuitiveness of SQL to simplify the configuration and management operations of network devices, so that network administrators can use the SQL syntax they are familiar with to perform complex network configuration and query, reducing the reliance on professional network management knowledge;

[0057] Improve configuration and query efficiency: Through the powerful query capabilities of SQL, the query efficiency of network device status and configuration is improved, allowing the execution of complex query operations such as conditional filtering, sorting, and aggregation, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of network management;

[0058] Enhanced data processing capabilities: Using SQL language for data processing can more effectively analyze and process network data, such as statistical analysis of network traffic data or real-time monitoring of network status;

[0059] Compatibility with existing network equipment and standards: Design a system that is compatible with existing network equipment and protocols (such as NETCONF, RESTCONF) to ensure that the present invention can be widely used in the current network environment without replacing existing equipment or significantly modifying the existing network architecture;

[0060] Improve the security of network configuration: Through standardized SQL interfaces and back-end security controls, improve the security of network configuration operations and reduce human errors and potential security risks.

[0061] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for automatic management of network devices based on SQL language provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the SQL language-based network device automation management method provided by the present invention includes the following steps:

[0062] Step S1, receiving a SQL statement input by a user;

[0063] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the user is allowed to input management instructions in the form of SQL statements through the command line interface (CLI) or graphical user interface (GUI) of the user interface module.

[0064] Step S2: converting the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request;

[0065] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the operation type (such as query, update, delete, etc.) in the SQL statement is identified and mapped to the operation request supported by the target network device according to the predefined rules. By mapping the SQL statement to the operation request of different network management protocols, it can adapt to network devices of different brands and models, and enhance the flexibility and cross-platform compatibility of the system. Therefore, step S2 includes:

[0066] Step S21, parsing the SQL statement input by the user, and converting the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree;

[0067] Step S22: based on the network management protocol type of the target device, convert the abstract syntax tree into the operation request corresponding to the target device.

[0068] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to improve the stability and robustness of the system and greatly improve the user experience, before step S21, it also includes detecting and reporting syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statement input by the user. Through efficient syntax and semantic analysis, various errors in SQL statements are discovered and reported in a timely manner, helping users avoid executing illegal query operations.

[0069] Step S3: sending the operation request to the target network device, and receiving response data returned by the target network device;

[0070] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the security of the system, before step S3, it also includes performing identity authentication and authorization check on the target network device. Identity authentication usually ensures the identity of the administrator through a username and password, a certificate or multi-factor authentication; while the authorization check verifies whether the administrator has the authority to perform the requested operation on a specific device, such as modifying the configuration or querying sensitive information. In this way, it can be ensured that only authorized network administrators can perform operations, avoiding unauthorized access or operations.

[0071] Step S4: process the response data, return the processed response data in the form of SQL query results and display them.

[0072] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, when processing response data, multiple data records returned by the network device are aggregated and converted into a standard output format of an SQL query. By aggregating and converting multiple data records returned by the network device into a standard output format of an SQL query, efficient processing and standardization of the original data can be achieved.

[0073] The SQL language-based network equipment automation management method provided by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0074] Simplify management operations: By adding an SQL language layer on top of the network management protocol, the present invention enables network administrators to use SQL statements to configure and manage network devices, reducing the reliance on complex scripts and specific command lines, thus greatly simplifying the operation process;

[0075] Improve management efficiency: Through the batch processing and conditional query capabilities of SQL, the present invention can complete the configuration management and status monitoring of multiple network devices at one time, significantly improving management efficiency, and is particularly suitable for large-scale network environments;

[0076] Enhanced system flexibility and compatibility: The present invention can adapt to network devices of different brands and models by mapping SQL statements into standard network protocol operation requests, thereby enhancing system flexibility and cross-platform compatibility;

[0077] Improved automation level: Combining the structured query capability of SQL with the network device configuration function, the present invention can easily implement complex automated management tasks, such as regular backup, fault detection and automatic recovery, thereby reducing manual intervention and lowering operation and maintenance costs;

[0078] Improved security and reliability: By using SQL to centrally manage the configuration and status of network devices, the present invention can more promptly and accurately discover and respond to potential security threats and faults, thereby improving the overall security and reliability of the network.

[0079] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a network equipment automation management device based on SQL language, which may include:

[0080] Memory for storing computer programs;

[0081] The processor can implement the following steps when executing the computer program stored in the above memory:

[0082] Receive SQL statements input by users; convert the SQL statements into corresponding operation requests; send the operation requests to the target network device and receive response data returned by the target network device; and process the response data, return the processed response data in the form of SQL query results and display them.

[0083] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0084] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present disclosure and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosed method should not be interpreted as reflecting the intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those explicitly recited in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the claims below, inventive aspects lie in less than all the features of the individual embodiments disclosed above. Therefore, the claims that follow the specific embodiment are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiment, with each claim itself serving as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims below, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0086] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate the present invention rather than limit it, and that those skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbol between brackets shall not be construed as a limitation on the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "one" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of devices, several of these devices may be embodied by the same hardware item. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.< / rpc> < / rpc>

Claims

1. A network equipment automation management system based on SQL language, characterized in that: It includes user interface module, SQL parsing and translation module and network management request execution module. The user interface module is used to receive the SQL statement input by the user and send the SQL statement to the SQL parsing and translation module; The SQL parsing and translation module is used to convert the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request; The network management request execution module is used to send the operation request to the target network device and receive the response data returned by the target network device; The SQL parsing and translation module is also used to process the response data, and return the processed response data to the user interface module in the form of SQL query results for display.

2. The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The SQL parsing and translation module includes: A parsing unit, used to parse the SQL statement input by the user and convert the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree; A protocol conversion unit, configured to convert the abstract syntax tree into the operation request corresponding to the target device based on the network management protocol type of the target device; The result processing unit is used to convert the response data into SQL query results and return them to the user.

3. The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The SQL parsing and translation module also includes an error handling unit for detecting and reporting syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statements input by the user.

4. The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The SQL statements include query, insert, update and delete operations, which correspond to status query, configuration addition, configuration update and configuration deletion of the target network device respectively.

5. The SQL language-based network equipment automation management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a security authentication module, which is used to perform identity authentication and authorization checks on the target network device before the network management request execution module sends the operation request to the target network device.

6. A network equipment automation management method based on SQL language, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Receive SQL statements entered by users; Convert the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request; Sending the operation request to the target network device, and receiving response data returned by the target network device; as well as The response data is processed, and the processed response data is returned and displayed in the form of SQL query results.

7. The SQL language-based network device automation management method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The step of converting the SQL statement into a corresponding operation request comprises: Parsing the SQL statement input by the user, and converting the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree; Based on the network management protocol type of the target device, the abstract syntax tree is converted into the operation request corresponding to the target device.

8. The SQL language-based network device automation management method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Before the step of parsing the SQL statement input by the user and converting the SQL statement into an abstract syntax tree, the method further includes: Detect and report syntax errors or unsupported operations in the SQL statement input by the user.

9. The SQL language-based network device automation management method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Before the step of sending the operation request to the target network device and receiving the response data returned by the target network device, the method further includes: An identity authentication and authorization check is performed on the target network device.

10. A network equipment automation management device based on SQL language, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the SQL language-based network device automatic management method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9 are implemented.

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