Port configuration error detection

Abstract

The invention relates to port configuration error detection. Techniques for determining port configuration errors between network devices are described. For example, a network management system includes a memory and one or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to: obtain information associated with one or more ports of a plurality of network devices; determining whether a port configuration error exists in the first network device or the second network device based on the information associated with the port of the first network device in the plurality of network devices and the information associated with the port of the second network device connected to the port of the first network device in the plurality of network devices; and on the basis of determining that the first network equipment or the second network equipment has the port configuration error, executing measures to repair the port configuration error of the first network equipment or the second network equipment.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 930,642 filed on October 29, 2024, which claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 202341074133 filed on October 31, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to computer networks and, more particularly, to monitoring and / or managing network performance in a computer network. Background Art

[0003] Commercial locations or venues, such as offices, hospitals, airports, stadiums, or retail stores, often install complex wireless networking systems throughout the venue, including a network of wireless access points (APs), to provide wireless networking services to one or more wireless client devices (or simply "clients"). APs are physical electronic devices that enable other devices to wirelessly connect to a wired network using a variety of wireless networking protocols and technologies, such as wireless LAN protocols that conform to one or more IEEE 802.11 standards (i.e., "Wi-Fi"), Bluetooth / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), mesh networking protocols such as ZigBee, or other wireless networking technologies. Many different types of wireless client devices, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearables, appliances, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, have integrated wireless communication technologies and can be configured to connect to a wireless access point when the device is within range of a compatible wireless access point in order to access the wired network. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, the present disclosure describes techniques for determining and repairing port configuration errors between connected network devices. A network device (e.g., a switch) may include one or more ports for connecting to another network device. For example, a port of a switch may be connected to a port of another switch, an AP device, a gateway, and / or other types of network devices. A configuration error in at least one port of a connected network device may cause problems for client devices accessing a network via these network devices. According to the techniques described in the present disclosure, a computing device (e.g., a network management system (NMS)) may determine port configuration errors between connected network devices based on port information of the connected network devices, and in some examples, may automatically perform measures to repair the port configuration errors.

[0005] For example, the network device may use a discovery protocol, such as a link layer discovery protocol (LLDP), to advertise information, such as device identity information, device configuration information, device connection information, etc., to a connected peer device. The information advertised by the connected peer device may include information associated with a port of the connected network device, such as a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier, a maximum transmission unit (MTU), a data speed, a mode, a power state, a duplex configuration, etc. (collectively referred to herein as "port information"). The NMS obtains the port information of the connected network device, and determines whether there is a port configuration error of at least one connected network device based on the port information of the connected network device. In some examples, the NMS may combine the port information of the connected network devices (e.g., by performing a cross-connection on a table containing port information associated with the connected network devices), and may identify mismatches and / or missing values ​​in the port information of the connected network devices, which may indicate a port configuration error of at least one connected network device. In some examples, the NMS may determine whether the difference in the value of the port information of the connected network device is appropriate based on a specific hierarchical relationship between the connected network devices, such as determining that the value of the port information between the parent device and the child device (e.g., the number of VLANs) is inappropriate for the parent-child relationship, which may indicate a port configuration error. Based on determining that a port of at least one connected network device is misconfigured, the NMS performs actions, such as sending a notification indicating that the port of the network device is misconfigured and / or automatically performing corrective actions (e.g., resetting the network device, invoking a download of new software for the network device, adding a missing VLAN, removing an unnecessary VLAN, reconfiguring a VLAN, etc.).

[0006] The technology of the present disclosure provides one or more technical advantages and practical applications. For example, by obtaining port information of connected network devices, the technology in the present disclosure can automatically determine and / or repair port configuration errors, which can reduce network downtime caused by port configuration errors.

[0007] The details of one or more examples of the technology of the present disclosure are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of these technologies will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1A is a block diagram illustrating an example network system in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

[0009] Figure 1B is a diagram showing one or more techniques according to the present disclosure Figure 1A A block diagram of an example network system with further details.

[0010] Figure 2is a block diagram of an example access point device in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3A is a block diagram of an example network management system configured to detect port configuration errors in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3B It shows Figure 3A A block diagram of a port misconfiguration detection engine of a network management system is provided with further details.

[0013] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an example network node in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B Example operations for detecting port configuration errors according to the techniques described in this disclosure are shown.

[0015] Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations of a network management system configured to detect port configuration errors in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Figure 1A 1 is a block diagram of an example network system 100 including a network management system (NMS) 130 configured to detect and / or repair port configuration errors in accordance with one or more techniques of the present disclosure. The example network system 100 includes a plurality of sites 102A-102N (collectively referred to as "sites 102"), where a network service provider manages one or more wireless networks 106A-106N (collectively referred to as "wireless networks 106"), respectively. Although in Figure 1A In the drawings, each site 102 is shown as including a single wireless network 106A-106N, respectively, but in some examples each site 102 may include multiple wireless networks, and the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0017] Each of the sites 102A-102N includes a plurality of network access server (NAS) devices, such as access points (APs) 142, switches 146, or routers (not shown). For example, site 102A includes a plurality of APs 142A-1 to 142A-N. Similarly, site 102N includes a plurality of APs 142N-1 to 142N-M. Each AP 142 may be any type of wireless access point, including but not limited to a commercial or organizational AP, a wireless router, or any other device connected to a wired network and capable of providing wireless network access to client devices within the site. References to "N" or "M" may represent any number. References to "N" by different elements do not necessarily have to be the same number. Similarly, references to "M" by different elements do not necessarily have to be the same number.

[0018] Each of the sites 102A-102N also includes a plurality of client devices, also referred to as user equipment devices (UE), collectively referred to as UE or client devices 148, representing various wireless-enabled devices within each site. For example, a plurality of UEs 148A-1 to 148A-N are currently located at site 102A. Similarly, a plurality of UEs 148N-1 to 148N-M are currently located at site 102N. Each UE 148 can be any type of wireless client device, including but not limited to mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless terminals, smart watches, smart rings, or other wearable devices. UE 148 can also include wired client-side devices, for example, IoT devices such as printers, security devices, environmental sensors, or any other device connected to a wired network and configured to communicate via one or more wireless networks 106.

[0019] In order to provide wireless network services to UE 148 and / or communicate over wireless network 106, AP 142 and other wired client-side devices at site 102 are directly or indirectly connected to one or more network devices (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) via physical cables (e.g., Ethernet cables). Figure 1AIn an example of , site 102A includes a mesh or partial mesh topology in a hub-and-spoke architecture in which client-side devices at site 102A may be connected to two or more switches and / or routers. For example, site 102A includes APs 142A-1 to 142A-N at site 102A, each of which is connected to a top-of-rack (TOR) switch (e.g., switches 146B and 146C), and each of TOR switches 146B and 146C is connected to a chassis switch (e.g., switch 146A). For example, switches 146A, 146B, and 146C can provide redundant (multi-homed) connections to one or more networks 134 (e.g., the Internet and / or an enterprise intranet) to UE 148. Site 102N includes switch 146N, and each of APs 142N-1 to 142N-M at site 102N is connected to switch 146N. Figure 1A Each site 102 may include one or more switches connected to access points and / or other switches. In some examples, the interconnected switches and routers comprise a wired local area network (LAN) located at the site 102 that hosts the wireless network 106.

[0020] The example network system 100 also includes various network components for providing network services within the wired network, including, but not limited to: an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 110 for authenticating users and / or UEs 148; a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server 116 for dynamically assigning a network address (e.g., an IP address) to the UE 148 after authentication; a domain name system (DNS) server 122 for resolving domain names into network addresses; a plurality of servers 128A-128X (collectively referred to as "servers 128"), such as web servers, database servers, file servers, etc.; and a network management system (NMS) 130. Figure 1A As shown, the various devices and systems in network 100 are coupled together via one or more networks 134 (eg, the Internet and / or a corporate intranet).

[0021] exist Figure 1AIn an example of the present invention, NMS 130 is a cloud-based computing platform that manages wireless networks 106A-106N at one or more sites 102A-102N. As further described herein, NMS 130 provides a set of integrated management tools and implements various technologies of the present disclosure. In general, NMS 130 can provide a cloud-based platform for wireless network data collection, monitoring, activity logging, reporting, predictive analysis, network anomaly identification, and alarm generation. In some examples, NMS 130 outputs notifications (such as warnings, alarms, graphical indicators on dashboards, log messages, text / SMS messages, email messages, etc.) and / or suggestions about wireless network problems to site or network administrators ("administrators") who interact with and / or operate administrator devices 111. In addition, in some examples, NMS 130 operates in response to configuration inputs received from administrators who interact with and / or operate administrator devices 111.

[0022] The administrator device 111 may include a computing device of an IT staff and / or administrator associated with one or more sites 102. The administrator device 111 may be implemented as any suitable device for presenting output and / or accepting user input. For example, the administrator device 111 may include a display. The administrator device 111 may be a computing system, such as a mobile or non-mobile computing device operated by a user and / or by an administrator. The administrator device 111 may, for example, represent a workstation, a laptop or notebook computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, or any other computing device that can be operated by a user and / or present a user interface according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The administrator device 111 may be physically separated from the NMS 130 and / or located at a different location from the NMS 130, so that the administrator device 111 can communicate with the NMS 130 via a network 134 or other communication means.

[0023] In some examples, one or more of the NAS devices (e.g., AP 142, switch 146, or router) can be connected to edge devices 150A-150N via physical cables (e.g., Ethernet cables). Edge devices 150 include cloud-managed wireless local area network (LAN) controllers. Each edge device 150 can include a local device at site 102 that communicates with NMS 130 to extend certain microservices from NMS 130 to the local NAS device, while using NMS 130 and its distributed software architecture for scalable and resilient operations, management, troubleshooting, and analysis.

[0024] Each network device of the network system 100 (e.g., servers 110, 116, 122, and / or 128, AP 142, UE 148, switch 146, and any other server or device attached to or forming part of the network system 100) may include a system log or error log module, wherein each of these network devices records the status of the network device, including normal operating status and / or error conditions. Throughout this disclosure, when one or more network devices of the network system 100 are owned and / or associated with an entity different from the NMS 130, they may be considered "third-party" network devices, such that the NMS 130 does not receive, collect, or otherwise access the recorded status and other data of the third-party network devices. In some examples, the edge device 150 may provide an agent through which the recorded status and other data of the third-party network devices can be reported to the NMS 130.

[0025] In operation, the NMS 130 observes, collects, and / or receives network data 137, which may take the form of data extracted from messages, counters, and statistics, for example. According to one specific implementation, the computing device is part of the NMS 130. According to other implementations, the NMS 130 may include one or more computing devices, dedicated servers, virtual machines, containers, services, or other forms of environments for executing the techniques described herein. Similarly, the computing resources and components that implement the VNA 133 may be part of the NMS 130, may be executed on other servers or execution environments, or may be distributed to nodes (e.g., routers, switches, controllers, gateways, etc.) within the network 134.

[0026] In some examples, the NMS 130 monitors network data 137 received from wireless networks 106A-106N at each site 102A-102N, respectively, and manages network resources (such as NAS devices at each site) to deliver a high-quality wireless experience to end users, IoT devices, and clients at the site. For example, the NMS 130 may include a virtual network assistant (VNA) that implements an event processing platform for providing real-time insights and simplified troubleshooting for IT operations, and automatically takes corrective actions or provides recommendations to proactively resolve wireless network problems. For example, the VNA 133 may include an event processing platform that is configured to process hundreds or thousands of concurrent streams of network data 137 from sensors and / or agents associated with NAS devices (e.g., AP 142, switch 146, etc.) and / or nodes within the network 134. For example, the VNA 133 of the NMS 130 may include an underlying analysis and network error identification engine and an alarm system according to various examples described herein. The underlying analysis engine of the VNA 133 can apply historical data and models to the inbound event stream to calculate assertions, such as the occurrence of identified anomalies or predicted events that constitute network error conditions. In addition, the VNA 133 can provide real-time alarms and reports to notify the site or network administrator of any predicted events, anomalies, trends through the administrator device 111, and can perform root cause analysis and automatic or assisted error repair. In some examples, the VNA 133 of the NMS 130 can apply machine learning techniques to identify the root cause of the error condition detected or predicted from the flow of network data 137. If the root cause can be automatically resolved, the VNA 133 can call one or more corrective actions to correct the root cause of the error condition, thereby automatically improving the underlying SLE indicators and also automatically improving the user experience.

[0027] Further example details of operations implemented by the VNA 133 of the NMS 130 are described in the following documents: U.S. Patent No. 9,832,082, entitled “Monitoring Wireless Access Point Events,” issued on November 28, 2017; U.S. Publication No. US 2021 / 0306201, entitled “Network System Fault Resolution Using a Machine Learning Model,” issued on September 30, 2021; U.S. Patent No. 10,985,969, entitled “Systems and Methods for a Virtual Network Assistant,” issued on April 20, 2021; and U.S. Patent No. 10,985,969, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Facilitating Fault Detection and / or Predictive Fault Detection,” issued on March 23, 2021. No. 10,958,585, entitled “Method for Spatio-Temporal Modeling,” issued on March 23, 2021; and No. 10,862,742, entitled “Method for Conveying AP Error Codes Over BLE Advertisements,” issued on December 8, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0028] Each switch 146 within the network system 100 may include one or more ports configured to connect to other network devices. For example, a port of one switch (e.g., switch 146A) may be connected to a port of another switch (e.g., switch 146B) (referred to as a "switch-to-switch connection"). In another instance, a port of switch 146A may be connected to a port of a gateway (referred to as a "switch-to-gateway connection"). In another instance, a port of switch 146B may alternatively or additionally be connected to a port of an AP device (e.g., AP 142A-1) (referred to as a "switch-to-AP connection"). In any of the above instances, one or more ports of a connected network device at a site may be misconfigured, which may cause problems for end users, IoT devices, and / or client devices at the site to access the network via the network device.

[0029] According to the technology described in the present disclosure, the network management system 130 may include a port configuration error detection engine 135, which is configured to obtain port information of connected network devices and determine whether there is a configuration error in the port of at least one of the connected network devices based on the port information of the connected network devices, such as a configuration error in any port of a connected switch, a configuration error in any port of a connected switch and an AP, and / or a configuration error in any port of a connected switch and another device.

[0030] exist Figure 1AIn the example of , switches 146 can each determine neighboring devices that are directly connected to the switch. For example, switches 146 can use the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) or other neighbor discovery protocol to advertise device information to directly connected peer devices. For example, the device information can include an organization identifier ("org_id") of an organization that contains the network device, a site identifier ("site_id") of a site that contains the network device, a MAC address of the network device, a name of the network device, a remote chassis identifier ("remote_chassis_id"), a port identifier of a port of a connected network device ("remote_port_id"), a vendor of the connected network device ("remote_vendor"), a link connecting a port of the network device to another network device ("link"), one or more VLAN identifiers ("vlan_ids") associated with the ports of the network device, One or more VLAN identifiers (“remote_vlan_id”) associated with a port of a connected network device, a data transmission and / or reception speed (“Mbps”) of a port of a network device, a maximum transmission unit size (“mtu”) of a network device, a Power over Ethernet status (“poe_status”) of a port of a network device, a mode (such as access mode or trunk mode (“mode”)) of a port of a network device, a spanning tree protocol (STP) status (“stp_state”) of a port of a network device, a duplex configuration (“full_duplex”) of a port of a network device, and / or other information associated with a port of a connected network device. The above device information may be referred to herein as “port information” and may include any information associated with a port of a connected device that may be used to identify a port configuration error of the connected network device.

[0031] exist Figure 1A In the example of , NMS 130 may obtain port information of connected network devices. For example, NMS 130 may obtain port information associated with ports of switch 146A connected to ports of switch 146B and port information associated with ports of switch 146B connected to ports of switch 146A. NMS 130 may also obtain port information associated with ports of switch 146B connected to ports of AP 142A-1 and port information associated with ports of AP 142A-1 connected to ports of switch 146B. NMS 130 may additionally obtain port information associated with ports of switch 146A connected to ports of a gateway device (not shown) and port information associated with ports of the gateway device.

[0032] In some examples, the NMS 130 may obtain, or the switches 146 and / or APs 142 may each send the port information 139 periodically, intermittently, and / or based on one or more events (e.g., memory status, reboot or restart events, crash events, cloud disconnection events, link fluctuation events, Ethernet port state changes, Ethernet interface packet errors, upgrade failure events, firmware upgrade events, configuration changes, etc.). In other examples, the NMS 130 may obtain the port information 139 of switches 146 and / or APs 142 within a particular site or organization (e.g., site 102A). The NMS 130 may store the port information in a database or data storage, which may be represented as Figure 1A In some examples, NMS 130 may store port information 139 in a graph database (eg, arangoDB), where edge nodes of the graph may store port information of a parent-child hierarchy of connected network devices.

[0033] The port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine whether a port of the connected device has a configuration error based on the port information 139. As further described below, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine whether a port of a connected switch has a configuration error or whether a port of a switch connected to a gateway device has a configuration error. In these examples, the NMS 130 may combine the port information of each of the connected network devices (e.g., perform a cross-connect of a table including port information associated with the connected network devices), and may identify differences in one or more parameter values ​​(hereinafter referred to as "unmatched parameters") based on the combined port information of the connected network devices, which differences may indicate a configuration error of a port of at least one of the connected network devices. In this example, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 can combine the port information associated with the switch 146B and the port information associated with the switch 146A and determine whether there are differences in the values ​​of one or more parameters of the combined port information of the switch 146A and the switch 146B, such as differences in the values ​​of the VLAN identifier, MTU, mode access, full duplex, PoE status, and / or any other information associated with the ports of the switch 146A and the switch 146B.

[0034] In some examples, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine whether a difference in one or more parameter values ​​is appropriate based on a particular hierarchical relationship between the connected network devices, such as when unmatched parameters are inappropriate for connected network devices having a parent-child relationship, which may indicate a port misconfiguration. For example, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine that the switch 146A and the switch 146B have unmatched parameters. In response, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 may determine a hierarchical relationship between the switch 146A and the switch 146B, such as determining that the switch 146A is a parent switch and the switch 146B is a child switch. Based on the determined hierarchical relationship between the switch 146A and the switch 146B, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 may determine whether the unmatched parameters are appropriate for the parent-child relationship between the switch 146A and the switch 146B. For example, given their hierarchical relationship, the NMS 130 may determine whether the number of VLANs of the switch 146A and the number of VLANs of the switch 146B are appropriate. If the mismatched parameters of switch 146A and switch 146B are appropriate (e.g., the child switch has a smaller number of VLANs than the parent switch), port misconfiguration detection engine 135 may determine that the port connecting switch 146A and switch 146B is not misconfigured. If the mismatched parameters of switch 146A and switch 146B are not appropriate (e.g., the child switch has a larger number of VLANs than the parent switch), port misconfiguration detection engine 135 may determine that at least one port connecting switch 146A and switch 146B is misconfigured.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 may determine whether a port connecting the switch 146B and the AP 142A-1 is misconfigured based on the port information 139 of the switch-to-access point connection (e.g., the switch 146B and the AP 142A-1). In this example, the NMS 130 may obtain WLAN information (e.g., a service set identifier (SSID)) identifying a WLAN (e.g., the wireless network 106A) that the UEs 148A-1 to 148A-N may access via the AP 142A-1. As further described below, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine whether a VLAN mapped to a WLAN (referred to herein as a "VLAN-WLAN mapping") configured on the port connecting the AP 142A-1 and the switch 146B is misconfigured. For example, if the VLANs associated with the ports of switch 146B and the VLANs associated with the ports of AP 142A-1 do not match, or one or more VLANs are missing from the configuration of the ports, NMS 130 may determine that wireless network 106A has a problem due to a VLAN configuration error in at least one port connecting switch 146B and AP 142A-1.

[0036] Based on determining that the connected network device has a port configuration error, the NMS 130 can perform measures, such as generating a notification of the detected port configuration error. For example, the notification can indicate the detected port configuration error and / or the reason for the port configuration error. In some examples, the notification can additionally or alternatively include suggestions for fixing the port configuration error (e.g., suggestions to reconfigure VLANs, add missing VLANs, etc.). In some examples, the NMS 130 can automatically perform repair measures, such as restarting the network device determined to have a port configuration error, invoking a download of new software to the network device, adding missing VLANs, reconfiguring VLANs, removing unnecessary VLANs, or other measures to fix the port configuration error.

[0037] Figure 1B It is shown Figure 1A A block diagram of a network system with additional exemplary details. In this example, Figure 1B The NMS 130 is shown configured to operate according to an artificial intelligence / machine learning based computing platform that provides comprehensive automation, insight and assurance (Wi-Fi assurance, wired assurance and WAN assurance) covering everything from “clients” such as user devices 148 connected to the wireless network 106 and wired LAN 175 ( Figure 1B ), to the “cloud,” such as cloud-based application services 181 (which may be hosted by computing resources within data center 179). Figure 1B on the far right of the .

[0038] As described herein, NMS 130 provides an integrated set of management tools and implements various technologies of the present disclosure. Typically, NMS 130 can provide a cloud-based platform for wireless network data collection, monitoring, activity logging, reporting, predictive analysis, network anomaly identification, and alarm generation. For example, the network management system 130 can be configured to actively monitor and adaptively configure the network 100 to provide self-driving capabilities. In addition, VNA 133 includes a natural language processing engine to provide AI-driven support and troubleshooting, anomaly detection, AI-driven location services, and AI-driven radio frequency (RF) optimization with reinforcement learning.

[0039] like Figure 1B As shown in the example of , the AI-driven NMS 130 also provides configuration management, monitoring, and automated supervision of a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) 177, which operates as an intermediate network that communicatively couples the wireless network 106 and the wired LAN 175 to the data center 179 and the application services 181. In general, the SD-WAN 177 provides seamless, secure, traffic-engineered connectivity between a "branch" router 187A (e.g., a branch office or campus network) in the wired network 175 hosting the wireless network 106 to a "hub" router 187B higher up in the cloud stack toward the cloud-based application services 181. The SD-WAN 177 typically operates and manages an overlay network on an underlying physical wide area network (WAN) that provides connectivity to geographically separated customer networks. In other words, the SD-WAN 177 extends software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities to the WAN and allows the network to decouple the underlying physical network infrastructure from the virtualized network infrastructure and applications so that the network can be configured and managed in a flexible and scalable manner.

[0040] In some examples, the underlying routers of the SD-WAN 177 can implement a stateful, session-based routing scheme in which the routers 187A, 187B dynamically modify the contents of the original packet header from the client device 148 to direct traffic to the application service 181 along a selected path (e.g., path 189) without using tunnels and / or attaching labels. In this way, the routers 187A, 187B can be more efficient and scalable for large networks because the use of tunnel-free, session-based routing can enable the routers 187A and 187B to realize considerable network resources by eliminating the need to perform encapsulation and decapsulation at the tunnel endpoints. In addition, in some examples, each router 187A, 187B can independently perform path selection and traffic engineering to control the flow of packets associated with each session without the need to use a centralized SDN controller for path selection and label distribution. In some examples, the routers 187A, 187B implement session-based routing provided by Juniper Networks as Security Vector Routing (SVR).

[0041] Additional information about session-based routing and SVR is described in the following: U.S. Patent No. 9,729,439, entitled “COMPUTER NETWORK PACKET FLOW CONTROLLER,” issued on August 8, 2017; U.S. Patent No. 9,729,682, entitled “NETWORK DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A SESSION USING A PACKETSIGNATURE,” issued on August 8, 2017; U.S. Patent No. 9,762,485, entitled “NETWORK PACKET FLOW CONTROLLER WITH EXTENDED SESSIONMANAGEMENT,” issued on September 12, 2017; and U.S. Patent No. 9,762,485, entitled “ROUTER WITH OPTIMIZED STATISTICAL FUNCTIONALITY,” issued on January 16, 2018. No. 9,871,748, entitled “NAME-BASEDROUTING SYSTEM AND METHOD”, issued on May 29, 2018; No. 9,985,883, entitled “LINK STATUS MONITORING BASED ON PACKET LOSS DETECTION”, issued on February 5, 2019; No. 10,277,506, entitled “STATEFUL LOAD BALANCING IN A STATELESS NETWORK”, issued on April 30, 2019; and No. 10,985,883, entitled “NETWORK PACKET FLOW CONTROLLER WITH EXTENDED SESSION”, issued on October 1, 2019. No. 10,432,522, entitled “IN-LINE PERFORMANCE MONITORING” and No. 11,075,824, issued on July 27, 2021, entitled “IN-LINE PERFORMANCE MONITORING,” the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0042] In some examples, the AI-driven NMS 130 can enable intent-based configuration and management of the network system 100, including enabling the construction, presentation, and execution of intent-driven workflows for configuring and managing devices associated with the wireless network 106, the wired LAN network 175, and / or the SD-WAN 177. For example, declarative requirements express the desired configuration of network components without specifying the exact local device configuration and control flow. By utilizing declarative requirements, it is possible to specify what should be achieved rather than how it should be achieved. Declarative requirements can be contrasted with imperative instructions that describe the exact device configuration syntax and control flow that implement the configuration. By utilizing declarative requirements rather than imperative instructions, users and / or user systems are relieved of the burden of determining the exact device configuration required to achieve the desired results of the user / system. For example, when utilizing a variety of different types of devices from different vendors, it is often difficult and cumbersome to specify and manage the exact imperative instructions for configuring each device of the network. The types and kinds of devices of the network may change dynamically as new devices are added and device failures occur. Managing a variety of different types of devices from different vendors with different configuration protocols, syntaxes, and software versions to configure a coordinated network of devices is often difficult to achieve. Therefore, by only requiring the user / system to specify declarative requirements that dictate the desired results applicable to a variety of different types of devices, the management and configuration of network devices becomes more efficient. Other example details and techniques for intent-based network management systems are described in the following patents: U.S. Patent No. 10,756,983, entitled "Intent-based Analytics," and U.S. Patent No. 10,992,543, entitled "Automatically generating an intent-based network model of an existing computer network," each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] According to the techniques described in the present disclosure, NMS 130 is configured to detect and / or repair port configuration errors, as further described in the present disclosure. As described above, the port configuration error detection engine 135 of NMS 130 is configured to obtain port information of the connected network devices of wired network 175, such as, the port configuration error detection engine 135 of NMS 130 can obtain the port information of the connected switch (e.g., Figure 1A The port information of the switches 146A and 146B in the network, the port information of the connected switches and access points (e.g., Figure 1AThe switch 146B and AP 142A-1 in the SD-WAN 177), the port information of the connected switches and gateways, and / or other connected network devices in the wired network 175 and / or the SD-WAN 177.

[0044] Based on the port information of the connected network devices, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 can determine whether the connected network devices have port misconfiguration. NMS 130 can perform measures based on determining that there are mismatched port configurations between the connected network devices, such as generating a notification of the detected port misconfiguration and / or automatically performing remediation measures.

[0045] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example access point (AP) device in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Figure 2 The example access point 200 shown in FIG. 1 may be used to implement the Figure 1A Any of the APs 142 shown and described. Access point 200 may include, for example, a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and / or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) base station or any other type of wireless access point.

[0046] exist Figure 2 In the example of FIG. 1 , access point 200 includes a wired interface 230, wireless interfaces 220A-220B, one or more processors 206, memory 212, and input / output 210 coupled together via a bus 214, through which the various elements can exchange data and information. Wired interface 230 represents a physical network interface and includes a receiver 232 and a transmitter 234 for sending and receiving network communications (e.g., data packets). Wired interface 230 couples access point 200 directly or indirectly to a wired network device within a wired network via a cable (such as an Ethernet cable), such as a wireless network device. Figure 1A One of the switches 146 in.

[0047] The first wireless interface 220A and the second wireless interface 220B represent wireless network interfaces and include receivers 222A and 222B, respectively. Each receiver includes a receiving antenna, via which the access point 200 can receive wireless communications from wireless communication devices (such as Figure 1A The first wireless interface 220A and the second wireless interface 220B further include transmitters 224A and 224B, respectively. Each transmitter includes a transmitting antenna. The access point 200 can transmit wireless signals to wireless communication devices (such as Figure 1A In some examples, the first wireless interface 220A may include a Wi-Fi 802.11 interface (eg, 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz), and the second wireless interface 220B may include a Bluetooth interface and / or a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface.

[0048] The processor 206 is a programmable hardware-based processor that is configured to execute software instructions, such as those used to define software or computer programs, which are stored to a computer-readable storage medium (such as memory 212), such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium including a storage device (e.g., a disk drive or optical drive) or memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause the one or more processors 206 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0049] Memory 212 includes one or more devices configured to store programming modules and / or data associated with the operation of access point 200. For example, memory 212 may include a computer-readable storage medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium including a storage device (e.g., a disk drive or an optical drive) or a memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, that stores instructions to cause one or more processors 206 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0050] In this example, the memory 212 stores executable software including an application programming interface (API) 240, a communication manager 242, configuration settings 250, a device status log 252, a data store 254, and a log controller 255. The device status log 252 includes a list of events specific to the access point 200. The events may include logs of both normal events and / or error events, such as memory status, restart or reboot events, crash events, cloud disconnection and self-recovery events, low link speed or link speed fluctuation events, Ethernet port status, Ethernet interface packet errors, upgrade failure events, firmware upgrade events, configuration changes, etc., as well as time and date stamps for each event. The log controller 255 determines the log level of the device based on instructions from the NMS 130.

[0051] Input / output (I / O) 210 represents physical hardware components that can interact with a user, such as buttons, displays, etc. Although not shown, memory 212 typically stores executable software used to control the user interface for input received through I / O 210. Communication manager 242 includes program code that, when executed by processor 206, allows access point 200 to communicate with UE 148 and / or network 134 via interface 230 and / or any of 220A-220C. Configuration settings 250 include any device settings for access point 200, such as radio settings for each of wireless interfaces 220A-220C. These settings can be manually configured or can be remotely monitored and managed by NMS 130 to optimize wireless network performance on a regular basis (e.g., hourly or daily).

[0052] The data 254 may include information associated with the AP device 200 and / or devices connected to the AP device 200. For example, the data 254 may include information from a switch (e.g., Figure 1A The data 254 may include port information received by the switch 146B of the AP device 200. The port information may include, for example, VLAN information associated with the connected AP device 200 and the port of the switch, such as one or more VLAN identifiers (“vlan_id”) associated with the port of the AP device 200, one or more VLAN identifiers (“remote_vlan_id”) associated with the port of the switch connected to the AP device 200, and / or other information that the AP device 200 may obtain from a device connected to the AP device 200 via a discovery protocol (e.g., LLDP). In some examples, the data 254 may include detailed information about clients connected to the AP device 200 and associated client sessions. For example, the data 254 may include WLAN information identifying a wireless network that one or more client devices can access via the AP device 200, such as the SSID of the wireless network or other identification information of the wireless network.

[0053] As described in the present disclosure, the AP device 200 can provide access to a wireless network (i.e., a WLAN) for one or more client devices. Each WLAN can be configured with one or more VLANs. Ports of the AP device 200 and ports of a switch connected to the AP device 200 can be assigned to one or more VLANs. In one example, one or more client devices may experience problems with the wireless network. In this example, a configuration error of a port configured for one or more VLANs may be the cause of the problem with the wireless network.

[0054] According to the techniques described in the present disclosure, the AP device 200 is configured to report to a network management system (eg, Figure 1AThe NMS 130) sends information that the network management system can use to detect a port configuration error for at least one of the ports connecting the AP device 200 and the switch, such as a configuration error of one or more VLANs assigned to the ports.

[0055] For example, the AP device 200 may periodically create a package of the data according to a regular interval (e.g., minutes, hours, days, etc.). The collected data reported periodically in the data package may be referred to as "ap-stats" herein. The data collected and reported by the AP device 200 may include periodically reported data and event-driven data. In some examples, the data collected and reported by the AP device 200 may include port information of the AP device 200 and / or port information of a network device (e.g., a switch) connected to the AP device 200. For example, the AP device 200 and its neighboring devices may use LLDP or other Layer 2 neighbor discovery protocols to advertise port information to directly connected peer devices. As described above, the port information may include, for example, information specifying one or more VLANs associated with a wireless network that one or more client devices can access via the AP device 200. In some examples, the data package may also include detailed information about clients connected to the AP device 200 and associated client sessions, such as WLAN information (e.g., SSID) that identifies a wireless network that one or more client devices can access via the AP device 200.

[0056] As further described below, the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of the NMS 130 may determine a VLAN mapped to the wireless network based on the WLAN information, and may further determine whether a VLAN associated with a port connecting the AP device 200 and the switch is misconfigured based on the port information.

[0057] Figure 3A is a block diagram of an example network management system (NMS) 300 configured to detect port configuration errors in accordance with one or more techniques of the present disclosure. NMS 300 may be Figure 1A to Figure 1B 1. In such an example, the NMS 300 is responsible for monitoring and managing one or more wireless networks 106A-106N and / or wired networks at sites 102A-102N, respectively.

[0058] The NMS 300 includes a communication interface 330, one or more processors 306, a user interface 310, a memory 312, and a database. The various elements are coupled together via a bus 314, through which the various elements can exchange data and information. The processor 306 executes software instructions, such as those used to define software or computer programs, which are stored to a computer-readable storage medium (such as the memory 312), such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium including a storage device (e.g., a disk drive or an optical drive) or a memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, which stores instructions to cause the one or more processors 306 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0059] The communication interface 330 may include, for example, an Ethernet interface. The communication interface 330 couples the NMS 300 to a network and / or the Internet, such as Figure 1A The communication interface 330 includes a receiver 332 and a transmitter 334, through which the NMS 300 receives data from the client device 148, the AP 142, the switch 146, the servers 110, 116, 122, 128 and / or any other network 134 shown in FIG. Figure 1A The LLDP protocol may be used to receive data and information from or send data and information to any of the other network nodes, devices, or systems that are part of the illustrated network system 100. In some cases where the network system 100 described herein includes "third party" network devices that are owned and / or associated with a different entity than the NMS 300, the network devices owned and / or associated with the same entity as the NMS 300 may use LLDP to obtain data of connected network devices and send data of the third party network devices to the NMS 300 so that the NMS 300 can receive, collect, or otherwise obtain network data from the third party network devices.

[0060] In some examples, NMS 300 can receive information from client devices 148, AP 142, switch 146, and other network nodes within network 134 (e.g., Figure 1B The network node may be used to remotely monitor wireless networks 106A-106N and / or wired networks (eg, Figure 1BFor example, data received from one or more of the client devices 148, AP 142, switch 146, and other network nodes within the network 134 may include telemetry data, SLE-related data, and / or event data, and such data is stored in the database 318 as network data 316. The network data 316 may additionally or alternatively include port information described herein that may be used to detect port configuration errors of connected network devices. For example, the NMS 300 may receive port information of a device, such as port information (e.g., VLAN identifier, MTU, PoE status, mode, duplex configuration, etc.) obtained by the connected network device via LLDP, and store it in the database 318 as port information 317. In some examples, the database 318 may include a mapping of wireless networks and VLANs. For example, the database 318 may include a mapping of one or more VLANs associated with a wireless network (e.g., wireless network 106A). In these examples, NMS 300 may receive WLAN information identifying a wireless network that one or more client devices may access via an AP device, and use the WLAN information to identify a VLAN mapped to the wireless network, which NMS 300 may use to detect port misconfiguration of the VLAN.

[0061] NMS 300 may further send data via communication interface 330 to any network device, such as client device 148, AP 142, switch 146, other network nodes within network 134, and / or administrator device 111 to remotely manage portions of the wired network and wireless networks 106A-106N.

[0062] The memory 312 includes one or more devices configured to store programming modules and / or data associated with the operation of the NMS 300. For example, the memory 312 may include a computer-readable storage medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium including a storage device (e.g., a disk drive or an optical drive) or a memory (such as flash memory or RAM) or any other type of volatile or non-volatile memory, that stores instructions to cause the one or more processors 306 to perform the techniques described herein.

[0063] In this example, memory 312 includes API 320, SLE module 322, virtual network assistant (VNA) / AI engine 350, and radio resource management (RRM) engine 360. NMS 300 may also include any other programming modules, software engines, and / or interfaces configured for remote monitoring and management of portions of the wired network and wireless networks 106A-106N, including remote monitoring and management of APs 142 / 200, switches 146, and other network devices (e.g., Figure 1B Remote monitoring and management of any of the routers 187).

[0064] The SLE module 322 enables setting and tracking thresholds for SLE indicators for each network 106A-106N. For example, the SLE module 322 analyzes SLE-related data collected by an AP (such as any of AP 142) from UEs in each wireless network 106A–106N. For example, APs 142A-1 to 142A-N collect SLE-related data from UEs 148A-1 to 148A-N currently connected to the wireless network 106A. The data is sent to the NMS 300 and executed by the SLE module 322 to determine one or more SLE indicators of devices in the wireless network 106A. In some examples, the SLE module 322 enables setting and tracking thresholds for SLE indicators for wired networks. For example, the SLE module 322 analyzes SLE-related data collected by switches, APs, and / or other devices in the wired network. For example, switches 146A-146C can collect SLE-related data from APs 142A-1 to 142A-N currently connected to the wired network. This data is sent to the NMS 300 and executed by the SLE module 322 to determine one or more SLE metrics for devices in the wired network.

[0065] The RRM engine 360 ​​monitors one or more indicators of each site 102A-102N in order to learn and optimize the RF environment at each site. For example, the RRM engine 360 ​​can monitor the SLE indicators of the coverage and capacity of the wireless network 106 at the site 102 to identify potential problems with the SLE coverage and / or capacity in the wireless network 106, and adjust the radio settings of the access points at each site to solve the identified problems. For example, the RRM engine can determine the channel and transmit power distribution on all APs 142 in each network 106A-106N. For example, the RRM engine 360 ​​can monitor the events, power, channels, bandwidth, and number of clients connected to each AP. The RRM engine 360 ​​can also automatically change or update the configuration of one or more APs 142 at the site 102, with the aim of improving the SLE indicators of coverage and capacity, and thus providing users with an improved wireless experience.

[0066] The VNA / AI engine 350 analyzes the data received from the network device and its own data to identify when one of the network devices encounters an unexpected or abnormal state. For example, the VNA / AI engine 350 can identify the root cause of any unexpected or abnormal state, for example, any bad SLE indicator indicating a connection problem at one or more network devices. In addition, the VNA / AI engine 350 can automatically call one or more corrective measures intended to solve the root cause of one or more bad SLE indicators identified. Examples of corrective measures that can be automatically called by the VNA / AI engine 350 may include, but are not limited to, calling RRM 360 to restart one or more APs, adjusting / modifying the transmit power of a specific radio in a specific AP, adding SSID configuration to a specific AP, changing a channel on an AP or a group of APs, etc. Corrective measures may further include restarting switches and / or routers, calling new software to download to APs, switches or routers, reconfiguring VLANs, etc. These corrective measures are given only for exemplary purposes, and the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. If automatic corrective actions are not available or do not adequately address the root cause, the VNA / AI engine 350 may proactively provide notifications including recommended corrective actions to be taken by IT personnel (e.g., a site or network administrator using the administrator device 111) to resolve the network error.

[0067] In some examples, ML model 362 may include a supervised ML model that is trained using pre-collected, labeled network data received from network devices (e.g., client devices, access points, switches, and / or other network nodes) to identify port configuration errors. The supervised ML model may include one of logistic regression, naive Bayes, support vector machine (SVM), etc. In other examples, ML model 362 may include an unsupervised ML model. Although Figure 3A Not shown, but in some examples, database 318 may store training data, and VNA / AI engine 350 or a dedicated training module may be configured to train ML model 362 based on the training data to determine appropriate weights for one or more features of the training data.

[0068] According to one or more techniques of the present disclosure, VNA 350 includes a port misconfiguration detection engine 352 configured to detect port misconfiguration between connected network devices (e.g., between connected switches, between switches connected to gateway devices, and / or between switches connected to AP devices), as described below. Figure 3B Further described in .

[0069] Figure 3B It shows Figure 3A A block diagram of the port misconfiguration detection engine 352 of the network management system 300 is provided with further details. Figure 3B In the example of Figure 1A to Figure 1B An example implementation of the port misconfiguration detection engine 135 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 1 . In this example, the port misconfiguration detection engine 352 includes a port information collector 370 , a port information analyzer 372 , and a measure engine 390 .

[0070] The port information collector 370 may obtain port information 317 of a connected network device (e.g., VLAN, MTU, mode, PoE status, duplex configuration, etc.) stored in the database 318, and provide the port information 317 to the port information analyzer 372 to detect port configuration errors based on the port information 317 of the connected network device. In some examples, the port information collector 370 may obtain WLAN information identifying a wireless network that one or more client devices may access via an access point, and may determine one or more VLANs mapped to the wireless network based on the WLAN information, and provide the VLAN information associated with the wireless network to the port information analyzer 372 to detect configuration errors of one or more VLANs of the connected network device.

[0071] For example, the port information analyzer 372 may include a mismatch engine 374 configured to identify mismatched parameters in the port information of the connected network devices. As an example, the mismatch engine 374 may combine the port information of the connected network devices and compare the combined port information of the connected network devices to determine whether there are mismatched parameters that may indicate a port configuration error. As an example, the mismatch engine 374 may perform a cross-connect of a table including the port information of the connected network devices and identify differences in the values ​​of one or more parameters of the port information. An example configuration of the mismatch engine 374 for identifying differences in the values ​​of one or more parameters of the port information is shown below:

[0072] differences = F.udf(lambda x, y: list(set(x) - set(y)),

[0073] ArrayType(IntegerType()))

[0074] mis_configured_df = df_interface_join.withColumn('diff_vlan_ids',differences('vlan_ids1', 'vlan_ids2')) \

[0075] .filter((F.size('diff_vlan_ids') != 0) |

[0076] (F.col('mtu1') != F.col('mtu2')) |

[0077] (F.col('poe_status1') != F.col('poe_status2')) |

[0078] (F.col('mode1') != F.col('mode2')) |

[0079] (F.col('full_duplex1') != F.col('full_duplex2'))) \

[0080] .select("org_id", "site_id", "sw1", "p1", "sw2", "p2",

[0081] "vlan_ids1", "vlan_ids2", "mtu1", "mtu2", "mode1", "mode2",

[0082] "poe_status1", "poe_status2", "full_duplex1", "full_duplex2")

[0083] In this example, the mismatch engine 374 determines whether there are any differences in the values ​​of the VLAN identifiers, MTUs, PoE states, modes, and / or duplex configurations of the connected network devices. For example, the mismatch engine 374 may determine whether there are differences in the VLAN identifiers (e.g., vlan_ids1 and vlan_ids2) of the connected network devices, and based on determining that the VLAN identifiers of the connected network devices are different, the mismatch engine 374 determines that there is a port configuration error in the connected network devices. Alternatively or additionally, the mismatch engine 374 may determine whether there are differences in the MTUs (e.g., mtu1 and mtu2) of the connected network devices, and based on determining that the MTU values ​​of the connected network devices are different, the mismatch engine 374 determines that there is a port configuration error in the connected network devices. Alternatively or additionally, the mismatch engine 374 may determine whether there are differences in the Power over Ethernet (PoE) states (e.g., poe_status1 and poe_status2) of the connected network devices, and based on determining that the PoE states of the connected network devices are different, the mismatch engine 374 determines that there is a port configuration error in the connected network devices. Alternatively or additionally, the mismatch engine 374 may determine whether there is a difference in the modes (e.g., mode1 and mode2) of the connected network devices, and based on determining that the modes of the connected network devices are different, the mismatch engine 374 determines that there is a port configuration error in the connected network devices. Alternatively or additionally, the mismatch engine 374 may determine whether there is a difference in the duplex configurations (e.g., full_duplex1 and full_duplex2) of the connected network devices, and based on determining that the duplex configurations of the connected network devices are different, the mismatch engine 374 determines that there is a port configuration error in the connected network devices.

[0084] In some examples, the mismatch engine 374 can determine whether the difference in the value of one or more parameters is appropriate based on a specific hierarchical relationship between the connected network devices (such as whether the mismatched parameters are appropriate for the connected network devices having a parent-child relationship). As an example, the mismatch engine 374 can determine whether there is a mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers of each connected network device. In response to determining that there is a mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers of each connected network device, in some examples, the mismatch engine 374 can determine the hierarchical relationship between the connected network devices (e.g., based on LLDP information obtained from the connected network devices). In a hierarchical relationship where the connected network devices include a parent network device and a child network device, the mismatch engine 374 can determine whether the number of VLAN identifiers of the child network device is greater than the number of VLAN identifiers of the parent network device. If the number of VLAN identifiers of the child network device is greater than the number of VLAN identifiers of the parent network device, the mismatch engine 374 can determine that the mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers of the connected network devices indicates a port configuration error.

[0085] In some examples, the mismatch engine 374 may be configured to use port information stored in a graph database (e.g., arangoDB) to determine a port configuration error. In these examples, the edge nodes of the graph may store port information of a parent-child hierarchy. For example, the graph database may include additional fields that store a source VLAN identifier (e.g., source_vlan_id) and a target VLAN identifier (e.g., target_vlan_id), a source MTU (e.g., source_MTU) and a target MTU (e.g., target_mtu), a source mode (e.g., source_mode) and a target mode (e.g., target_mode), a duplex configuration of the source (e.g., source_full_duplex) and a duplex configuration of the target (e.g., target_full_duplex), a power state of the source (e.g., source_poe_status) and a power state of the target (e.g., target_poe_status). In these examples, the mismatch engine 374 may compare the port information stored in the edge nodes of the graph (e.g., the combined port information stored in the edge nodes of the graph) to determine whether there are mismatched parameters that may indicate a port configuration error.

[0086] Based on the mismatch engine 374 determining that a port configuration error exists, the action module 390 of the port configuration error engine 352 can perform an action, such as generating a notification (e.g., an event) of the detected port configuration error. For example, the action module 390 can include a notification engine 392 configured to generate and send a notification including, for example, one or more parameters associated with the port configuration error and / or a cause of the port configuration error (e.g., specifying a missing VLAN identifier and / or other mismatched parameters, etc.). An example configuration of the notification engine 392 of the action module 390 for generating a notification of a detected port configuration error is as follows:

[0087] 'batch_count': 1,

[0088] 'category': 'device_health',

[0089] 'details': {'features': {'count_reason': 2,

[0090] 'count_vlans_sw1': 10,

[0091] 'count_vlans_sw2': 5,

[0092] 'mis_config_reason': ['hierarchy', 'vlan_id'],

[0093] 'missing_vlans_sw1': [2, 3, 4, 5, 6],

[0094] 'missing_vlans_sw2': [],

[0095] 'uplink_switch_port': 'sw2'}},

[0096] 'detection_delay': 1685078267,

[0097] 'detection_time': 1686764832275,

[0098] 'display_entity_id': None,

[0099] 'display_entity_type': 'switch',

[0100] 'enable_action': False,

[0101] 'end_time': 1686564300,

[0102] 'entity_id': '74e798c7ff93::ge-0 / 0 / 22_74e798c81dd1::ge-0 / 0 / 21',

[0103] In this example, the notification engine 392 of the action module 390 can generate a notification specifying the overall health of the network device and / or details of a detected port configuration error, such as the cause of the port configuration error (e.g., a mismatch in the number of VLANs) and one or more parameters that contributed to the port configuration error (e.g., a VLAN is missing from the network device).

[0104] The action module 390 may include an automatic correction engine 394 that may automatically perform corrective actions, such as restarting a switch or AP determined to have a port configuration error, invoking a download of new software to the switch or AP, adding missing VLANs, removing unnecessary VLANs, reconfiguring VLANs, or other actions to correct port configuration errors.

[0105] Figure 4 4 is a block diagram of an example network node 400 according to one or more techniques of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the network node 400 represents one of the switches 146, but may also represent Figure 1B ’s wired network 175 or any other device in the SD-WAN 177 (e.g., router 187).

[0106] In this example, network node 400 includes a wired interface 402 (e.g., an Ethernet interface), a processor 406, an input / output 408 (e.g., a display, buttons, a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, a mouse, etc.), and a memory 412 coupled together via a bus 414, through which the various elements can exchange data and information. Wired interface 402 couples network node 400 to a network, such as an enterprise network. Wired interface 402 can couple network node 400 to another network node (e.g., a switch) or an access point (e.g., Figure 2 Although only one interface is shown as an example, the network node may have multiple communication interfaces and / or multiple communication interface ports. The wired interface 402 includes a receiver 420 and a transmitter 422.

[0107] The memory 412 stores executable software applications 432, an operating system 440, and data / information 430. The data 430 may include system logs and / or error logs storing event data (including behavioral data) for the network node 400. In examples where the network node 400 comprises a "third party" network device, the same entity does not own or have access to the AP or wired client-side devices and the network node 400. Thus, in examples where the network node 400 is a third party network device, the NMS 130 does not receive, collect, or otherwise access network data from the network node 400.

[0108] In an example where the network node 400 includes a wired network device, the network node 400 can be connected to one or more APs or other wired client-side devices (e.g., IoT devices) and / or to other network nodes via a wired interface 402. For example, the network node 400 may include multiple wired interfaces 402, and / or the wired interface 402 may include multiple physical ports for connecting to multiple APs or other network nodes within a site via corresponding Ethernet cables. In some examples, each AP or other wired client-side device connected to the network node 400 can access a wired network via the wired interface 402 of the network node 400. In some examples, one or more APs or other wired client-side devices connected to the network node 400 can each obtain power from the network node 400 via a corresponding Ethernet cable and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) port of the wired interface 402.

[0109] In examples where network node 400 includes a session-based router that employs a stateful, session-based routing scheme, network node 400 may be configured to independently perform path selection and traffic engineering. The use of session-based routing may enable network node 400 to avoid using a centralized controller (such as an SDN controller) to perform path selection and traffic engineering, and to avoid using tunnels. In some examples, network node 400 may implement a session-based router as a Secure Vector Router (SVR) provided by Juniper Networks, Inc. In examples where network node 400 includes a session-based router that operates as a network gateway for a site of an enterprise network (e.g., Figure 1B In the case of router 187A), network node 400 may be connected to the underlying physical WAN (e.g., Figure 1B SD-WAN 177) with one or more other session-based routers operating as network gateways for other sites in the enterprise network (e.g., Figure 1B Router 187B) establishes multiple peer paths (e.g., Figure 1BThe network node 400 operating as a session-based router may collect data at the peer path level and report the peer path data to the NMS 130.

[0110] In examples where network node 400 includes a packet-based router, network node 400 may employ a packet-based or flow-based routing scheme to forward packets according to defined network paths established, for example, by a centralized controller that performs path selection and traffic engineering. In examples where network node 400 includes a packet-based router (e.g., Figure 1B In the case of router 187A), network node 400 may be connected to the underlying physical WAN (e.g. Figure 1B SD-WAN 177) with one or more other packet-based routers (e.g., such as Figure 1B Router 187B) establishes multiple tunnels (for example, Figure 1B The network node 400 operating as a packet-based router may collect data at the tunnel level, and the tunnel data may be retrieved by the NMS 130 via an API or open configuration protocol, or the tunnel data may be reported to the NMS 130 by the NMS agent 444 or other modules running on the network node 400.

[0111] The data collected and reported by the network node 400 may include periodically reported data and event-driven data. In some examples, the data collected and reported by the network node 400 may include port information of the network node 400 and / or port information of a network device (e.g., an AP device or another network node) connected to the network node 400. For example, the network node 400 and its neighboring devices may use LLDP or other layer 2 neighbor discovery protocols to advertise port information to directly connected peer devices. As described above, the port information may include, for example, information specifying an organization, site, remote chassis, remote vendor, VLAN, MTU, mode, PoE status, duplex configuration, etc. associated with the network node 400 and / or associated with a network device connected to the network node 400.

[0112] In some examples, network node 400 optionally includes NMS agent 444. NMS agent 444 can periodically create data packages according to regular intervals (e.g., minutes, hours, days, etc.). The collected data reported periodically in the data package may be referred to as "oc-stats" in this article. In some examples, the data package may also include detailed information about clients connected to network node 400 and associated client sessions. In some examples, the data package may also include detailed information about other network nodes connected to network node 400.

[0113] An example of the structure of the port information sent by the network node 400 is provided below:

[0114] |-- org_id: string (nullable = true)

[0115] |-- site_id: string (nullable = true)

[0116] |-- mac: string (nullable = true)

[0117] |-- name: string (nullable = true)

[0118] |-- remote_chassis_id: string (nullable = true)

[0119] |-- remote_port_id: string (nullable = true)

[0120] |-- remote_vendor: string (nullable = true)

[0121] |-- link: boolean (nullable = true)

[0122] |-- vlan_ids: array (nullable = true)

[0123] ||-- element: integer (containsNull = true)

[0124] |-- remote_vlan_id: integer (nullable = true)

[0125] |-- mbps: integer (nullable = true)

[0126] |-- mtu: integer (nullable = true)

[0127] |-- poe_status: boolean (nullable = true)

[0128] |-- mode: string (nullable = true)

[0129] |-- stp_state: string (nullable = true)

[0130] |-- full_duplex: boolean (nullable = true)

[0131] The NMS agent 444 may then report the data package to the NMS 130 in the cloud. In other examples, the NMS 130 may request, retrieve, or otherwise receive the data package from the network node 400 via an API, an open configuration protocol, or another party in a communication protocol. The data package created by the NMS agent 444 or another module of the network node 400 may include a header identifying the network node 400 and port information of the network node 400 and / or a network device connected to the network node 400. In yet other examples, the NMS agent 444 reports event data to the NMS 130 in the cloud in response to certain events occurring at the network node 400 when the event occurs. Event-driven data may be referred to herein as "oc events".

[0132] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B 2 shows an example operation of detecting a port configuration error according to the techniques described in this disclosure. For ease of illustration, FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B The example shown in Figure 1A to Figure 1B NMS 130 and FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B The NMS300 is described.

[0133] exist Figure 5AIn the example of FIG. 1 , assume that port P2 of switch 146A (referred to herein as the “first switch” or “SW1”) is connected to port P6 of switch 146B (referred to herein as the “second switch” or “SW2”). In this example, switch 146A may advertise port information associated with port P2 to switch 146B. Similarly, switch 146B may advertise port information associated with port P6 to switch 146A. NMS 130 may obtain port information from each of switches 146A and 146B, such as Figure 5B , as shown in the port information 502 in FIG. In this example, the port information 502 includes values ​​specifying the port connecting the switch 146A to the switch 146B (SW2) (e.g., P2), the VLAN identifier (e.g., [1,43,51,2]), the MTU (e.g., 1514), the mode (e.g., access), the duplex configuration (e.g., full duplex is set to true), the power over Ethernet status (e.g., PoE status is set to false), and the connection level with the switch 146B (e.g., uplink teaming is set to false to indicate that the switch 146A (SW1) is the parent switch of the switch 146B (SW2)). The port information 502 also includes values ​​specifying the port connecting switch 146B to switch 146A (SW1) (e.g., P6), a VLAN identifier (e.g., [51,2]), an MTU (e.g., 9216), a mode (e.g., access), a duplex configuration (e.g., full duplex is set to true), a Power over Ethernet status (e.g., PoE status is set to false), and a connection level with switch 146A (e.g., uplink combined is set to true to indicate that switch 146B (SW2) is a child switch of switch 146A (SW1)).

[0134] In this example, the NMS 130 can determine whether there are mismatched parameters that may indicate a port misconfiguration based on the port information of the switch 146A and the port information of the switch 146B. As described above, the NMS 130 (e.g., the mismatch engine 374 of the port misconfiguration detection engine 352) can combine (e.g., perform a cross-connect) the port information of the switch 146A and the port information of the switch 146B, such as Figure 5B1 and 146B. The NMS 130 may then compare the cross-connected port information 504 to determine if there are mismatched parameters that may indicate a port configuration error, such as a mismatch in VLAN identifiers (e.g., VLAN IDS1 and VLAN IDS2), MTUs (e.g., MTU1 and MTU2), modes (e.g., MODE1 and MODE2), duplex configurations (e.g., FULL DUPLEX1 and FULL DUPLEX2), and / or Power over Ethernet status (e.g., POESTATUS1 and POE STATUS2). In this example, the NMS 130 may determine that the MTU of the switch 146A does not match the MTU of the switch 146B, which may indicate a port configuration error. Alternatively or additionally, the NMS 130 may determine that the VLAN identifier of the switch 146A does not match the VLAN identifier of the switch 146B. In this example, the NMS 130 may determine a connection hierarchy (e.g., a parent-child relationship) of the connected switches to determine whether a mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers is appropriate for the parent-child relationship between the switch 146A and the switch 146B. As an example, the NMS 130 may determine, for example, from uplink switch (uplink_switch) information that the switch 146A is a parent switch and the switch 146B is a child switch. Based on the determined connection hierarchy of the connected switches, the NMS 130 may further determine whether the number of VLAN identifiers of the parent switch 146A is greater than the number of VLAN identifiers of the child switch 146B, thereby determining whether a mismatch exists. Figure 5B In the example of FIG. 1 , NMS 130 determines that the number of VLAN identifiers of child switch 146B (e.g., two) is not greater than the number of VLAN identifiers of parent switch 146A (e.g., four), which may not indicate a port configuration error. Alternatively, if the number of VLAN identifiers of the child switch is greater than the number of VLAN identifiers of the parent switch ( Figure 5B ), the NMS 130 may determine that the mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers indicates a port configuration error.

[0135] Based on determining that the connected network device has a port configuration error, the NMS 130 (e.g., the action module 390 of the port configuration error detection engine 352) can perform actions, such as generating a notification (e.g., an event) of the detected port configuration error. For example, the notification can indicate the detected port configuration error and / or the cause of the port configuration error (e.g., the VLAN identifiers of the network devices having a parent-child relationship do not match, etc.). In some examples, the NMS 130 can automatically perform remediation actions, such as restarting the switch or AP determined to have a port configuration error, invoking a download of new software to at least one of the connected network devices, adding a missing VLAN, removing an unnecessary VLAN, reconfiguring the VLAN (e.g., or providing a notification to reconfigure the VLAN based on a template configuration), or other actions to correct the port configuration error.

[0136] Although the examples described above are described with respect to a switch-to-switch connection, the techniques of the present disclosure may alternatively or additionally be applied to a switch-to-gateway connection. In this example, the NMS 130 may obtain similar port information as described above, such as values ​​specifying the port that connects the switch to the gateway, a VLAN identifier, an MTU, a mode, a duplex configuration, an Ethernet power status, etc. The NMS 130 may determine whether there are mismatched parameters that may indicate a port configuration error based on the port information of the switch and the port information of the gateway, and may perform measures based on determining that a port configuration error exists for a connected network device.

[0137] In some examples, NMS 130 may determine that the port configuration of the switch to the access point connection is incorrect. In this example, assume that port P7 of switch 146B is connected to port P1 of access point 142. In this example, the port information includes a value that specifies the port (e.g., P6) that connects switch 146B to access point 142, such as a VLAN identifier (e.g., a VLAN ID) associated with a wireless network that one or more client devices can access via access point 142. Figure 5A not shown).

[0138] In this example, the NMS 130 may determine whether one or more VLANs associated with a port connecting the switch 146B and the access point 142 are misconfigured based on the port information of the switch 146B and the port information of the access point 142. For example, the NMS 130 may obtain WLAN information (e.g., SSID) identifying a wireless network that one or more client devices may access via the access point 142. The NMS 130 may also obtain the port information of the switch 146B and the port information of the access point 142, such as a VLAN identifier (not shown). The NMS 130 may use the WLAN information to perform a lookup of a database 318 storing mappings of SSIDs and VLAN identifiers of wireless networks to determine one or more VLANs associated with (e.g., mapped to) the WLAN information. The NMS 130 may then determine whether a VLAN identifier mismatch, a missing VLAN identifier, or any other problem exists with the VLANs associated with the wireless network, and may perform measures to repair the port configuration error.

[0139] Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations for detecting port configuration errors in accordance with one or more techniques of this disclosure. Figure 6 About Figure 1A and Figure 1B NMS 130 and Figure 3A and Figure 3B Description of the port misconfiguration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 .

[0140] The switch port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 obtains port information of multiple network devices (602). For example, the NMS 300 can obtain port information of the connected network devices, including, for example, organization, site, remote chassis, remote provider, VLAN, MTU, mode, PoE status, and duplex configuration.

[0141] The switch port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 determines that a port configuration error exists in the first network device or the second network device based on the port information of the first network device among the plurality of network devices and the port information of the second network device among the plurality of network devices connected to the first network device (604). For example, the switch port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 may include a mismatch engine 374 configured to identify mismatched parameters from the port information of the connected network devices. As an example, the mismatch engine 374 may perform a cross-connection of the port information of the first network device (SW1) and the second network device (SW2), such as FIG. 5A to FIG. 5BThe cross-connected port information 504 shown in the figure is compared with the port information of the first network device (SW1) and the second network device (SW2) to determine whether there are mismatched parameters that may indicate port configuration errors. In some examples, the mismatch engine 374 can compare the port information of the connected network devices based on the information specified in the uplink combination (uplink_combined) (which may indicate that there is a parent-child connection between switches or between switches and AP devices). As an example, the mismatch engine 374 can determine whether there is a mismatch in one or more parameters, such as a mismatch in VLAN identifiers and / or VLAN identifier numbers (e.g., VLAN IDS1 and VLAN IDS2), MTUs (e.g., MTU1 and MTU2), modes (e.g., MODE1 and MODE2), duplex configurations (e.g., FULL DUPLEX1 and FULLDUPLEX2), Ethernet power status (e.g., POE STATUS1 and POE STATUS2), etc.

[0142] In some examples, where a first network device (e.g., SW1) is a parent network device and a second network device (e.g., SW2) is a child network device, the mismatch engine 374 can further determine whether a mismatch in the number of VLAN identifiers is appropriate for the parent-child relationship between the first network device and the second network device based on the determined connection hierarchy of the connected network devices (e.g., determined from the uplink switch information). For example, a child network device having a greater number of VLAN identifiers than a parent network device can indicate a port configuration error.

[0143] In some examples, the mismatch engine 374 may alternatively or additionally identify a misconfigured VLAN associated with a wireless network that one or more client devices may access via an access point. In this example, the NMS 300 may obtain WLAN information (e.g., SSID) identifying the wireless network. The NMS 300 may determine one or more VLANs associated with the wireless network based on the WLAN information. The mismatch engine 374 may then determine whether a port of the access point or a port of the switch configured for the one or more VLANs associated with the wireless network has a configuration error.

[0144] Based on determining that the port configuration error exists at the first network device or the second network device, the port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 may perform measures to fix the detected port configuration error, such as providing a notification of the port configuration error or automatically performing corrective measures (606). For example, the port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 may include a notification engine 392 configured to generate and send a notification, the notification including, for example, one or more parameters associated with the port configuration error and / or a cause of the port configuration error. In some examples, the port configuration detection engine 352 of the NMS 300 may automatically perform corrective measures based on determining that the first network device or the second network device has a port configuration error, such as restarting a switch determined to have a port configuration error, invoking a download of new software to a switch or AP, adding a missing VLAN, removing an unnecessary VLAN, reconfiguring a VLAN, or other measures to fix the port configuration error.

[0145] The techniques described in this invention may be implemented at least in part in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of the described techniques may be implemented in one or more processors, including one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or any other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits, and any combination of these components. The term "processor" or "processing circuit" may generally refer to any of the aforementioned logic circuits, alone or in combination with other logic circuits, or any other equivalent circuits. A control unit including hardware may also perform one or more techniques of the present disclosure.

[0146] Such hardware, software, and firmware may be implemented within the same device or within separate devices to support the various operations and functions described in this disclosure. In addition, any of the described units, modules, or components may be implemented together or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. Describing different features as modules or units is intended to highlight different functional aspects and does not necessarily imply that these modules or units must be implemented by separate hardware or software components. Instead, the functions associated with one or more modules or units may be performed by separate hardware or software components, or integrated within common or separate hardware or software components.

[0147] The techniques described in the present disclosure may also be implemented or encoded in a computer-readable medium (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium) containing instructions. The instructions embedded or encoded in the computer-readable storage medium may cause a programmable processor or other processor to perform the method, for example, when the instructions are executed. The computer-readable storage medium may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, a cassette, a magnetic medium, an optical medium, or other computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A network management system, comprising: Memory; and One or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to: obtaining information associated with one or more ports of a plurality of network devices; determining whether a port configuration error exists in the first network device or the second network device based on information associated with a port of a first network device among the plurality of network devices and information associated with a port of a second network device among the plurality of network devices connected to the port of the first network device; and Based on determining that a port configuration error exists in the first network device or the second network device, measures are performed to repair the port configuration error of the first network device or the second network device.

2. The network management system according to claim 1, wherein: In order to determine that a port configuration error occurs on the first network device or the second network device, the one or more processors are configured to: combining the information associated with the port of the first network device and the information associated with the port of the second network device; and A determination is made that one or more parameters in the combined information associated with the port of the first network device and the information associated with the port of the second network device do not match.

3. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters in the combined information associated with the port of the first network device and the information associated with the port of the second network device do not match, the one or more processors are configured to: Based on a connection level of the first network device and the second network device, it is determined that the one or more parameters do not match.

4. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters do not match, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether there is a mismatch between one or more virtual local area network (VLAN) identifiers of the port of the first network device and one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device.

5. The network management system according to claim 4, wherein: To determine whether there is a mismatch between one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first network device and one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device, the one or more processors are configured to: determining whether the number of one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first network device is greater than the number of one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device, wherein the first network device is a child network device and the second network device is a parent network device; and Based on determining that the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first device is greater than the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device, it is determined that the first network device or the second network device has a port configuration error.

6. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters do not match, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether there is a mismatch between a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the port of the first network device and an MTU of the port of the second network device.

7. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters do not match, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether there is a mismatch between a mode of the port of the first network device and a mode of the port of the second network device.

8. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters do not match, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether there is a mismatch between a duplex configuration of the port of the first network device and a duplex configuration of the port of the second network device.

9. The network management system according to claim 2, wherein: To determine that the one or more parameters do not match, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether there is a mismatch between a Power over Ethernet (PoE) status of the port of the first network device and a PoE status of the port of the second network device.

10. The network management system according to claim 1, in, The first network device comprises an access point, Wherein, the second network device comprises a switch, and In order to determine that a port configuration error occurs on the first network device or the second network device, the one or more processors are configured to: obtaining, from the access point, wireless local area network (WLAN) information identifying a wireless network accessed by one or more client devices through the access point; Determining one or more virtual local area networks (VLANs) associated with the wireless network based on the WLAN information; and A determination is made as to whether a port of the access point or a port of the switch configured for one or more VLANs associated with the wireless network has a configuration error.

11. A computer network method, comprising: obtaining, by a network management system, information associated with one or more ports of a plurality of network devices; determining, by the network management system, whether there is a port configuration error in the first network device or the second network device based on information associated with a port of a first network device among the plurality of network devices and information associated with a port of a second network device among the plurality of network devices connected to the port of the first network device; as well as The network management system executes measures to repair the port configuration error of the first network device or the second network device based on determining that the first network device or the second network device has a port configuration error.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Determining that a port configuration error occurs on the first network device or the second network device includes: combining information associated with the port of the first network device with information associated with the port of the second network device; and A determination is made that one or more parameters in the combined information associated with the port of the first network device and the information associated with the port of the second network device do not match.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The determining that one or more parameters of the combined information associated with the port of the first network device and the information associated with the port of the second network device do not match comprises: Based on a connection level of the first network device and the second network device, it is determined that the one or more parameters do not match.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Determining that the one or more parameters do not match includes determining whether there is a mismatch between one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first network device and one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The determining whether there is a mismatch between one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first network device and one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device comprises: determining whether the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first network device is greater than the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device, wherein the first network device is a child network device and the second network device is a parent network device; and Based on determining that the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the first device is greater than the number of the one or more VLAN identifiers of the port of the second network device, it is determined that the first network device or the second network device has a port configuration error.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Determining that the one or more parameters do not match includes determining whether a maximum transmission unit MTU of the port of the first network device and an MTU of the port of the second network device do not match.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Determining that the one or more parameters do not match includes determining whether there is a mismatch between a mode of the port of the first network device and a mode of the port of the second network device.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Determining that the one or more parameters do not match includes determining whether there is a mismatch between a duplex configuration of the port of the first network device and a duplex configuration of the port of the second network device.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Determining that the one or more parameters do not match includes determining whether there is a mismatch between a Power over Ethernet (PoE) state of the port of the first network device and a PoE state of the port of the second network device.

20. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions for causing one or more programmable processors to become configured to become configured to be the network management system of any one of claims 1 to 10 or to perform the method of any one of claims 11 to 19.

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