Network topology mapping method and network management device

Abstract

The present invention provides a network topology mapping method and a network management device. [Solution] The network topology mapping method includes: obtaining the physical network topology of a physical network; determining the physical management endpoints in the physical network topology based on the physical network topology; determining at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology based on the physical management endpoints; selecting candidate management endpoints from the at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order; performing topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology based on the selected candidate management endpoints and physical management endpoints; and generating network topology mapping results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a network topology mapping method (Network Topology Mapping Method) and a network management device, and particularly to a network topology mapping method and a network management device that have a fault tolerance ability (function) and can realize the deployment of topology-oriented device settings.

Background Art

[0002] In the stage of network construction or system introduction of a network management system, a network administrator usually first plans an ideal set of network topologies, and then, based on the planned topology, corresponding configuration files can be established in advance for each network device. The content of the configuration file usually includes device basic information, IP address plan, VLAN rules, routing settings, etc., so that these settings can be imported into the corresponding physical network devices during actual deployment.

[0003] However, in the actual deployment process, due to the influence of on-site construction, device replacement, human factors, etc., differences occur between the physical network environment and the originally planned network topology, such as inconsistencies between device IP addresses and design values, duplicate IP addresses, incomplete actual wiring, device model errors, etc. In such cases, the network management system often cannot accurately identify the correspondence between each physical device and its logical position in the planned network topology, so the pre-designed configuration file cannot be accurately imported into the specified physical device, which may cause interruption of the deployment work.

[0004] Furthermore, existing technologies are primarily based on the assumption of a known network topology or valid connection parameters (e.g., IP addresses), meaning they presuppose that a connection must be established before management can be performed. The lack of ability to compare and automatically correlate the characteristics of the planned network topology with the physical network topology during the zero-configuration phase makes full automation of the overall deployment flow difficult and results in insufficient fault tolerance.

[0005] Therefore, deploying network configurations using conventional technologies still heavily relies on extensive manual intervention for individual verification and adjustment. This not only wastes time and human resources but also makes the network's accuracy and stability susceptible to human error, thus requiring improvement. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Taiwan Patent No. 745607B [Patent Document 2] Taiwan Patent No. 886722B Publication [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20250184226A1 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent No. 11855840B2 [Patent Document 5] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 118200149A Specification [Patent Document 6] Chinese Patent No. 114338413B Specification [Patent Document 7] U.S. Patent No. 9,178,760B2 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a network topology mapping method and a network management device that can realize topology-oriented automated deployment by comparing a pre-planned network topology with the physical network topology based on equipment models and connection relationships of connecting lines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a network topology mapping method is provided which includes: obtaining the physical network topology of a physical network; determining the physical management endpoints (endpoints) in the physical network topology based on the physical network topology; determining at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology based on the physical management endpoints; selecting candidate management endpoints from the at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order; performing topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology based on the candidate management endpoints and the physical management endpoints; and generating a network topology mapping result.

[0009] According to embodiments of the present invention, a network management device is further provided, which includes a storage unit and a processing unit. The storage unit is used to store instructions (commands), and the processing unit is coupled to the storage unit and configured to execute the instructions. The instructions include instructions to obtain the physical network topology of a physical network; determine physical management endpoints in the physical network topology based on the physical network topology; determine at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology based on the physical management endpoints; select candidate management endpoints from the at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order; perform topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology based on the candidate management endpoints and the physical management endpoints; and generate network topology mapping results. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the network topology mapping flow in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a preferred example of network topology mapping in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a preferred example of network topology mapping in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a preferred example of network topology mapping in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the fault tolerance of the network topology mapping results in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows a network management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] In this specification and the accompanying claims, several terms are used to describe specific elements. As those skilled in the art will understand, hardware manufacturers may use different nouns (terms) to refer to the same element. In this specification and the accompanying claims, elements are distinguished by their functional differences, not by differences in name. Throughout this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "includes" is an open term and should be interpreted as "includes, but not limited to." The term "coupling" includes all direct and indirect means of electrical connection. For example, when it is stated that the first device is coupled to the second device, it means that the first device is directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device by other devices or means of connection.

[0012] Referring to Figure 1, which shows a network system 1 in an embodiment of the present invention, the network system 1 includes a network management device 10, a network 12, and a physical network 14. The physical network 14 includes a plurality of physical network devices 16, which may be, but are not limited to, switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, wireless access points, or other network nodes. The network 12 may be any general-purpose communication network, including, but are not limited to, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public network (e.g., the Internet), or other forms of network. As shown in Figure 1, the network management device 10 can monitor and control the topology of the physical network 14, determine (identify) management endpoints, and complete the mapping of devices and the issuance of predetermined settings according to the planned network topology by establishing a management connection with the physical network 14 through the network 12.

[0013] When actually deploying a network, the physical network topology of the physical network 14 may be different from the pre-planned planned network topology. For example, some connection lines may be missing, or the device model or location may not match the design values, etc., so there is a risk that the network management device 10 cannot accurately issue predetermined settings. Therefore, the network management device 10 needs to correctly identify the correspondence between the planned network topology and each physical network device 16 in order to arrange the network settings of the planned network topology to the corresponding physical network devices 16 of the physical network 14 based on the accurate network topology mapping relationship.

[0014] The network topology mapping method in the embodiment of the present invention can be summarized as a network topology mapping flow 2 as shown in FIG. 2. The network topology mapping flow 2 may be executed by the network management device 10 and includes the following steps.

[0015] Step 200: Start.

[0016] Step 202: Obtain the physical network topology of the physical network 14.

[0017] Step 204: Based on the physical network topology, determine the physical management endpoints in the physical network topology.

[0018] Step 206: Based on the physical management endpoints, determine at least one candidate management endpoint from the pre-defined planned network topology.

[0019] Step 208: Select candidate management endpoints from at least one candidate management endpoint according to a predetermined order.

[0020] Step 210: Determine if a candidate management endpoint was successfully selected. If yes, perform step 212; otherwise, perform step 218.

[0021] Step 212: Based on the selected candidate management endpoint and the physical management endpoint, a topology mapping is performed between the planned network topology and the physical network topology.

[0022] Step 214: Determine if the topology mapping was successful. If so, perform step 216; otherwise, perform step 208.

[0023] Step 216: Generate the network topology mapping results.

[0024] Step 218: Determine that network topology mapping has failed and proceed to Step 220.

[0025] Step 220: End (finish).

[0026] According to the network topology mapping flow 2, the network management device 10 first obtains the physical network topology of the physical network 14 and determines the physical management endpoint from the physical network topology as the starting criterion (benchmark) for topology comparison. Next, based on the physical management endpoint, the network management device 10 selects at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology and attempts to perform topology mapping one by one in a predetermined order. During the topology mapping process, if the mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology is successfully completed, the network topology mapping result is generated. Conversely, if there are no other candidate management endpoints to select, the network topology mapping is determined to have failed, and the flow terminates. Thus, embodiments of the present invention can find the correspondence between the physical network topology and the planned network topology and support the deployment of topology-oriented configurations.

[0027] In step 202, the network management device 10 obtains the physical network topology of the physical network 14. In embodiments of the present invention, the physical network topology includes the models, functional modules, and connection relationships of the connection lines of the physical network devices in the physical network 14. Functional modules refer to hardware modules, software modules, or functional units supported by firmware that are configured or supported by the physical network device and used to provide specific network or system functions. For example, functional modules may include, but are not limited to, power modules, network interface modules, switching or routing modules, wireless communication modules, security modules, or functional characteristics supported by the device's firmware or software, such as virtual local area network (VLAN) support, routing protocol support, access control functions, or other network functions. In this step, the network management device 10 obtains device information, including the model, functional modules, Internet Protocol (IP) address, Media Access Control (MAC) address, etc., by searching for and accessing the physical network devices 16 in the physical network 14. Furthermore, the network management device 10 can also obtain the connection relationships of the connection lines between multiple physical network devices 16 based on the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP), but is not limited to this.

[0028] In step 204, the network management device 10 can determine the physical management endpoints in the physical network topology based on the physical network topology. Generally speaking, a Management Endpoint (ME) refers to a node in a network system that can be used for access, monitoring, control, and management by an administrator or network management device. As an entry point for network management operations, the management endpoint can configure, monitor, and control the entire network or a portion of it. In other words, the network management device 10 can use the physical management endpoint to deploy or monitor and control the configuration of the physical network 14. In this embodiment, the physical management endpoint may be known information of the network management device 10, or it may be identified by LLDP, an automatic device registration mechanism, or other existing network management technologies, but is not limited to these.

[0029] In step 206, the network management device 10 determines at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology based on the physical management endpoint. In this embodiment, the planned network topology, also called the design topology, refers to the network structure and various equipment settings predetermined by the administrator during the network construction or system deployment phase, such as the model, functional module, IP address, and connection relationships of each planned node within it. In this step, the network management device 10 selects at least one planned node with the same model in the planned network topology as the at least one candidate management endpoint based on the model of the physical management endpoint.

[0030] In step 208, the network management device 10 selects candidate management endpoints from at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order. In this embodiment, at least one candidate management endpoint can be arranged (sorted) based on its IP address, for example, in ascending order of IP address. Furthermore, a candidate management endpoint may be selected preferentially when its IP address matches that of a physical management endpoint. Such sorting and prioritization strategies allow the network management device 10 to systematically and sequentially try out candidate management endpoints to use as a basis for topology mapping in subsequent steps.

[0031] In step 210, the network management device 10 needs to determine whether it has successfully selected a candidate management endpoint. If it has successfully selected a candidate management endpoint, the network management device 10 can further perform topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology in step 212. Conversely, if there are no other unselected candidate management endpoints available for selection for at least one candidate management endpoint, the network management device 10 can determine in step 218 that the network topology mapping has failed and terminate the network topology mapping flow 2.

[0032] In step 212, the network management device 10 performs topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology based on the selected candidate management endpoints and physical management endpoints. The selected candidate management endpoints may also be used to establish an initial correspondence with the physical management endpoints and to further perform topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology based on this correspondence. More specifically, the network management device 10 starts with the selected candidate management endpoints and physical management endpoints and performs node mapping one by one between each planned node in the planned network topology and the physical network equipment corresponding to that planned node in the physical network topology.

[0033] In this embodiment, node mapping between a planned node and a physical network device involves comparing their models, functional modules, and connection relationships of the connection lines. The network management device 10 determines that the mapping between the planned node and the physical network device is successful when the models, functional modules, and connection relationships of the connection lines of the planned node and the physical network device all match. In the step of comparing whether the connection relationships of the connection lines of the planned node and the physical network device match, it is determined whether the corresponding physical network device has a corresponding connection for each predefined connection line of the planned node, and whether the port index of the connection ports at both ends of the corresponding connection matches the port index of the connection port corresponding to each connection line. In other words, in this embodiment, the number of connection lines of the physical network device may be less than the number of defined connection lines of the planned node, thereby allowing for some missing or undeployed connection lines. However, the port index of the connection ports at both ends of the connection lines already present in the physical network device must match the port index of the defined connection port of the planned node; that is, the occurrence of connection mismatches is not permitted. In short, the mapping of connection relationships of connection lines can tolerate some omissions, but it cannot tolerate incorrect configurations (placements). This enables fault-tolerant comparisons with respect to the physical network topology, ensuring the accuracy of the correspondence between planned nodes and physical network equipment.

[0034] In step 214, the network management device 10 determines whether the topology mapping was successful. If any one planned node in the planned network topology cannot find its corresponding physical network device in the physical network topology, or fails to map to the corresponding physical network device, the network management device 10 determines that the topology mapping has failed and can re-execute step 208 to select the next candidate management endpoint and perform the topology mapping again. The network management device 10 can determine that the topology mapping was successful if all planned nodes in the planned network topology can find their corresponding physical network devices in the physical network topology and successfully map to them.

[0035] In step 216, the network management device 10 generates a network topology mapping result. The network topology mapping result may include the correspondence between the planned network topology and the physical network topology, as well as any differences between them (e.g., missing connection lines). Based on the network topology mapping result, the network management device 10 can also deploy predefined network settings from the planned network topology to the physical network 14.

[0036] This allows the network topology mapping flow 2 to automatically establish a correspondence between the planned network topology and the physical network topology, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the mapping results, thereby enabling topology-oriented configuration deployment and analysis of differences in the physical network.

[0037] Referring to Figures 3 to 5, these figures show a preferred example of a network topology mapping in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 3 to 5, the planned network topology DNT and the physical network topology PNT are shown simultaneously to illustrate a specific example in which the network management device 10 performs network topology mapping in the network topology mapping flow 2.

[0038] Specifically, the physical network topology PNT can be obtained by the network management device 10 according to step 202. As shown in Figure 3, the physical network topology PNT includes multiple physical network devices PND_1 to PND_3, which correspond to the physical network device 16 in Figure 1. Of these, physical network device PND_1 (model: TSN-switch; IP: 192.168.127.253) is connected to Port 2 of physical network device PND_2 via physical connection line PL_1 by a connection port with an index of 1 (hereinafter, Port X represents a connection port with an index of X). Physical network device PND_2 (model: NOS-switch; IP: 192.168.127.253) is connected to Port 1 of physical network device PND_1 via physical connection line PL_1 by Port 2, and to Port 1 of physical network device PND_3 via physical connection line PL_2 by Port 3. The physical network device PND_3 (model: TSN-switch; IP: 192.168.127.253) is connected to Port 3 of the physical network device PND_2 via physical connection line PL_2 through Port 1. According to step 204, the network management device 10 can determine that the physical network device PND_1 in the physical network topology PNT is the physical management endpoint.

[0039] The planned network topology DNT is predefined by the network administrator during the network construction or system deployment phase, and includes multiple planned nodes DN_1 to DN_3, with predefined connection relationships between each planned node. Of these, planned node DN_1 (model: TSN-switch; IP: 192.168.127.102) is connected to planned node DN_2's Port 2 via planned connection line DL_1 through Port 1. Planned node DN_2 (model: NOS-switch; IP: 192.168.127.101) is connected to planned node DN_1's Port 1 via planned connection line DL_1 through Port 2, and also to planned node DN_3's Port 1 via planned connection line DL_2 through Port 3. Planned node DN_3 (model: TSN-switch; IP: 192.168.127.100) is connected to planned node DN_2's Port 3 via planned connection line DL_2 through Port 1. According to step 206, the network management device 10 can determine that at least one candidate management endpoint includes planned node DN_1 and planned node DN_3 because it has the same model (TSN-switch) as the physical management endpoint PND_1.

[0040] As a result, the network management device 10 can map candidate management endpoints DN_1 and DN_3 to the physical management endpoint PND_1, and use this as the starting point for topology mapping between the planned network topology DNT and the physical network topology PNT.

[0041] In step 208, the network management device 10 can select candidate management endpoints DN_1 and DN_3 in a predetermined order as the starting point for topology mapping. For example, if the predetermined order is from smallest to largest IP address, as shown in Figure 4, the network management device 10 may first select candidate management endpoint DN_3, which has a relatively small IP address. Next, in step 212, the network management device 10 can associate the selected candidate management endpoint DN_3 with the physical management endpoint PND_1 and perform topology mapping.

[0042] First, the network management device 10 needs to compare the model, functional module, and connection relationship of the connection lines between the candidate management endpoint DN_3 and the physical management endpoint PND_1. As shown in Figure 4, the network management device 10 can determine that the node mapping between the candidate management endpoint DN_3 and the physical management endpoint PND_1 has failed because the candidate management endpoint DN_3 and the physical management endpoint PND_1 have the same model (TSN-switch), matching functional modules (not shown), and mismatched connection relationships. More specifically, the candidate management endpoint DN_3 has a planned connection line DL_2, which is connected to Port 3 of the planned node DN_2 by Port 1 of the candidate management endpoint DN_3. In contrast, the physical management endpoint PND_1 has a physical connection line PL_1, which is connected to Port 2 of the physical network device PND_2 by Port 1 of the physical management endpoint PND_1. In other words, since the planned connection line DL_2 does not match the index of the connection ports at both ends of the physical connection line PL_1, the candidate management endpoint DN_3 and the physical management endpoint PND_1 have a mismatched connection relationship. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the network management device 10 can select another candidate management endpoint DN_1 as the starting point for topology mapping in step 208. Subsequently, in step 212, the network management device 10 may associate the selected new candidate management endpoint DN_1 with the physical management endpoint PND_1 and then re-run the topology mapping.

[0043] Specifically, the network management device 10 needs to compare the model, functional module, and connection relationship of the connection lines between the candidate management endpoint DN_1 and the physical management endpoint PND_1. As shown in Figure 5, since the candidate management endpoint DN_1 and the physical management endpoint PND_1 have the same model (TSN-switch), matching functional modules (not shown), and matching connection relationship of the connection lines (planned connection line DL_1 corresponds to physical connection line PL_1), the network management device 10 can determine that the node mapping between the candidate management endpoint DN_1 and the physical management endpoint PND_1 was successful. Next, the network management device 10 needs to further compare the planned node DN_2, which has a connection relationship with the candidate management endpoint DN_1, with the physical network device PND_2, which corresponds to the planned node DN_2. As shown in Figure 5, since the planned node DN_2 and the physical network device PND_2 have the same model (NOS-switch), matching functional modules (not shown), and matching connection relationships of the connection lines (planned connection line DL_1 corresponds to physical connection line PL_1, and planned connection line DL_2 corresponds to physical connection line PL_2), the network management device 10 can determine that the node mapping between the planned node DN_2 and the physical network device PND_2 was successful. Next, the network management device 10 needs to compare the planned node DN_3, which has a connection relationship of connection lines with the planned node DN_2, with the physical network device PND_3 corresponding to the planned node DN_3. As shown in Figure 5, since the planned node DN_3 and the physical network device PND_3 have the same model (TSN-switch), matching functional modules (not shown), and matching connection relationships of the connection lines (planned connection line DL_2 corresponds to physical connection line PL_2), the network management device 10 can determine that the node mapping between the planned node DN_3 and the physical network device PND_3 was successful.

[0044] At this point, since all planned nodes DN_1 to DN_3 in the planned network topology DNT can find their corresponding physical network devices in the physical network topology PNT, the network management device 10 can determine that the topology mapping between the planned network topology DNT and the physical network topology PNT was successful. As a result, the network management device 10 can generate a network topology mapping result based on the comparison results in step 216, and then deploy the predefined network configuration in the planned network topology DNT to the physical network 14 based on the network topology mapping result.

[0045] Referring to Figure 6, which shows the fault tolerance of the network topology mapping result in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 shows the planned network topology DNT and the physical network topology PNT simultaneously. As shown in Figure 6, the planned network topology DNT further includes a planned connection line DL_3, and planned node DN_1 is connected to port 2 of planned node DN_3 via planned connection line DL_3 by port 2. In this case, all planned nodes DN_1 to DN_3 in the planned network topology DNT can find their corresponding physical network equipment in the physical network topology PNT, and the connection ports at both ends of the connection lines corresponding to the planned network topology DNT (physical connection line PL_1 corresponds to planned connection line DL_1, and physical connection line PL_2 corresponds to planned connection line DL_2) also match in the physical network topology PNT. Therefore, the network management device 10 can still determine that the topology mapping between the planned network topology DNT and the physical network topology PNT was successful. In other words, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the number of physical connection lines in the physical network topology PNT may be less than the number of planned connection lines in the planned network topology DNT, as long as the existing physical connection lines have the correct connection relationships. Furthermore, even if the IP addresses of physical network devices PND_1 to PND_3 do not match the IP addresses of their corresponding planned nodes DN_1 to DN_3, and even if there is IP address overlap between physical network devices PND_1 to PND_3, this does not affect the network topology mapping and subsequent network deployment processes in the embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the network topology mapping mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention has fault tolerance capabilities, as it can tolerate some missing connection lines or parameter mismatches and accurately complete topology mapping.

[0046] Also, refer to Figure 7, which shows a network management device 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. The network management device 10 may be any computing device capable of executing a program relating to network management, such as a server, a computer, or other device having processing and communication capabilities. As shown in Figure 7, the network management device 10 includes a processing unit 70 and a storage unit 72. Note that only the elements necessary to carry out an embodiment of the present invention are shown in Figure 7, but those skilled in the art may make different modifications and adjustments.

[0047] The processing unit 70 is coupled to the storage unit 72 and may be, but is not limited to, a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In one embodiment, the processing unit 70 may be a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a SoC (System on Chip). The processing unit 70 may be configured to execute instructions 74 stored in the storage unit 72 to realize the network topology mapping method according to the present invention.

[0048] The memory unit 72 is coupled to the processing unit 70 and may be any data storage device, which is used to store instructions 74, and the instructions 74 can be read and executed by the processing unit 70. For example, the memory unit 72 may be, but is not limited to, a ROM, flash memory, RAM, optical data storage device, or non-volatile memory unit. Furthermore, the memory unit 72 may also be used to store data necessary when executing the network topology mapping flow 2, such as planned network topology information and physical network topology information, but is not limited to that.

[0049] In summary, the present invention provides a network topology mapping method and a network management device that realize a fault-tolerant topology mapping mechanism by comparing node models, functional modules, and connection relationships of connection lines. This improves the level of automation in network management, the flexibility of deployment, and the reliability of the system, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0050] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and any modifications to the present invention that do not deviate from the spirit of the invention fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1: Network System 10: Network Management Device 12: Network 14: Physical Network 16: Physical network equipment 2: Network topology mapping flow 200-220: Step DNT: Planned Network Topology PNT: Physical Network Topology DN_1~DN_3: Planning Nodes DL_1~DL_3: Planned connection lines PND_1~PND_3: Physical network devices PL_1~PL_2: Physical connection lines 70: Processing Unit 72: Memory Unit 74: Command

Claims

1. A network topology mapping method, a) Obtain the physical network topology of the physical network; b) Based on the physical network topology, determine the physical management endpoint (Management Endpoint, ME) in the physical network topology; c) Based on the model of the physical management endpoint, determine at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology; d) Select candidate management endpoints from the at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order; e) Perform topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology, using the candidate management endpoint and the physical management endpoint as starting points; and f) A network topology mapping method comprising the step of generating a network topology mapping result.

2. A network topology mapping method according to claim 1, A network topology mapping method wherein the physical network topology includes models, functional modules, and connection relationships of connection lines for multiple physical network devices in the physical network.

3. A network topology mapping method according to claim 2, Step a) is Search for the aforementioned multiple physical network devices; Acquire device information of the plurality of physical network devices, including models and functional modules; and A network topology mapping method comprising the step of obtaining the connection relationships of connection lines of a plurality of physical network devices based on a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP).

4. A network topology mapping method according to claim 1, Step c) is A network topology mapping method comprising the step of selecting at least one planning node having the same model in the planning network topology as the at least one candidate management endpoint, based on the model of the physical management endpoint.

5. A network topology mapping method according to claim 1, Step d) further, A network topology mapping method that includes a step of determining that network topology mapping has failed when there are no other unselected candidate management endpoints.

6. A network topology mapping method according to claim 1, Step e) is A network topology mapping method comprising the step of performing node mapping, one by one, between each planning node in the planning network topology and the physical network equipment corresponding to the planning node in the physical network topology, starting from the candidate management endpoint and the physical management endpoint.

7. A network topology mapping method according to claim 6, Step e) further, If any one planning node in the planning network topology cannot find the corresponding physical network device in the physical network topology, return to step d); and A network topology mapping method, comprising the step of returning to step d) when the mapping between any one planned node in the planned network topology and the corresponding physical network device fails.

8. A network topology mapping method according to claim 6, The node mapping described above is A network topology mapping method comprising the step of comparing the model, functional module, and connection line relationships between each of the planned nodes and their corresponding physical network devices, and determining that the node mapping is successful when the model, functional module, and connection line relationships all match.

9. A network topology mapping method according to claim 8, The step of comparing whether the connection relationships of the aforementioned connecting lines match is: A network topology mapping method comprising the steps of determining whether the corresponding physical network equipment has a corresponding connection line for each predefined connection line of each planned node, and determining whether the indices of the connection ports at both ends of the corresponding connection line match the indices of the connection ports corresponding to each connection line.

10. A network topology mapping method according to claim 1, A network topology mapping method wherein the network topology mapping result includes mapping relationships and differences between the planned network topology and the physical network topology.

11. A network topology mapping method according to claim 10, further, A network topology mapping method comprising the step of deploying a predefined network configuration in the planned network topology to the physical network based on the network topology mapping results.

12. A network management device, A memory unit that stores instructions; and Includes a processing unit coupled to the storage unit and configured to execute the instruction, The aforementioned instruction is, a) Obtain the physical network topology of the physical network; b) Based on the physical network topology, determine the physical management endpoint (Management Endpoint, ME) in the physical network topology; c) Based on the model of the physical management endpoint, determine at least one candidate management endpoint from a predefined planned network topology; d) Select candidate management endpoints from the at least one candidate management endpoint in a predetermined order; e) Perform topology mapping between the planned network topology and the physical network topology, using the candidate management endpoint and the physical management endpoint as starting points; and f) A network management device that includes instructions for generating network topology mapping results.

13. A network management device according to claim 12, A network management device in which the physical network topology includes models, functional modules, and connection relationships of connection lines for multiple physical network devices in the physical network.

14. A network management device according to claim 13, Command a) is, Search for the aforementioned multiple physical network devices; Acquire device information of the plurality of physical network devices, including models and functional modules; and A network management device that includes commands to acquire the connection relationships of connection lines of the plurality of physical network devices based on the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP).

15. A network management device according to claim 12, Command c) is, A network management device that includes an instruction to select at least one planning node having the same model in the planning network topology as the at least one candidate management endpoint, based on the model of the physical management endpoint.

16. A network management device according to claim 12, Command d) further, A network management device that includes a command to determine that network topology mapping has failed when there are no other unselected candidate management endpoints.

17. A network management device according to claim 12, Command e) is, A network management device that includes commands to perform node mapping between each planning node in the planning network topology and the physical network equipment corresponding to the planning node in the physical network topology, starting from the candidate management endpoint and the physical management endpoint.

18. A network management device according to claim 17, Command e) further, When any one planning node in the planning network topology cannot find the corresponding physical network device in the physical network topology, execute instruction d); and A network management device that includes an instruction to execute instruction d) when the mapping between any one planning node in the planning network topology and the corresponding physical network device fails.

19. A network management device according to claim 17, The node mapping described above is A network management device that includes a command to compare the model, functional module, and connection line relationships between each of the aforementioned planned nodes and their corresponding physical network devices, and to determine that the node mapping was successful when the model, functional module, and connection line relationships all match.

20. A network management device according to claim 19, The command to compare whether the connection relationships of the aforementioned connecting lines match is: A network management device that includes a command to determine whether, for each predefined connection line of each of the aforementioned planning nodes, the corresponding physical network equipment has a corresponding connection line, and whether the indices of the connection ports at both ends of the corresponding connection line match the indices of the connection ports corresponding to each of the aforementioned connection lines.

21. A network management device according to claim 12, A network management device in which the network topology mapping results include the mapping relationships and differences between the planned network topology and the physical network topology.

22. A network management device according to claim 21, The aforementioned instruction further states, A network management device that includes an instruction to deploy a predefined network configuration in the planned network topology to the physical network based on the network topology mapping results.

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