Method and apparatus for determining fault root reason

Abstract

The present application discloses a method and apparatus for determining a fault root reason, and relates to the technical field of communications. In the method, network data of a first network element is acquired, comprising a first command set and a first parameter set. On the basis of the first command set and the first parameter set, a model corresponding to the first network element is acquired, wherein a first attribute of the model is determined by the first command set, and the value of the first attribute is determined by the first parameter set. On the basis of the model corresponding to the first network element, a control plane simulation result is acquired, wherein the control plane simulation result is used for determining a control plane fault root reason in a network. According to the present application, the model corresponding to the first network element is acquired by means of the network data of the first network element, and the first network element is accurately restored by means of the model, such that simulation of the control plane of the first network element can be implemented to obtain the control plane simulation result; and according to the control plane simulation result, the determination of the fault root reason can be extended to the control plane, thereby facilitating flexible and efficient automatic determination of an accurate control plane fault root reason.

Description

Method and device for determining root cause of fault

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411281175.4, filed on September 11, 2024, and entitled "Method and device for determining root cause of fault", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a method and device for determining root cause of fault. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of communication technology, the number of network elements (NEs) in a communication network is increasing, and the probability of failure of the network elements is also gradually increasing. How to determine the root cause of the fault, i.e., determine the root cause of the failure of the network element, has become a problem worthy of attention. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a method and device for determining root cause of fault, which can determine the root cause of fault flexibly and efficiently. The technical solutions provided by the present application at least include the following aspects.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for determining root cause of fault is provided. In the method, network data of a first network element is obtained, the network data of the first network element including a first command set and a first parameter set. Then, a model corresponding to the first network element is obtained based on the first command set and the first parameter set, wherein a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element is determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute is determined by the first parameter set. Next, a control plane simulation result is obtained based on the model corresponding to the first network element, and the control plane simulation result is used to determine a control plane root cause of fault of the network.

[0006] According to the present application, the first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element is determined according to the first command set in the network element data of the first network element, and the value of the first attribute is determined according to the first parameter set in the network element data of the first network element, so that the first network element is abstracted into the model corresponding to the first network element. Therefore, the control plane of the first network element can be simulated based on the model corresponding to the first network element to obtain a control plane simulation result. In the case where there is a fault in the network where the first network element is located, the control plane simulation result can be used to determine the control plane root cause of fault of the network, so that the determination of the root cause of fault is further determined to the control plane, and the control plane root cause of fault can be accurately, flexibly and efficiently determined.

[0007] In the network element data of the first network element (for example, the network element data of network elements produced by different manufacturers), there can be multiple expressions of the first command set, and the application does not limit the expression of the first command set, has strong applicability, can accurately determine the first attribute according to the first command set, and further can assign values to the first attribute according to the first parameter set, that is, determine the value of the first attribute. Therefore, the model corresponding to the first network element can accurately restore the first network element, which is beneficial to improve the accuracy of simulation based on the model corresponding to the first network element.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: obtaining network data of a second network element, the network data of the second network element including a second command set and a second parameter set; and obtaining a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element being determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute being determined by the second parameter set.

[0009] The network in which the first network element is located can also include a second network element, in which case, the application also abstracts the second network element into a model corresponding to the second network element, so as to facilitate simulation of the second network element.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result is obtained based on the model corresponding to the first network element, including: obtaining a control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network containing the first network element and the second network element.

[0011] Since the network contains the first network element and the second network element, the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element can be integrated to simulate the first network element and the second network element, so as to obtain the control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element, thereby expanding the range of simulation and determination of the control plane fault root cause in the network.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result is obtained based on the model corresponding to the first network element, including: determining a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute; and restoring a control plane behavior of a network element contained in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior including at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process.

[0013] By determining the topology of the network, the relationship between different network elements contained in the network is embodied, and based on this relationship, the control plane behavior of the network element contained in the network can be restored based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, thereby simulating the process performed by the control plane, which includes at least one of the routing processing process or the label propagation process, and is more comprehensive and flexible.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the model corresponding to the first network element is obtained based on the first command set and the first parameter set, including: mapping at least one command line in the first command set as a first attribute; and mapping at least one parameter in the first parameter set as a value of the first attribute.

[0015] Since the first attribute is mapped by at least one command line, and the value of the first attribute is mapped by at least one parameter, the model corresponding to the first network element occupies a smaller storage space. In the case of limited storage space, since the model corresponding to the first network element occupies a smaller storage space, a plurality of models corresponding to network elements contained in the network, for example, several thousand models corresponding to network elements, can exist, so as to simulate a larger number of network elements in batches, support simulation of a larger scale network, and expand the range of simulation and determination of control plane fault root causes in the network.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: displaying the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier, the network element identifier being an identifier of the first network element generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set.

[0017] By displaying the network element identifier of the first network element and the control plane simulation result, visualization of the control plane is implemented, and a user can intuitively browse the topology of the network and the control plane simulation result obtained based on the control plane behavior, which is beneficial to the user to understand whether there is a fault in the network and the specific situation and impact range of the fault in the case of the fault, and improves the efficiency of the user in analyzing the current network.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result includes a route obtained by a network element contained in the network through a routing processing process and a routing processing reason, the routing processing reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for not obtaining other routes than the route, and the routing processing process including at least one of a routing flooding process, a routing original process, a routing comparison process, a routing introduction process, a routing aggregation process, a routing revocation process, or a routing discard process.

[0019] Since the control plane simulation result contains rich information (i.e., the route and the routing processing reason), the efficiency of determining the control plane fault root cause according to the control plane simulation result is higher, and the accuracy is higher. Moreover, there are various routing processing processes, which reflect the whole life cycle of the route, so that the user can master the process of processing the route by the control plane of the first network element in detail.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result includes a label obtained by a network element contained in the network through a label propagation process and a label propagation reason, the label propagation reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining other labels than the label.

[0021] Since the control plane simulation result contains rich information (i.e., the label and the label processing reason), the efficiency of determining the fault root cause according to the control plane simulation result is high, the accuracy is high, and the user can master the process of the control plane of the first network element for propagating the label in detail.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: determining the source network element and the destination network element from the network elements included in the network; and obtaining the forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, and the model corresponding to the first network element, the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result being used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network.

[0023] After the simulation of the control plane is implemented, the simulation of the forwarding plane is also implemented, and the forwarding plane simulation result is obtained, so that the control plane fault root cause of the network can be determined accurately and quickly based on the control plane simulation result and the forwarding plane simulation result when the network has a fault, the difficulty of determining the control plane fault root cause by the user is reduced, and the efficiency is improved.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the forwarding plane simulation result is obtained based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, and the model corresponding to the first network element, including: restoring the traffic forwarding process from the source network element to the destination network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute, and the value of the first attribute, to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result.

[0025] The simulation of the traffic forwarding process performed by the forwarding plane is implemented, and the forwarding plane simulation result is obtained comprehensively and accurately.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the forwarding plane simulation result includes at least one of the reason for forwarding the traffic or the reason for not forwarding the traffic of any network element from the source network element to the destination network element in the traffic forwarding process.

[0027] Through the forwarding plane simulation result, the user can accurately know the reason for forwarding or not forwarding the traffic of each network element on the traffic forwarding path, and it is convenient for the user to master the traffic forwarding situation, so that the fault existing in the network can be found in time.

[0028] In a second aspect, a device for determining a fault root cause is provided, and the device includes an obtaining module. The obtaining module is configured to obtain network data of a first network element, the network data of the first network element including a first command set and a first parameter set. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain a model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set, a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element being determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute being determined by the first parameter set. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain a control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element, the control plane simulation result being used to determine a control plane fault root cause of a network.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is further configured to obtain network data of a second network element, the network data of the second network element including a second command set and a second parameter set; and obtain a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element being determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute being determined by the second parameter set.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is configured to obtain a control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network including the first network element and the second network element.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is configured to determine a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute; and restore a control plane behavior of a network element included in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior including at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is configured to map at least one command line in the first command set to the first attribute; and map at least one parameter in the first parameter set to the value of the first attribute.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a display module configured to display the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier, the network element identifier being an identifier of the first network element generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result includes a route obtained by a network element included in the network through a routing processing process and a routing processing reason, the routing processing reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for obtaining another route other than the route, and the routing processing process including at least one of a routing flooding process, a routing original process, a routing comparison process, a routing introduction process, a routing aggregation process, a routing revocation process, or a routing discard process.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the control plane simulation result includes a label and a label propagation reason obtained by a network element included in the network through a label propagation process, and the label propagation reason includes at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining another label.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a determination module configured to determine a source network element and a destination network element from the network elements included in the network; and the obtaining module is further configured to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, and the model corresponding to the first network element, and the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result are used to determine a control plane fault root cause of the network.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is configured to restore a traffic forwarding process from the source network element to the destination network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute, and the value of the first attribute, to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the forwarding plane simulation result includes at least one of a reason for forwarding traffic or a reason for not forwarding traffic in a traffic forwarding process of any network element of the source network element and the destination network element.

[0039] In a third aspect, a device for determining a fault root cause is provided, and the device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores at least one computer instruction, and the at least one computer instruction is loaded and executed by the processor, so that the device implements the method for determining a fault root cause provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0040] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0041] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are separately arranged.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a system for determining a fault root cause is provided, and the system includes the device for determining a fault root cause provided in the third aspect and at least one network element.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, a chip is provided, including a processor, configured to call and run instructions stored in a memory, so that a computer installed with the chip executes the method for determining a fault root cause provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0044] In a sixth aspect, another chip is provided, comprising: an input interface, an output interface, a processor, and a memory, the input interface, the output interface, the processor, and the memory being connected through internal connection paths, the processor being configured to execute code in the memory, when the code is executed, a computer installed with the chip executes the method for determining a fault root cause provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0045] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, the computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions, when the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method for determining a fault root cause provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect is executed by the computer.

[0046] In an eighth aspect, a computer program or computer program product is provided, the computer program or computer program product comprising: computer instructions, when the computer instructions are run on a computer, causing the computer to execute the method for determining a fault root cause provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0047] It should be understood that the technical effects achieved by the technical solutions provided in the second aspect to the eighth aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manners of the present application can be referred to the description of the technical effects achieved by the technical solutions provided in the first aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manners, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a fault root cause in a communication network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a computer device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for determining a fault root cause provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for determining a fault root cause provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 6 is a path propagation diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 7 is a routing propagation diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a hierarchical display of a network level, a tunnel level, and a network element level provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a user interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another user interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of yet another user interface provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a root cause of a fault provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of yet another process for determining a root cause of a fault provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of still another process for determining a root cause of a fault provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a process for determining a root cause of a fault provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 16 is a structural diagram of an apparatus for determining a root cause of a fault provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 17 is a structural diagram of another computer device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The terms used in the embodiments section of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0066] With the development of communication technology, the scale of a communication network (which can also be referred to simply as a network) is also increasing, for example, a communication network can include thousands or tens of thousands of network elements, and involve millions of users. Therefore, a communication network is very complex, and planning, construction, maintenance and optimization (referred to as planning, construction, maintenance and optimization) of a communication network has a large network risk, and there is a scale effect, that is, even a small-scale fault in a communication network can have a chain reaction in the entire communication network, and the scope of influence is relatively wide. Moreover, in a communication network, the underlying network protocol used by a network element is relatively complex, and different internet protocol (IP) addresses in multiple network protocols can conflict with each other or have unexpected effects. The upper-layer service is also relatively complex, and a network element needs to process traffic from different services in multiple services.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 1, R in FIG. 1 represents a network element, and a plurality of network elements constitute a communication network. Exemplarily, the underlying network protocol includes but is not limited to an interior gateway protocol (IGP), a border gateway protocol (BGP), a virtual private network (VPN) protocol, a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) protocol, a traffic engineering (TE) protocol, or a segment route (SR) protocol, etc. Optionally, the upper-layer service includes but is not limited to the traffic of a live service or the traffic of a file transmission service, etc.

[0068] Based on the above description of various features, the configuration and maintenance of the communication network are more likely to fail, and the failure may cause more serious consequences. For example, since the communication network covers multiple industries, any failure of the communication network may cause the interruption of services related to the industries or the loss of data related to the industries, thereby causing user complaints, defaults, or more serious consequences such as economic losses.

[0069] Among them, the communication network fails, that is, the network element in the communication network fails. For example, due to the change of the network element configuration, the network element fails. The network element includes a control plane and a forwarding plane, the control plane is used to provide control functions, and the forwarding plane is used to provide traffic forwarding functions. For example, the control plane is used to generate a routing table, and the forwarding plane is used to forward traffic according to the routing table. When the forwarding plane fails (for example, the forwarding plane fails to forward traffic), it may be caused by the failure of the control plane (for example, the routing table generated by the control plane is incorrect). Therefore, how to determine the failure root cause of the control plane, that is, the root cause of the failure of the control plane, is a problem worthy of attention. Among them, determining the failure root cause of the control plane at least includes the following difficulties.

[0070] Difficulty 1, the failure root cause has unpredictability, and the impact of the failure root cause on the network element and the communication network also has unpredictability. For example, in the case of network element configuration change, that is, in the case of incremental configuration based on the current network element configuration, the failure root cause may include: the incremental configuration is incorrect, the current network element configuration is incorrect, or the incremental configuration and the current network element configuration are incorrect after superposition. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the failure root cause, which may require a lot of time and manpower.

[0071] Difficult point 2, the scale of the communication network is large, and the number of network elements is large. For example, the communication network is a backbone network, and the backbone network can include three to six thousand network elements. For another example, the communication network is an enterprise data center network, and the enterprise data center network can include thousands of network elements. Among them, the routing table used by any network element, the interface on the network element and the link connected with the network element can all be faulty. Therefore, the probability of failure is large, and it is difficult to determine the root cause of the failure. For example, referring to FIG. 2, R in FIG. 2 represents a network element, and in the case of a service interruption in the communication network, there are multiple possible root causes of the failure, and the multiple possible root causes of the failure are distributed on different network elements. The above possible root causes of the failure can have a real root cause of the failure, which makes it difficult to determine the real root cause of the failure. In addition, if the faults are excluded according to the scene and the rules, a large number of rules need to be relied on, which is high in cost and low in efficiency.

[0072] Difficult point 3, the complexity of determining the root cause of the failure is high. The network protocol of the network element is relatively complex, and can affect each other, so that the different network elements also affect each other. For example, the on-off of a tunnel (composed of network elements) in a region of the communication network can affect the on-off of a tunnel in another region. Thus, the complexity and difficulty of determining the root cause of the failure are further increased, the range of the region in which the root cause of the failure can be determined in the communication network is limited, and the efficiency of determining the root cause of the failure is also reduced.

[0073] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining the root cause of the failure. The method can accurately and efficiently determine the root cause of the failure of the control plane of the network element based on the simulation process of at least one network element included in the communication network, shorten the time consumed for troubleshooting the root cause of the failure, and improve the user experience. The method can be applied in a computer device. Optionally, the computer device is a server, a control device or a network management device. Optionally, a network cloud engine (NCE) is installed on the server, and is used to realize the function of determining the root cause of the failure. Exemplarily, the network element included in the communication network can be a router, a switch or a gateway device, etc.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3, the computer device can include a processor 301, a memory 302 and a bus 303, the processor 301 and the memory 302 are connected with the bus 303 respectively. The memory 302 stores operating system information and program code, the processor 301 can read and execute the operating system information stored in the memory 302 to run the operating system. The processor 301 can also read and execute the program code (corresponding to the functional modules described above) stored in the memory 302 to implement the method for determining the fault root cause provided by the embodiments of the present application on the operating system. For example, the processor 301 reads and executes the program code to run the simulation system (for example, a network simulation engine) on the operating system, and realizes the simulation of the plurality of network elements through the simulation system, and then determines the fault root cause of the control plane of the network element.

[0075] Optionally, the computer device further includes an interaction device 304 connected with the bus 303. The interaction device 304 can realize the interaction with the user. For example, the interaction device 304 includes an input device and an output device. The input device includes but is not limited to at least one of a keyboard, a mouse or a microphone, and the user can input information (for example, the user inputs instructions to the computer device to instruct the computer device to execute the simulation process) to the computer device through the input device. Optionally, the output device includes but is not limited to a display screen, and the computer device can output information (for example, the computer device outputs the result of the simulation process to the user) to the user through the output device.

[0076] For example, the computer device further includes a network interface 305 connected with the bus 303. The network interface 305 can obtain the network data of the network element. For example, the computer device can be connected with the network element through the network interface 305, so as to obtain the network data of the network element. For another example, the computer device can be connected with a database through the network interface 305, so as to obtain the network data of the network element. According to the network data of the network element, the simulation of the plurality of network elements can be realized. For example, the processor 301 inputs the network data of the network element into the simulation system, so that the simulation system realizes the simulation of the network element. Optionally, the network data of the network element can also be stored in the memory 302 described above, and the application does not limit the obtaining method of the network data.

[0077] For the result of the simulation process and the network data described above, both will be described in detail in the method embodiments (i.e., the method embodiments corresponding to FIG. 4) below, which will not be described here. As shown in FIG. 4, the method for determining the fault provided by the embodiments of the present application includes the following steps 401 to 403.

[0078] Step 401, obtaining the network data of the first network element, the network data of the first network element including a first command set and a first parameter set.

[0079] The network data of the first network element indicates a network configuration of the first network element. The network data of the first network element is, for example, a configuration file, including but not limited to a configuration file with a suffix of.cfg. The network data of the first network element includes a first command set and a first parameter set. The first command set includes at least one command line (denoted as a first command line), and the first parameter set includes at least one parameter (denoted as a first parameter). The first command line indicates a type of the network configuration of the first network element, and the first parameter indicates content of the network configuration of the first network element.

[0080] In some examples, the network data of the first network element includes at least one of the following.

[0081] The identification information of the first network element is used to uniquely identify the first network element. For example, the first command line is an identification (ID) or an NE name, and the first parameter is a certain value, for example, Mbuya-AGG-X8-02 (which can be set according to actual needs, and is used herein for example only), representing that the ID (or NE name) of the first network element is Mbuya-AGG-X8-02.

[0082] The neighbor configuration information of the first network element is used to indicate a neighbor of the first network element. For example, the first command line is a neighbor or a peer, and the first parameter is an IP address, representing that the neighbor of the first network element is a network element with the IP address.

[0083] The virtual routing forwarding (VRF) configuration information of the first network element is used to indicate a network in which the first network element is located. The VRF is a VPN. For example, the first command line can include a corresponding VRF and an instance, and the first parameter includes a value of the VRF and a value of the instance. The value of the VRF indicates a public network or a private network, representing that the network in which the network element is located is the public network or the private network. The value of the instance indicates a public network instance or a private network instance. The public network instance is, for example, a VPN version 4 (VPNv4), and the private network instance can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

[0084] The MPLS configuration information of the first network element is used to indicate an MPLS configuration of the first network element. For example, the first command line is an enabling condition of an MPLS protocol, and the first parameter is a certain value, which can indicate whether the MPLS protocol is enabled.

[0085] Exemplarily, the computer device can receive the network data of the first network element sent by the first network element through the network interface, or receive the network data of the first network element sent by the database through the network interface, so as to realize the acquisition of the network data of the first network element. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the computer device can also receive the network data of the first network element uploaded by the user, so as to realize the acquisition of the network data of the first network element. Regardless of the way in which the computer device acquires the network data of the first network element, the computer device can execute the following step 402 according to the network data of the first network element in real time. Alternatively, the computer device can store the network data of the first network element in the storage, read the stored network data of the first network element according to actual needs and execute the following step 402.

[0086] In step 402, a model corresponding to the first network element is acquired based on the first command set and the first parameter set, a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element is determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute is determined by the first parameter set.

[0087] The model corresponding to the first network element (which can also be referred to as a network domain model) can include an attribute part and a logic part. The attribute part is used to restore the network configuration of the first network element, and the logic part is used to restore the behavior of the first network element. The behavior of the first network element includes but is not limited to the control plane behavior and the forwarding plane behavior of the first network element. The control plane behavior includes but is not limited to at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process. The forwarding plane behavior includes but is not limited to a traffic forwarding process. Details are described below in step 403, which will not be described here.

[0088] In an exemplary embodiment, acquiring the model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set includes: mapping at least one command line in the first command set as a first attribute, and mapping at least one parameter in the first parameter set as a value of the first attribute. The first attribute and the value of the first attribute are the attribute part of the model corresponding to the first network element. The at least one command line in the first command set refers to all or part of the first command lines included in the first command set. The at least one parameter in the first parameter set refers to all or part of the first parameters included in the first parameter set.

[0089] For example, the first command is neighbor or peer, the first attribute can be mapped to a neighbor attribute, and the first parameter can be an IP address. The value of the first attribute can be mapped to an IP address. The attribute part (including the first attribute and the value of the first attribute) of the model corresponding to the first network element indicates that the neighbor of the first network element is a network element with the IP address, and the neighbor configuration information of the first network element is restored.

[0090] The process of mapping the first attribute and the value of the first attribute in the above paragraph is also referred to as a parsing process of the network data of the first network element. As shown in FIG. 5, through the parsing process, the attribute part of the model corresponding to the first network element can be obtained. In addition, with reference to FIG. 5, through the modeling process, the logic part of the model corresponding to the first network element can be obtained. For example, through the modeling process, executable code is generated, and the logic part includes the executable code. When the executable code is executed by the computer device, the behavior of the first network element can be restored.

[0091] Exemplarily, the model corresponding to the first network element is defined based on a request for comments (RFC), and the network data of the first network element is also defined based on the RFC. Therefore, even if the first command line included in the network data of different first network elements has different expressions, for example, the first command line included in the network data of different network elements manufactured by different network element manufacturers (i.e., vendors) has different expressions, the different expressions all conform to the RFC definition, and thus the first command line with different expressions can be all mapped to the first attribute, which is more flexible and has stronger applicability. For example, the first command line in the network data of the first network element A is neighbour, and the first command line in the network data of the first network element B is peer. The neighbour and the peer can be both mapped to the first attribute. Of course, the first command line with other expressions similar to the neighbour or the peer can also be mapped to the first attribute.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network element is abstracted as the model corresponding to the first network element, and the network configuration and the behavior of the first network element are restored through the model corresponding to the first network element, so as to realize the simulation of the first network element and further realize the simulation of the network including the first network element. Since the first attribute is mapped from at least one first command line, and the value of the first attribute is mapped from at least one first parameter, the model corresponding to the first network element occupies a smaller storage space, for example, a storage space of several megabytes (MB). In addition, the network also includes network elements other than the first network element (for example, the second network element described below), and the model corresponding to the network element also occupies a smaller storage space. Therefore, in the case of limited storage space, since the model corresponding to each network element in the network occupies a smaller storage space, a plurality of models corresponding to network elements, for example, several thousand models corresponding to network elements, can exist, so as to facilitate the batch simulation of a large number of network elements and support the simulation of a large-scale network, thereby expanding the range of determining the root cause of the fault.

[0093] In step 403, a control plane simulation result is obtained based on the model corresponding to the first network element, and the control plane simulation result is used to determine the control plane root cause of the network.

[0094] Since the model corresponding to the first network element can restore the network configuration and behavior of the first network element, simulation of the first network element can be implemented based on the model corresponding to the first network element, so as to obtain a control plane simulation result, which is a result obtained by restoring the control plane behavior of the first network element. The control plane simulation result is used to determine a control plane fault root cause of a network, the network including the first network element. The network also includes a second network element. In a case where the network has a fault, the control plane fault root cause of the network can be determined according to the control plane simulation result. The control plane fault root cause can refer to one or more network elements in the network that have a control plane fault, or the control plane fault root cause can also refer to one or more network elements that have network data errors, for example, accurately locating the fault to at least one of a command line or a parameter included in network data of the network element.

[0095] In an example embodiment, obtaining the control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element includes: determining a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, restoring a control plane behavior of a network element included in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology, and obtaining the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior including at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process.

[0096] The topology of the network determined based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a physical topology or a logical topology. The physical topology of the network describes a physical connection relationship between different network elements in the network, and the logical topology of the network describes a neighbor relationship between different network elements in the network. The process of determining the logical topology of the network, that is, a neighbor establishment process between different network elements. For example, in a case where the first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element is a neighbor attribute and the value of the first attribute is an IP address, the neighbor of the first network element is determined to be a network element having the IP address based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, that is, the first network element and the network element having the IP address have a neighbor relationship and can implement data transmission, so that the first network element and the network element having the IP address have a logical topology. Optionally, the neighbor relationship includes, but is not limited to, an IGP neighbor relationship, a BGP neighbor relationship, and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the embodiments of the present application can also record a neighbor interface state obtained based on the neighbor establishment process.

[0097] After the topology of the network is determined, the control plane behavior of the first network element can be restored based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology, and a control plane simulation result is obtained. As described above, the logical part of the model corresponding to the first network element can restore the control plane behavior of the first network element, and thus the embodiment of the present application can run the logical part of the model corresponding to the first network element based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology, to restore the control plane behavior of the first network element and obtain the control plane simulation result. For example, the logical part includes executable code, and the control plane simulation result is obtained by executing the executable code and referencing the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology in the process of executing the executable code. In one example, in the process of executing the executable code, the first attribute and the value of the first attribute are referenced to determine that the first network element has enabled the MPLS protocol, and the topology is referenced to determine that the first network element has a neighbor relationship with another network element and can implement data transmission, and thus by executing the executable code, the data transmission process between the first network element and the another network element based on the MPLS protocol can be restored, and the transmitted data can be a label distribution protocol (LDP) label defined by the MPLS protocol, and this process is also a label propagation process included in the control plane behavior.

[0098] In the case where the network includes the first network element and the second network element, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes: obtaining network data of the second network element, the network data of the second network element including a second command set and a second parameter set, obtaining a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element being determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute being determined by the second parameter set. The second network element and the first network element are different network elements included in the network. The network data of the second network element and the obtaining manner of the network data of the second network element can refer to the network data of the first network element and the obtaining manner of the network data of the first network element described in step 401 above, which will not be described herein. The second command set includes at least one second command line, and the second parameter set includes at least one second parameter. For example, the model corresponding to the second network element is obtained based on the second command set and the second parameter set, including: mapping at least one command line in the second command set (for example, all or part of the second command lines included in the second command set) as the second attribute, and mapping at least one second parameter in the second parameter set (for example, all or part of the second parameters included in the second parameter set) as the value of the second attribute. The mapping process can also refer to the description in step 401 above, which will not be described herein. The second attribute and the value of the second attribute constitute an attribute part of the model corresponding to the second network element, and the attribute part is used to restore the network configuration of the second network element. The second network element can also include a logical part, and the logical part is used to restore the behavior of the second network element.

[0099] Accordingly, the obtaining the control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element comprises: obtaining the control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network containing the first network element and the second network element. Illustratively, the obtaining the control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element comprises: determining a topology of the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, the second attribute and the value of the second attribute; restoring the control plane behavior of the first network element based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element, and restoring the control plane behavior of the second network element based on the second attribute, the value of the second attribute and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result corresponding to the second network element.

[0100] The topology of the network determined based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, the second attribute and the value of the second attribute comprises but is not limited to at least one of a physical topology or a logical topology. The physical topology describes the physical connection relationship between the first network element and the second network element, and the logical topology describes the neighbor relationship between the first network element and the second network element. In addition, the process of restoring the control plane behavior of the first network element based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute and the topology has been described above, and will not be repeated here. In the process of restoring the control plane behavior of the second network element based on the second attribute, the value of the second attribute and the topology, a logical part of the model corresponding to the second network element can be run based on the second attribute, the value of the second attribute and the topology. For example, the logical part of the model corresponding to the second network element comprises executable code, and by executing the executable code and referring to the second attribute, the value of the second attribute and the topology in the process of executing the executable code, the control plane behavior of the second network element is restored.

[0101] Both the control plane behavior of the first network element and the control plane behavior of the second network element can comprise at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process. Next, the routing processing process, the label propagation process and the corresponding control plane simulation result are described.

[0102] In some embodiments, when the control plane behavior comprises a routing process, the control plane simulation result comprises a route obtained by a network element (the first network element or the second network element) included in the network through the routing process and a routing processing reason, the routing processing reason comprising at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for not obtaining the route, the routing processing reason can comprise a route policy or other reasons, and embodiments of the present application do not limit the routing processing reason. The route obtained through the routing process refers to a route entry, and the route entry and the routing processing reason can constitute a routing table. In embodiments of the present application, when the control plane simulation result comprises the route and the routing processing reason, the control plane simulation result contains more abundant information, and since the control plane simulation result is used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network, when the control plane simulation result contains more abundant information, it is beneficial to improve the efficiency and accuracy of determining the fault root cause according to the control plane simulation result.

[0103] Exemplarily, the routing process comprises at least one of the following, and the routing process as follows embodies a route lifecycle, that is, a whole process of route flooding convergence.

[0104] Firstly, a route origination process, the route origination process refers to a process in which a network element in the network generates a new route entry. Optionally, the route entry comprises information such as a destination IP address, a subnet mask, a next hop, an outgoing interface, a metric value and a flag bit, and the destination IP address is an IP address of the network element itself, which can be obtained through configuration. Correspondingly, the routing processing reason comprises a reason for generating the new route entry. The route entry generated by the network element is used to forward traffic to the network element.

[0105] Secondly, a route flooding process, also referred to as a route propagation process or a route advertisement process. The route flooding process refers to a process in which a network element propagates a generated (or known) route entry to another network element. Correspondingly, when the network element acts as a sender of the route flooding process, the routing processing reason comprises a reason for the network element to send the route entry to another network element, or a reason for the network element not to send the route entry to another network element. When the network element acts as a receiver of the route flooding process, the routing processing reason comprises a reason for the network element to receive the route entry sent by another network element, or a reason for the network element not to receive the route entry sent by another network element.

[0106] Third, route comparison procedure, the route comparison procedure refers to a procedure of comparing multiple route entries to a destination network or a destination network element in a network element to select a better route entry. Accordingly, the route processing reason includes a reason of selecting a route entry as a better route entry, or a reason of not selecting a route entry as a better route entry.

[0107] Fourth, route import / redistribution procedure, the route import procedure includes at least one of the following: a procedure of importing route entries across protocols in a network element, or a procedure of importing route entries between different protocol processes (also referred to as protocol instances) in the same protocol. For example, an intermediate system-to-intermediate system (IS-IS) routing protocol imports static configured route entries. For another example, a BGP protocol imports route entries generated by an IS-IS routing protocol. For another example, an IS-IS routing protocol imports route entries generated by a BGP protocol. For another example, an IS-IS routing protocol instance 1 imports route entries generated by an IS-IS routing protocol instance 2, and the like. Accordingly, the route processing reason includes a reason of importing route entries.

[0108] Fifth, route aggregation procedure, the route aggregation procedure refers to a procedure of merging multiple route entries with the same next hop into a single route entry in a network element. Accordingly, the route processing reason includes a reason of merging multiple route entries.

[0109] Sixth, route withdrawal procedure, the route withdrawal procedure refers to a procedure of announcing withdrawal of a route entry to another network element after a network element sends the route entry to the other network element, so that the other network element deletes the withdrawn route entry from a locally used routing table. Accordingly, the route processing reason includes a reason of withdrawing the route entry.

[0110] Seventh, route discard procedure, the route discard procedure refers to a procedure of discarding a route entry in a network element when the route entry is marked as invalid, unreachable, or denied according to a routing policy, so as to avoid the discarded route entry being incorrectly added to a locally used routing table by the network element. Accordingly, the route processing reason includes a reason of discarding the route entry.

[0111] In some embodiments, when the control plane behavior comprises a label propagation process, the control plane simulation result comprises a label obtained by a network element (the first network element or the second network element) included in the network through the label propagation process and a label propagation reason, the label propagation reason comprising at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining another label. Through the label propagation process, a tunnel establishment process between different network elements can be implemented. For example, the label is an LDP label defined by the MPLS protocol, and the established tunnel is an MPLS tunnel, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The label obtained by a network element through the label propagation process and the label propagation reason can constitute a label table. In the embodiments of the present application, when the control plane simulation result comprises the label and the label propagation reason, the control plane simulation result contains more abundant information, and since the control plane simulation result is used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network, the control plane simulation result contains more abundant information, which is beneficial to improving the efficiency and accuracy of subsequent determination of the fault root cause according to the control plane simulation result.

[0112] Exemplarily, the label propagation process refers to a process in which a network element sends a label to another network element, and the propagated label can be obtained through static configuration. Correspondingly, when a network element acts as a sender of the label propagation process, the label propagation reason comprises a reason for sending the label to another network element or a reason for not sending the label to another network element. When a network element acts as a receiver of the label propagation process, the label propagation reason comprises a reason for receiving the label sent by another network element or a reason for not receiving the label sent by another network element.

[0113] As can be seen from the above description, in the embodiments of the present application, based on the model corresponding to the first network element (and the model corresponding to the second network element can also be combined), the topology of the network can be determined and the control plane behavior can be restored, the simulation of the whole process of the neighbor establishment process, the tunnel establishment process and the route flooding convergence can be implemented, and thus the control plane simulation result used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network can be obtained.

[0114] In exemplary embodiments, the method further comprises displaying the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier of the first network element, which is generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set. Optionally, the network element identifier of the first network element comprises an icon of the first network element and a textual identifier of the first network element, the icon of the first network element can be automatically generated, and the textual identifier of the first network element is generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set. For example, when the first command behavior ID or the NE name included in the first command set and the first parameter Mbuya-AGG-X8-02 included in the first parameter set, Mbuya-AGG-X8-02 can be taken as the textual identifier of the first network element.

[0115] Exemplarily, in the case that the network comprises a second network element, the network element identifier of the second network element, i.e., the identifier of the second network element generated according to the second command set and the second parameter set, can also be displayed. Optionally, the network element identifier of the second network element comprises an icon of the second network element and a textual identifier of the second network element, and the process of generating the textual identifier of the second network element can refer to the process of generating the textual identifier of the first network element described in the above paragraph, which will not be repeated here.

[0116] Through the display process, the visualization of the network elements comprised by the network is realized, and the control plane simulation result obtained through simulation is intuitively displayed to the user, which is beneficial to the user to know the control plane behavior of the network elements and master the network state, and is convenient for subsequent implementation of determination of the control plane fault root cause.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 5, after the model corresponding to the network element is obtained through the analysis process and the modeling process, the network element identifier of the network element (i.e., the model presentation shown in FIG. 5) can be displayed, the attribute part and the logic part comprised by the model corresponding to the network element are written into the memory of the computer device (i.e., the model loading shown in FIG. 5), so as to determine the topology of the network based on the attributes comprised by the attribute part and the values of the attributes, display the connection between the network element identifiers to indicate the topology (i.e., the topology presentation shown in FIG. 5), in addition, the control plane behavior of the network element is restored based on the attributes, the values of the attributes and the topology, the control plane simulation result is obtained and displayed. For example, the control plane simulation result corresponding to each network element is displayed at the network element identifier. For another example, the control plane simulation result of each network element is displayed in the form of a report (i.e., the report presentation shown in FIG. 5), and the embodiment of the present application can provide an interface, when it is detected that the user calls the interface, the control plane simulation result of each network element is displayed in the form of a report.

[0118] In the exemplary embodiment, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises: determining a source network element and a destination network element from the network elements comprised by the network; and obtaining a forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result and the model corresponding to the first network element, the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result being used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network.

[0119] In the case that the network comprises a plurality of network elements, the first network element can be a source network element or a destination network element, or a network element other than the source network element and an intermediate network element. Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 5, the business flow data is obtained, and the source network element and the destination network element are determined from the plurality of network elements comprised by the network according to the business flow data. The business flow data can be created by the user or obtained from the existing network. Exemplarily, the business flow data comprises at least one of the following, but is not limited to: the ID of the source network element, the ID of the destination network element, the IP address of the source network element, the IP address of the destination network element or a network (such as a VPN) and the like. Optionally, the business flow data can be a file with a suffix of.csv.

[0120] In the example embodiment, the forwarding plane simulation result is obtained based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result and the model corresponding to the first network element, including: based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, restoring the traffic forwarding process from the source network element to the destination network element (i.e. the forwarding plane behavior), thereby obtaining the forwarding plane simulation result.

[0121] In the example embodiment, the forwarding plane simulation result is obtained based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result and the model corresponding to the first network element, including: based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, restoring the traffic forwarding process from the source network element to the destination network element (i.e. the forwarding plane behavior), thereby obtaining the forwarding plane simulation result.

[0122] In the case that the first network element and the second network element exist in the plurality of network elements included in the network, the second network element can also be the source network element or the destination network element, or other network element except the source network element and the intermediate network element, as long as the second network element is different from the first network element. Correspondingly, the obtaining of the forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result and the model corresponding to the first network element comprises: obtaining the forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element. Optionally, the embodiment of the present application can obtain the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, and the process has been described above and will not be described here. In addition, the embodiment of the present application can also obtain the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the second network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the second attribute and the value of the second attribute. For example, the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the second network element can be obtained by running the logical part of the model corresponding to the second network element (such as executing executable code) based on the control plane simulation result, the second attribute and the value of the second attribute. Based on this, the forwarding plane simulation result for determining the control plane fault root cause comprises the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the second network element.

[0123] In the example embodiment, the above-mentioned forwarding plane simulation result comprises at least one of a reason for forwarding the traffic and a reason for not forwarding the traffic in the process of forwarding the traffic by any network element in the source network element to the destination network element. The reason for forwarding the traffic includes but is not limited to that the forwarded traffic hits an entry in a routing table or a label table and the interface and the next hop can be determined according to the entry. The reason for not forwarding the traffic includes but is not limited to that the forwarded traffic does not hit an entry in a routing table or a label table, the forwarded traffic hits an entry in a routing table or a label table but the interface and the next hop cannot be determined according to the entry, or the traffic is intercepted due to the execution of a forwarding policy, etc.

[0124] Optionally, the forwarding plane simulation result can also comprise at least one of the following: the traffic on-off condition in the process of forwarding the traffic, the unreachable network element (i.e. the network element that cannot receive the traffic), the entry in the routing table or the label table hit by the traffic in the control plane simulation result, the interface and the next hop obtained by querying according to the hit entry or the executed forwarding policy, etc.

[0125] In the example embodiment, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises: displaying the forwarding plane simulation result and the network element identifier, wherein the network element identifier comprises the network element identifier of the first network element, or the network element identifier comprises the network element identifier of the first network element and the network element identifier of the second network element. The network element identifier and the process of generating the network element identifier have been described above and will not be described here.

[0126] Through the display process, visualization of the network elements included in the network is realized, and the forwarding plane simulation result obtained through simulation is intuitively shown to the user, which is beneficial to the user to know the forwarding plane behavior of the network elements and master the network state, and is convenient for subsequent implementation of determination of the control plane fault root cause.

[0127] According to the foregoing description, it can be known that the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result are used to determine the control plane fault root cause. Therefore, in the example embodiment, the method further comprises: determining a first network element set according to the forwarding plane simulation result, the first network element set comprising at least one network element of the network elements included in the network; determining a second network element set from the first network element set according to the control plane simulation result, the second network element set comprising a subset of the network elements of the first network element set; obtaining characteristic information of each network element of the second network element set, the characteristic information comprising at least one of the following: the control plane simulation result corresponding to the network element, the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the network element, or network data of the network element; and inputting the characteristic information of the network element into the rule base to obtain the control plane fault root cause output by the rule base.

[0128] In the foregoing description, the network includes a plurality of network elements, and the plurality of network elements can refer to the first network element and the second network element, or can refer to the first network element, the second network element and other network elements, and the number of the network elements included in the network is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The network elements included in the first network element set are all or part of the network elements included in the network, for example, the first network element set can comprise at least one of the first network element, the second network element or other network elements. The network elements included in the second network element set are all or part of the network elements included in the first network element set, for example, the second network element set can also comprise at least one of the first network element, the second network element or other network elements. Based on this, the process of obtaining the characteristic information of each network element of the second network element set can refer to the process of obtaining the control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element, the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the network data of the first network element in the foregoing description, and details are not described herein.

[0129] In the simulation process provided by the embodiments of the present application, the simulation of the control plane is performed first to obtain the control plane simulation result, and then the simulation of the forwarding plane is performed according to the control plane simulation result to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result. In the process of determining the control plane fault root cause provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first network element set is determined from all the network elements included in the network according to the forwarding plane simulation result, the network elements included in the first network element set are the network elements that may have faults, the fault range is preliminarily determined, the second network element set is determined from the first network element set according to the control plane simulation result, the network elements included in the second network element set are the network elements that are more likely to have faults, the accurate fault range is determined again, then the characteristic information of each network element of the second network element set is obtained, and the accurate control plane fault root cause is automatically, efficiently and intelligently determined in combination with the rule base.

[0130] Next, the determination process of the control plane fault root cause is described.

[0131] For the process of determining the first set of network elements from all network elements contained in the network according to the forwarding plane simulation result, in one example, the forwarding plane simulation result and the network element identifiers of all network elements contained in the network are displayed, so that the user determines the network elements that may have faults by browsing the forwarding plane simulation result and the network element identifiers, and the network elements determined by the user are taken as the network elements in the first set of network elements. For example, the user can select part of the displayed network element identifiers, and after detecting the selected network element identifiers, the network elements corresponding to the selected network element identifiers are added to the first set of network elements as the network elements that may have faults. Alternatively, in another example, the network elements in the first set of network elements are automatically determined according to the forwarding plane simulation result and the network element identifiers, and the application embodiments do not limit the determination manner.

[0132] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 shows an exemplary path propagation diagram, and each circle is a network element identifier of a network element. The user can select any network element identifier, and in response to detecting that the user selects any network element identifier, the forwarding plane simulation result corresponding to the network element corresponding to the network element identifier is displayed (not shown in FIG. 6), such as: the traffic interruption of network elements 61 to 64, network element 64 is an unreachable network element, and network element 61 cannot forward traffic to network elements 62 and 63. The reasons are as follows, etc. Thus, the user can know from browsing the path propagation diagram shown in FIG. 6 that network element 61 can forward traffic to network element 65, but network element 61 cannot forward traffic to network element 64 (i.e., the dashed line shown in FIG. 6). Network element 61 cannot forward traffic to network element 64 because it cannot forward traffic to network elements 62 and 63. Therefore, the user can determine network elements 61, 62, 63 and 64 as the network elements that may have faults, and then the computer device can determine network elements 61, 62, 63 and 64 as the network elements in the first set of network elements after the user selects the network element identifiers corresponding to network elements 61, 62, 63 and 64.

[0133] For the process of determining the second set of network elements from the first set of network elements according to the control plane simulation result, in one example, the control plane simulation result and the network element identifiers of all network elements in the first set of network elements are displayed, so that the user determines the network elements with a higher possibility of failure by browsing the control plane simulation result and the network element identifiers, and the network elements determined by the user are taken as the network elements in the second set of network elements. For example, the user can select part of the network element identifiers from the network element identifiers of all network elements in the first set of network elements, and after detecting the selected network element identifiers, the network elements corresponding to the selected network element identifiers are added to the second set of network elements as the network elements with a higher possibility of failure. Alternatively, in another example, the network elements in the second set of network elements are automatically determined according to the control plane simulation result and the network element identifiers, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the determination manner.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 shows an exemplary route propagation diagram, and each circle is a network element identifier of a network element. The user can select any network element identifier, and in response to detecting that the user selects any network element identifier, the control plane simulation result corresponding to the network element corresponding to the network element identifier is displayed (not shown in FIG. 7), such as: the reason why the network element 72 does not send a route to the network element 71, and the reason why the network element 73 does not send a route to the network element 71, and the like. Thus, the user can know, by browsing the route propagation diagram shown in FIG. 7, that the network element 74 generates a route with an IP address of 1.1.1.1 / 30, i.e., the route is used to reach a destination network element with an IP address of 1.1.1.1 / 30, and the destination network element is the network element 74. The network element 74 propagates the route to the network element 72 and the network element 73, but the network element 72 and the network element 73 do not propagate the route to the network element 71, so that the network element 71 does not obtain the route, and the traffic forwarding (i.e., the dashed line shown in FIG. 7) from the network element 71 to the network element 74 cannot be implemented. Among them, considering that the network element 72 and the network element 73 do not propagate the route to the network element 71, it is possible that the control plane of at least one of the network element 71, the network element 72 or the network element 73 is faulty, so that the user can determine the network element 71, the network element 72 and the network element 73 as the network elements with a higher possibility of failure, and then the computer device can determine the network element 71, the network element 72 and the network element 73 as the network elements in the second set of network elements after the user selects the network element identifiers corresponding to the network element 71, the network element 72 and the network element 73.

[0135] Exemplarily, for the control plane simulation result and the network element identifiers, the embodiments of the present application can perform hierarchical association display according to the network layer, the tunnel layer and the network element layer.

[0136] The network layer displays the control plane simulation result and the network element identifier obtained through the route propagation process, and can also display the propagated route. For example, network element A is a route publishing source network element, network element B is a route publishing intermediate network element, and network element C is a route publishing destination network element. A tunnel can be formed between network element A and network element B, or a tunnel can not be formed. Network element A propagates a route to network element B, and network element B propagates the route to network element C. The route has an IP address of network element A, and the route is used to forward traffic to network element A. Therefore, referring to FIG. 8, the network element identifier of network element A, the network element identifier of network element B, and the network element identifier of network element C are displayed on the user interface. There is an arrow from network element A to network element B between the network element identifier of network element A and the network element identifier of network element B, which represents that network element A has propagated the route to network element B. There is an arrow from network element B to network element C between the network element identifier of network element B and the network element identifier of network element C, which represents that network element B has propagated the route to network element C. Optionally, the user interface can also display the reason why network element A propagates the route to network element B, and the reason why network element B propagates the route to network element C (not shown in FIG. 8), and the like.

[0137] The tunnel layer displays the control plane simulation result and the network element identifier obtained through the label propagation process, and the propagated label is used to implement traffic forwarding in a tunnel, and can also display the propagated label. For example, network element A is a label publishing source network element, network element B is a label publishing intermediate network element, and network element C is a label publishing destination network element. A tunnel is formed between network element A and network element B. Network element A propagates a label to network element B, but network element B does not propagate the label to network element C. Therefore, referring to FIG. 8, the network element identifier of network element A, the network element identifier of network element B, and the network element identifier of network element C are displayed on the user interface. There is an arrow from network element A to network element B between the network element identifier of network element A and the network element identifier of network element B, which represents that network element A has propagated the label to network element B. There is no arrow from network element B to network element C between the network element identifier of network element B and the network element identifier of network element C, which represents that network element B does not propagate the label to network element C. Optionally, the user interface can also display the reason why network element A propagates the label to network element B, and the reason why network element B does not propagate the label to network element C (not shown in FIG. 8), and the like.

[0138] The network element layer displays the control plane simulation result and the network element identifier obtained by at least one of the route propagation process, the route origination process, the route comparison process, the route introduction process, the route aggregation process, the route withdrawal process or the route discard process, and can also display the related route. For example, referring to FIG. 8, in the network element A and the network element B, the static configured route, the route generated by the IS-IS route protocol and the route generated by the BGP are added to the route table by the route origination process, the cross-protocol introduced route is added to the route table by the route introduction process, for example, the IS-IS route protocol adds the static configured route and the route generated by the BGP to the route table, the BGP adds the route generated by the IS-IS route protocol to the route table, the routes in the route table are compared by the route comparison process, and the routes in the route table are aggregated by the route aggregation process. Through the route origination process, the route introduction process, the route comparison process and the route aggregation process, the routes exist in the route table, and the routes existing in the route table can be introduced into the network. In addition, the network element A propagates the route generated by the BGP to the network element B by the route propagation process, and the network element B discards the route generated by the BGP propagated by the network element A by the route discard process. Optionally, the user interface can also display the reasons for generating the route by each protocol, the reasons for introducing the route, the reasons for comparison or aggregation, the reasons for the network element A to propagate the route to the network element B, and the reasons for the network element B to discard the route (not shown in FIG. 8), and the like.

[0139] In the example embodiment, the network layer, the tunnel layer and the network element layer described above can be flexibly switched to display. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the switching control is displayed on the user interface, the switching control includes the network layer control, the tunnel layer control and the network element layer control, and any control in the network layer control, the tunnel layer control and the network element layer control can be selected by the user through the mouse or voice and the like. In response to detecting that the network layer control is selected, the network layer is displayed on the user interface. In response to detecting that the tunnel layer control is selected, the tunnel layer is displayed on the user interface. In response to detecting that the network element layer control is selected, the network element layer is displayed on the user interface.

[0140] For example, other contents can also be displayed on the user interface according to the actual needs, which is illustrated as follows in combination with FIG. 9.

[0141] In one example, the first filtering control is also displayed on the user interface, the first filtering control can receive the information input by the user through the keyboard or voice and the like, and the user interface is displayed in a personalized manner according to the information input by the user, so that the display on the user interface is more in line with the actual needs of the user. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the user can use the mouse to click “edit” to input information to the first filtering control, and the information input by the user can include at least one of the target network element, the target IP address or the target VPN of the route and the like.

[0142] In response to detecting that a target network element is input in the first filtering control, the network element identifier of the target network element and the control plane simulation result of the target network element are displayed on the user interface. For example, the network includes network elements A to F, and the target network elements include network element A and network element B. The display content on the user interface can include the network element identifier and the control plane simulation result of network element A, and the network element identifier and the control plane simulation result of network element B, and the like. In response to detecting that no target network element is input in the first filtering control, full-quantity display is performed on the user interface, that is, the network element identifiers and the control plane simulation results of all network elements included in the network are displayed.

[0143] In response to detecting that a target IP address is input in the first filtering control, the network element identifier of the relevant network element (a network element related to a route with the target IP address) and the control plane simulation result are displayed on the user interface. For example, the network elements include network elements A to F, a route with a target IP address is transmitted between network element A and network element B, and network elements C to F do not transmit a route with the target IP address. Therefore, network elements A and B are the relevant network elements. The display content on the user interface can include the network element identifier and the route with the target IP address of network element A, and the network element identifier and the route with the target IP address of network element B, and the like. In response to detecting that no target IP address is input in the first filtering control, full-quantity display is performed on the user interface, that is, the network element identifiers and the control plane simulation results of all network elements included in the network are displayed.

[0144] In response to detecting that a target VPN (indicating a public network or a private network) is input in the first filtering control, the network element identifier of the network element included in the target VPN and the control plane simulation result are displayed on the user interface. For example, the network elements include network elements A to F, and the target VPN includes network element A and network element B. The display content on the user interface can include the network element identifier and the control plane simulation result of network element A, and the network element identifier and the control plane simulation result of network element B, and the like. In response to detecting that no target VPN is input in the first filtering control, full-quantity display is performed on the user interface, that is, the network element identifiers and the control plane simulation results of all network elements included in the network are displayed.

[0145] In addition, in response to detecting that multiple types of information are input in the first filtering control, the intersection of the display content corresponding to each type of information is displayed on the user interface, which will not be described again.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 9, after inputting information into the first filtering control, the user can click "route propagation" using the mouse to instruct the route propagation diagram described above to be displayed on the user interface, which can be a route full life cycle diagram including the route processing procedures described above. The user can also click "terminate" using the mouse to instruct the route propagation diagram described above to stop being displayed on the user interface, thereby achieving flexible control over the display content.

[0147] In another example, at least one of the following is also displayed on the user interface: a capability (cap) of the network element, a VRF value corresponding to the network element, an instance value corresponding to the network element, an IP address of a local peer of the network element, or an IP address of a remote peer of the network element. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the user interface displays a route from Mbuya-AGG-X8-02 (a name of the network element), which has an IP address of 10.20.0.36 / 30. The user interface also displays a not chosen reason for the route not being selected as a preferred route in the route comparison process: not preferred for unknown. In addition, the user interface also displays the following: the capability of the network element is to support BGP, the VRF value corresponding to the network element is public, the instance value corresponding to the network element is VPNv4, the IP address of the local peer of the network element is 10.170.192.5 / 32, and the IP address of the remote peer of the network element is 10.170.193.8 / 32.

[0148] In yet another example, relevant information of the current simulation process is also displayed on the user interface. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the relevant information includes at least one of the following: an engineering name, a scenario name, a snapshot name, a snapshot type, or a flag, which can be input by the user through a keyboard or voice. The engineering name indicates an engineering to which the current simulation process belongs, the scenario name indicates a scenario to which the current simulation process belongs, at least one scenario can be created for one engineering, a combination of one engineering and one scenario is a snapshot, the snapshot name indicates the snapshot, the snapshot type indicates a type of the snapshot, and the flag indicates a note for the engineering, the scenario, or the snapshot.

[0149] For the process of inputting the characteristic information of each network element in the second set of network elements into the rule base (also referred to as a scenario experience rule base), and obtaining the control plane fault root cause (which can also be referred to simply as a fault root cause) output by the rule base, the rule base includes at least one rule. After inputting the characteristic information of each network element into the rule base, the control plane fault root cause can be determined based on each rule according to the characteristic information of each network element, and the determined control plane fault root cause is output. In this way, the fault root cause can be quickly determined, and it is simpler and faster for a user to determine the fault root cause.

[0150] In one example, the rule is a plugin programmed according to experience. In another example, after the plugin is programmed according to experience, the plugin can be updated to improve the ability of the plugin to determine the fault root cause, so that the plugin can output an accurate control plane fault root cause more quickly. For example, in the case of accurate determination of the control plane fault root cause, the corresponding relationship between the characteristic information of the network element and the control plane fault root cause is recorded, and the plugin is updated according to the corresponding relationship to optimize the plugin. Of course, the way of determining the control plane fault root cause by the plugin is an example, and the embodiments of the present application can also use other ways to implement the process of determining the control plane fault root cause based on the characteristic information of each network element according to the rule.

[0151] For example, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the rule includes at least one of a report viewing rule or a protocol analysis rule, but is not limited thereto. The report viewing rule is used to generate a report, such as a routing table or a label table obtained by performing a simulation process. The protocol analysis rule is used to determine the control plane fault root cause. For example, the report viewing rule includes a simulation report viewing rule, and the protocol analysis rule includes a BGP analysis rule and an IS-IS analysis rule. The BGP analysis rule includes at least one of a peer state diagnostic rule, an invalid route diagnostic rule, a route distribution diagnostic rule, a peer policy diagnostic rule, or a route compare diagnostic rule. The IS-IS analysis rule includes, but is not limited to, a peer state diagnostic rule.

[0152] In some embodiments, the rules used in determining the control plane fault root cause are all the rules in the rule library, or the rules used are part of the rules in the rule library selected automatically according to experience. In other embodiments, the rules used are the rules selected by the user, and the user can select appropriate rules for use according to actual needs, which is more flexible. Accordingly, the method further includes displaying the identification of the plurality of rules (such as the text identification "route publishing diagnosis" shown in FIGS. 10 and 11), and the rules used in determining the control plane fault root cause include at least one of the selected rules in the rule library. For example, the user can click a rule in the rule library using a mouse, thereby generating a selection instruction for the rule, and triggering the use of the rule and the determination of the control plane fault root cause.

[0153] For example, after determining the control plane fault root cause, the computer device can display the determined control plane fault root cause, so as to facilitate the user to intuitively understand the control plane fault root cause. For example, the computer device can superimpose and display the control plane fault root cause and the network element identification.

[0154] For example, the content displayed on the user interface can be flexibly switched. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the user can click "path analysis" using a mouse, and in response to detecting that "path analysis" is selected, the path propagation diagram described above is displayed on the user interface, so as to facilitate the determination of the network elements in the first network element set. The user can also click "route analysis" or "next step" (not shown in FIG. 9) using a mouse, and in response to detecting that "route analysis" or "next step" is selected, the route propagation diagram described above is displayed on the user interface, so as to facilitate the determination of the network elements in the second network element set. The user can also click "fault root cause analysis" or "next step" (not shown in FIG. 9) using a mouse, and in response to detecting that "fault root cause analysis" or "next step" is selected, the control plane fault root cause is displayed on the user interface.

[0155] In an example embodiment, the control plane fault root cause includes at least one of the command line or the parameter in the network data that has an error. In this way, the fault root cause can be accurately located to the granularity of the network data, and after the fault root cause is displayed on the user interface, the user can modify at least one of the command line or the parameter in the network data that has an error, so as to improve the fault existing in the control plane, which is efficient.

[0156] For example, referring to FIG. 7, the network elements in the second set of network elements include network element 71, network element 72 and network element 73. Taking network element 73 as an example, the control plane simulation result of network element 73 includes a route obtained by network element 73 and a route processing reason, the route has an IP address 1.1.1.1 / 30, and the route processing reason includes a reason why network element 73 does not propagate the route to network element 71: network element 73 does not propagate the route (route 1.1.1.1 / 30: send deny by policy-in) to network element 71 according to a policy-in. Alternatively, the reason can be determined according to the rib-out information (indicating a route locally announced to a neighbor) of network element 73 during the simulation. However, whether network element 73 propagates the route to network element 71 should be determined according to a policy-out applicable to a sending direction, rather than a policy-in applicable to a receiving direction. Therefore, the fault root cause of the control plane failure of network element 73 determined according to the control plane simulation result includes a parameter error related to the policy-in in the network data of network element 73, for example, a missing parameter in the network data of network element 73, the missing parameter indicating that the application direction of the policy-in is a receiving direction. After the fault root cause is displayed on the user interface, the user can add the missing parameter in the network data of network element 73, for example, add an in-port for the policy-in, indicating that the application direction of the policy-in is a receiving direction corresponding to the in-port, so as to avoid network element 73 from continuing to determine whether to propagate the route to network element 71 according to the policy-in.

[0157] Alternatively, referring to FIG. 10, the “result display” area (here as an example) on the user interface displays the fault root cause: BGP route is deny by policy-in, that is, a parameter error related to the policy-in.

[0158] For example, the user interface can further display a second filtering control, which can receive information input by the user through a keyboard or voice, perform detection according to the information input by the user, and obtain a detection result, which can include the control plane fault root cause described above, and can also include other detection results. As shown in FIG. 10, after the user inputs information to the second filtering control, the user can click “query” using the mouse to instruct the user interface to display the detection result. The user can also click “terminate” using the mouse to instruct the user interface to stop displaying the detection result, so as to flexibly control the display content on the user interface.

[0159] For example, referring to FIG. 10, the user input information includes: check BGP route is exist: true, and the detection result can include: BGP route is exist. For another example, the user input information includes: check BGP peer is establish: true, and the detection result can include: BGP peer is establish. For yet another example, the user input information includes: check BGP route is deny by policy-in: true, and the detection result can include the above-mentioned failure root cause, i.e., BGP route is deny by policy-in.

[0160] Optionally, other information indicating that the detection has been completed can also be displayed on the user interface. For example, the user interface can display: check BGP route send failed and finish check. Different contents on the user interface can be distinguished by ID.

[0161] In addition, according to the above description, it can be known that the report viewing rule is used to generate a report. In some embodiments, the complete report is displayed on the user interface, for example, all the reports included in the control plane simulation result. In other embodiments, part of the report is displayed on the user interface according to the user input information. For example, the user interface can further display a third filtering control, which can accept the user input information through a keyboard or voice, etc. Optionally, the user input information includes at least one of a report viewing instruction, a target network element, a target VPN or a target route prefix. As shown in FIG. 11, after the user inputs information to the third filtering control, the user can click “query” using a mouse to instruct to display part of the report on the user interface. The user can also click “terminate” using the mouse to instruct to stop displaying part of the report on the user interface, so as to realize flexible control of the display content on the user interface.

[0162] For example, referring to FIG. 11, the report viewing instruction input by the user is to view the BGP routing table (report type: BGP routing-table), the target network element is all network elements (node: all), that is, all network elements in multiple network elements. The target VPN input by the user is all VPNs (VPN: all), that is, all VPNs in the communication network. The target route prefix input by the user is 100.0.0.0 / 16. Based on this, it is explained that the user wants to view each route related to 100.0.0.0 / 16 included in the BGP routing table of all network elements (belonging to all VPNs). Therefore, it can be displayed in the "result display" area on the user interface in FIG. 11 that the BGP routing table of R2 (representing a network element) includes routes: 100.0.1.0 / 30, 100.0.2.0 / 30 and 100.0.3.0 / 30, and the BGP routing table of R3 (representing another network element) includes routes: 100.0.1.0 / 30, 100.0.2.0 / 30 and 100.0.3.0 / 30.

[0163] Optionally, other information can also be displayed on the user interface, and the other information includes but is not limited to: BGP number (such as 345 shown in FIG. 11), VPN instance type (such as 0 shown in FIG. 11), and different information can be distinguished by ID.

[0164] The above describes the method for determining the fault root cause provided by the embodiments of the present application as a whole, and the following continues to illustrate the method for determining the fault root cause.

[0165] According to the network data of the multiple network elements, the embodiments of the present application obtain multiple models corresponding to the multiple network elements, accurately restore the network configuration and behavior of the network elements through the models, and thus can simulate the multiple network elements by using the simulation technology according to the models. Not only can the fault root cause of the control plane of the network element be accurately and quickly determined (that is, the control plane fault is located and positioned), but also the visualization of the forwarding plane and the control plane of the network element can be realized, which is beneficial to quickly solve the fault existing in the control plane of the network element, thereby quickly recovering the normal operation of the network element.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 12, the embodiment of the present application can backup the current network element configuration of the communication network. In the case that the network element configuration needs to be changed, that is, in the case that incremental configuration is needed on the basis of the current network element configuration, the current network element configuration and the incremental configuration are input into the simulation system as network data of the network element (the content of the network data is determined according to actual needs, and does not need to include too much content to avoid affecting the simulation efficiency) for pre-simulation. The simulation system simulates the information processing process of the control plane of the plurality of network elements by using simulation technology to obtain a control plane simulation result. The simulation system also simulates the traffic forwarding process of the forwarding plane of the plurality of network elements to obtain a forwarding plane simulation result.

[0167] Then, the control plane fault localization and delimitation technology can be used to determine the fault range in the communication network based on the control plane simulation result (or the control plane simulation result and the forwarding plane simulation result), for example, the forwarding plane fault range includes the network elements in the first network element set, and the control plane fault range includes the network elements in the second network element set. In addition, the visualization of the forwarding plane can be realized according to the forwarding plane simulation result, for example, the path propagation graph is displayed on the user interface, and the visualization of the control plane can be realized according to the control plane simulation result, for example, the route propagation graph is displayed on the user interface. In addition, the control plane fault root cause of the network element in the fault range can also be determined based on the control plane simulation result.

[0168] Therefore, the user can modify the network data of the network element according to the determined fault root cause to obtain modified network data, that is, the possible problems in the network data are avoided through the process of pre-simulation. Then, the user can change the current network element configuration of the communication network according to the modified network data to avoid the network element configuration change causing a fault.

[0169] Of course, the case that the network element configuration needs to be changed is an example. In the case that a random fault occurs in the communication network, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application can determine the fault root cause that the control plane of the network element in the communication network has a fault, repair the random fault according to the fault root cause, and realize a closed loop.

[0170] In an aspect, the embodiments of the present application can perform preventive simulation before the configuration of the network element is changed (i.e., pre-configuration change), and such simulation can be implemented by software, without the need for additional functional configuration of the network element in the communication network or the need to add new hardware (such as physical network elements or sensors, etc.), thereby improving flexibility and scalability, reducing labor costs, material costs, operation and maintenance costs, and time costs, and ensuring the convenience and real-time performance of determining the fault root cause, and improving user experience. For example, the user can access and use the software at any time without being limited to a physical location or network environment. Thus, the determination of the fault root cause and the fault repair are facilitated and efficient, and the fault discovery, the determination of the fault root cause, and the fault repair are implemented from an end-to-end perspective, forming a closed loop, reducing the time of communication network interruption when a fault occurs, and reducing the impact of the fault on the communication network.

[0171] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present application can realize the visualization of the forwarding plane and the control plane. The visualization of the forwarding plane intuitively shows the traffic forwarding process of the forwarding plane, and the visualization of the control plane intuitively shows the information processing process of the control plane, such as the label propagation process and the route full life cycle process, which is beneficial to the user to understand the specific situation and the impact range of the network element with a fault in detail and quickly, and can assist the user to determine the network element with a fault in the control plane, thereby improving the efficiency of network analysis by the user. Compared with the simple way of providing alarm information or log records, the embodiments of the present application can improve the efficiency of determining the fault root cause, and are beneficial to efficient troubleshooting and repair.

[0172] In yet another aspect, the embodiments of the present application can automatically determine the fault root cause, and the user can determine the fault root cause by simple operation (such as one-key operation), thereby reducing the technical threshold of determining the fault root cause. Moreover, the fault root cause can be accurate to at least one of the command line or the parameter in the network data of the network element, which has high accuracy and is beneficial to efficient fault repair. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present application can superimpose the determined fault root cause on the user interface, such as a route full life cycle diagram, to more intuitively show the network element with a fault in the control plane and the fault root cause causing the fault to the user.

[0173] Referring to FIG. 13, taking the route simulation as an example, the route processing procedure of the control plane of the plurality of network elements is simulated based on the network data of the plurality of network elements and the simulation technology, and the obtained control plane simulation result includes a routing table, the routing table including the obtained route and the route processing reason. In addition, a route full life cycle diagram for realizing the visualization of the control plane and a path propagation diagram for realizing the visualization of the forwarding plane by the user can also be obtained. In the process of locating and determining the fault root cause of the control plane, a three-step method can be used. In the first step, the path propagation diagram is displayed on the user interface, which facilitates the preliminary determination of the forwarding plane fault range with a larger range. In the second step, the route full life cycle diagram is displayed on the user interface, which facilitates the determination of the control plane fault range with a smaller range, thereby narrowing the fault range in the communication network. In the third step, the fault root cause is determined in the control plane fault range, and the fault root cause can be superimposed and displayed on the route full life cycle diagram, which facilitates the user to repair the fault and restore the service in the communication network. For example, if the network data of one network element in the communication network includes a parameter error, the fault root cause is superimposed and displayed on the network element identifier in the route full life cycle diagram. Referring to FIG. 14, when the path propagation diagram is displayed on the user interface in the first step (for example, the path propagation diagram shown in FIG. 6), the user can trigger the second step by clicking the "next step" on the user interface to display the route full life cycle diagram (for example, the route propagation diagram shown in FIG. 7) on the user interface. Then, the user can trigger the third step by clicking the "next step" on the user interface to determine the fault root cause and superimpose and display the fault root cause on the route full life cycle diagram.

[0174] In the embodiments of the present application, the visualization of the control plane, that is, the route full life cycle diagram is displayed on the user interface, which intuitively shows the full life cycle of the route in the network, such as the route propagation, route maintenance (such as route comparison or route aggregation, etc.) and route failure process (such as route discarding) and the like. When the user browses the user interface, the propagation path of the route in the propagation process from the source network element to the destination network element and the processing of the route by each network element on the propagation path can be easily observed. Therefore, the user can know the dynamic change of the network topology and the route, which is not only conducive to the user to identify the fault range and determine the fault root cause, but also conducive to the user to timely discover potential faults or abnormal conditions, so that the user can take corresponding measures to solve the problem. The embodiments of the present application can realize the visualization of the control plane in various complex scenarios such as large scale, strong dynamic, difference across domains, and difficult data processing of the communication network.

[0175] Referring to FIG. 15, taking the method provided by the embodiments of the present application as an example, the interaction process between the user and the server is illustrated. The server includes a client and a background, and the client interacts with the user and the background respectively. When the user has a positioning and delimiting appeal, that is, the user needs to determine whether there is a fault root cause, the user accesses the client, the client interacts with the background and completes login, and then starts the fault root cause determination process. The background reads the network data stored in the database or the storage, and the network data is the network data of the network elements included in the communication network. The background analyzes and models according to the network data, performs a prior simulation process according to the obtained model, and obtains the control plane simulation result and the forwarding plane simulation result. Then, the background feeds back the path propagation graph to the client, and the client displays the path propagation graph through the user interface to realize the visualization of the forwarding plane. The client also reads the route full life cycle schematic diagram from the background, displays the route full life cycle schematic diagram through the user interface, and realizes the visualization of the control plane. After the user selects the key network element range (for example, the user determines the network elements in the second network element set) on the route full life cycle schematic diagram, the client interacts with the background, the background calls the reference rule to determine the fault root cause in the key network element range, feeds back the determined fault root cause to the client, and the client displays the fault root cause through the user interface, thereby providing a reference for the user and guiding the user to determine the fault root cause.

[0176] The above introduces the method for determining the fault root cause provided by the embodiments of the present application. Corresponding to the above method, the embodiments of the present application also provide a device for determining the fault root cause. The device is applied to a computer device. The device is used to execute the method for determining the fault root cause executed by the computer device in FIG. 4 through the modules shown in FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, the device for determining the fault root cause provided by the embodiments of the present application includes the following modules.

[0177] The obtaining module 1601 is configured to obtain network data of a first network element, and the network data of the first network element includes a first command set and a first parameter set. The obtaining module 1601 is further configured to obtain a model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set, a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element is determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute is determined by the first parameter set. The obtaining module 1601 is further configured to obtain a control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element, and the control plane simulation result is used to determine a control plane fault root cause of the network.

[0178] In the example embodiments, the obtaining module 1601 is further configured to obtain network data of a second network element, and the network data of the second network element includes a second command set and a second parameter set; obtain a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element is determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute is determined by the second parameter set.

[0179] In an example embodiment, the apparatus further includes an obtaining module 1601 configured to obtain a control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on a model corresponding to the first network element and a model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network containing the first network element and the second network element.

[0180] In an example embodiment, the obtaining module 1601 is configured to determine a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute; and restore a control plane behavior of a network element contained in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior including at least one of a routing processing procedure or a label propagation procedure.

[0181] In an example embodiment, the obtaining module 1601 is configured to map at least one command line in the first command set to the first attribute; and map at least one parameter in the first parameter set to the value of the first attribute.

[0182] In an example embodiment, referring to FIG. 16, the apparatus further includes a displaying module 1602 configured to display the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier, the network element identifier being an identifier of the first network element generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set.

[0183] In an example embodiment, the control plane simulation result includes a route obtained by a network element contained in the network through a routing processing procedure and a routing processing reason, the routing processing reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for not obtaining another route other than the route, the routing processing procedure including at least one of a routing flooding procedure, a routing original procedure, a routing comparison procedure, a routing introduction procedure, a routing aggregation procedure, a routing revocation procedure or a routing discard procedure.

[0184] In an example embodiment, the control plane simulation result includes a label obtained by a network element contained in the network through a label propagation procedure and a label propagation reason, the label propagation reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining another label other than the label.

[0185] In an example embodiment, referring to FIG. 16, the apparatus further includes a determining module 1603 configured to determine a source network element and a destination network element from the network elements contained in the network; and the obtaining module 1601 is further configured to obtain a forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result and the model corresponding to the first network element, the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result being used to determine a control plane fault root cause of the network.

[0186] In an example embodiment, the obtaining module 1601 is configured to restore a traffic forwarding procedure from the source network element to the destination network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute and the value of the first attribute to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result.

[0187] Exemplarily, the forwarding plane simulation result includes at least one of a reason for forwarding traffic or a reason for not forwarding traffic by any of the source network element to the destination network element in the traffic forwarding process.

[0188] It should be understood that the device shown in Figure 16 has the same beneficial effects as the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 when it functions. The device shown in Figure 16 is exemplified by the above division of functional modules when it functions. In actual application, the above functions can be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the above described functions. In addition, the device and method embodiments provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process is described in the method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0189] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiment of the present application provides a device for determining a fault root cause, which comprises a memory and a processor. The memory stores at least one computer instruction, and the at least one computer instruction is loaded and executed by the processor to enable the device to implement the method embodiment shown in Figure 4. Alternatively, the device can be the computer device described above.

[0190] Referring to Figure 17, Figure 17 shows a structural schematic diagram of an example device 1700 for determining a fault root cause, which comprises at least one processor 1701, a memory 1703 and at least one network interface 1704.

[0191] The processor 1701 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor (NP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural-network processing units (NPU), a data processing unit (DPU), a microprocessor, or one or more integrated circuits or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), other general purpose processors, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, used to implement the schemes of the present disclosure. The PLD is, for example, a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In exemplary embodiments, the processor can be a processor supporting an advanced RISC machines (ARM) architecture. It can implement or execute various logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor can also be a combination of implementing computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0192] Optionally, the device 1700 for determining fault root cause further includes a bus 1702. The bus 1702 is used to transmit information between the components of the device 1700 for determining fault root cause. The bus 1702 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus 1702 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, one line is used in FIG. 17, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0193] The memory 1703 may be, for example, volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0194] By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of ROM and RAM are available. For example, ROM is a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). RAM includes, but is not limited to, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0195] Memory 1703 can also be other types of storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions. Alternatively, it can be other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions. It can also be other optical disc storage, optical disk storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. Memory 1703 may exist independently, for example, and be connected to processor 1701 via bus 1702. Memory 1703 may also be integrated with processor 1701.

[0196] The network interface 1704 uses any transceiver-type device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which can be an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The network interface 1704 can include a wired network interface and can also include a wireless network interface. Specifically, the network interface 1704 can be an Ethernet interface, such as a fast Ethernet (FE) interface, a gigabit Ethernet (GE) interface, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) interface, a WLAN interface, a cellular network interface, or a combination thereof. The Ethernet interface can be an optical interface, an electrical interface, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments of the present application, the network interface 1704 can be used for the fault root cause determining device 1700 to communicate with other devices.

[0197] In a specific implementation, as some embodiments, the processor 1701 can include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 as shown in FIG. 17. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processor here can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program code).

[0198] In a specific implementation, as some embodiments, the fault root cause determining device 1700 can include multiple processors, such as the processor 1701 and the processor 1705 as shown in FIG. 17. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processor here can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program code).

[0199] In some embodiments, the memory 1703 is used to store program code 1710 for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 1701 can execute the program code 1710 stored in the memory 1703. That is, the fault root cause determining device 1700 can implement the method provided by the method embodiments, i.e., the method shown in FIG. 4, through the processor 1701 and the program code 1710 in the memory 1703. The program code 1710 can include one or more software modules. Alternatively, the processor 1701 itself can also store program code for implementing the solutions of the present application.

[0200] In a specific implementation process, the device 1700 for determining fault root cause in the present application can correspond to a computer device for executing the above-mentioned method, and the processor 1701 in the device 1700 for determining fault root cause reads instructions in the memory 1703, so that the device 1700 for determining fault root cause shown in FIG. 17 can execute all or part of the steps in the method embodiment.

[0201] The device 1700 for determining fault root cause can also correspond to the apparatus shown in FIG. 16, and each functional module in the apparatus shown in FIG. 16 is implemented by software of the device 1700 for determining fault root cause. In other words, the functional modules included in the apparatus shown in FIG. 16 are generated after the processor 1701 of the device 1700 for determining fault root cause reads the program code 1710 stored in the memory 1703.

[0202] The steps of the method shown in FIG. 4 are completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor of the device 1700 for determining fault root cause or instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method embodiment disclosed in the present application can be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the field, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and combines hardware to complete the steps of the above-mentioned method embodiment. To avoid repetition, they will not be described in detail here.

[0203] In an exemplary embodiment, the present application also provides a system for determining fault root cause, which includes a device for determining fault root cause (for example, a computer device for executing the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4) and at least one network element.

[0204] Exemplarily, the present application also provides a chip, which includes a processor, and is used for calling and running instructions stored in a memory, so that a computer installed with the chip executes the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0205] In an exemplary embodiment, the present application also provides another chip, which includes an input interface, an output interface, a processor and a memory, and the input interface, the output interface, the processor and the memory are connected through internal connection paths. The processor is used for executing code in the memory, and when the code is executed, a computer installed with the chip executes the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0206] Exemplarily, the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is executed by the computer.

[0207] Exemplarily, the embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program or computer program product, which comprises computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are run by a computer, the computer instructions make the computer execute the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0208] In the above embodiment, the implementation can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, in whole or in part. When implemented by software, the implementation can be realized in the form of a computer program product, in whole or in part. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the computer instructions generate the processes or functions according to the present application, in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, DVD) or a semiconductor medium (for example, solid state disk) and the like.

[0209] In the present application, the terms "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish between elements or items having substantially the same function and the same meaning, and it should be understood that there is no logical or time sequence relationship between "first", "second", "n", and the number and execution order are not limited. It should also be understood that although the following description uses the terms first, second, etc. to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0210] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of various processes does not mean the order of execution, the execution order of various processes should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. The meaning of the term "at least one" in the present application is one or more, and the meaning of the term "multiple" in the present application is two or more, for example, multiple network elements refer to two or more network elements. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this document. The terms used in the description of various examples in this document are only for the purpose of describing the specific examples, and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of various examples and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "and / or" as used in this document means and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term "and / or" is a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in the present application generally represents that the front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship. The terms "if" and "when" can be interpreted to mean "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting". Similarly, according to the context, the phrase "if it is determined that" or "if [the stated condition or event] is detected" can be interpreted to mean "when it is determined that" or "in response to determining that" or "when [the stated condition or event] is detected" or "in response to detecting [the stated condition or event]".

[0211] The above is only an embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of determining a root cause of a fault, characterized by, The method comprises: obtaining network data of a first network element, the network data of the first network element comprising a first command set and a first parameter set; obtaining a model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set, a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element being determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute being determined by the first parameter set; obtaining a control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element, the control plane simulation result being used to determine a control plane fault root cause of a network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: obtaining network data of a second network element, the network data of the second network element comprising a second command set and a second parameter set; obtaining a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element being determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute being determined by the second parameter set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The obtaining of the control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element comprises: obtaining a control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network comprising the first network element and the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The obtaining of the control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element comprises: determining a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute; restoring a control plane behavior of a network element comprised in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior comprising at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The obtaining of the model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set comprises: mapping at least one command line in the first command set to the first attribute; mapping at least one parameter in the first parameter set to the value of the first attribute.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further comprises: displaying the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier, the network element identifier being an identifier of the first network element generated according to the first command set and the first parameter set.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The control plane simulation result comprises a route obtained by a network element comprised in the network through a routing processing process and a routing processing reason, the routing processing reason comprising at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for not obtaining another route other than the route, the routing processing process comprising at least one of a routing flooding process, a routing original generation process, a routing comparison process, a routing introduction process, a routing aggregation process, a routing revocation process or a routing discard process.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The control plane simulation result comprises a label obtained by a network element comprised in the network through a label propagation process and a label propagation reason, the label propagation reason comprising at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining another label other than the label.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining a source network element and a destination network element from the network elements comprised in the network; The forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result are used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The forwarding plane simulation result is obtained based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute, and a value of the first attribute. The forwarding plane simulation result is obtained based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute, and a value of the first attribute.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The forwarding plane simulation result includes at least one of a reason for forwarding traffic or a reason for not forwarding traffic in a traffic forwarding process of any network element from the source network element to the destination network element.

12. An apparatus for determining a root cause of a fault, the apparatus comprising: The apparatus includes: The obtaining module is configured to obtain network data of a first network element, the network data of the first network element including a first command set and a first parameter set. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain a model corresponding to the first network element based on the first command set and the first parameter set, a first attribute of the model corresponding to the first network element being determined by the first command set, and a value of the first attribute being determined by the first parameter set. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain a control plane simulation result based on the model corresponding to the first network element, the control plane simulation result being used to determine a control plane fault root cause of a network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The obtaining module is further configured to obtain network data of a second network element, the network data of the second network element including a second command set and a second parameter set, and obtain a model corresponding to the second network element based on the second command set and the second parameter set, a second attribute of the model corresponding to the second network element being determined by the second command set, and a value of the second attribute being determined by the second parameter set.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, The obtaining module is configured to obtain a control plane simulation result corresponding to the first network element and the second network element based on the model corresponding to the first network element and the model corresponding to the second network element, the control plane simulation result being a control plane simulation result of a network including the first network element and the second network element.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The obtaining module is configured to determine a topology of the network based on the first attribute and the value of the first attribute, and restore a control plane behavior of a network element included in the network based on the first attribute, the value of the first attribute, and the topology to obtain the control plane simulation result, the control plane behavior including at least one of a routing processing process or a label propagation process.

16. The apparatus of any one of claims 12-15, wherein, The obtaining module is configured to map at least one command line in the first command set to the first attribute, and map at least one parameter in the first parameter set to the value of the first attribute.

17. The apparatus of any one of claims 12-16, wherein, The apparatus further includes: The display module is configured to display the control plane simulation result and a network element identifier, the network element identifier being an identifier of the first network element generated based on the first command set and the first parameter set.

18. The apparatus of any one of claims 12-17, wherein, The control plane simulation result includes a route obtained by a network element included in the network through a route processing procedure and a route processing reason, the route processing reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the route or a reason for not obtaining another route except the route, and the route processing procedure including at least one of a route flooding procedure, a route original procedure, a route comparison procedure, a route introduction procedure, a route aggregation procedure, a route withdrawal procedure, or a route discard procedure.

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 12-17, wherein, The control plane simulation result includes a label obtained by a network element included in the network through a label propagation procedure and a label propagation reason, the label propagation reason including at least one of a reason for obtaining the label or a reason for not obtaining another label except the label.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 12-19, wherein, The apparatus further includes a determination module configured to determine a source network element and a destination network element from network elements included in the network. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain a forwarding plane simulation result based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, and a model corresponding to the first network element, the forwarding plane simulation result and the control plane simulation result being used to determine the control plane fault root cause of the network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein, The obtaining module is further configured to restore a traffic forwarding procedure from the source network element to the destination network element based on the source network element, the destination network element, the control plane simulation result, the first attribute, and a value of the first attribute, to obtain the forwarding plane simulation result.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein, The forwarding plane simulation result includes at least one of a reason for forwarding traffic or a reason for not forwarding traffic in a traffic forwarding procedure of any of the source network element and the destination network element.

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