Generalized Assurance Framework for Heterogeneous Network Data Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network service providers face complexity in integrating diverse data collection systems due to different message formats and interfaces, limiting the use of a common framework and increasing system integration efforts across heterogeneous network environments.
Innovation Solution
A generalized assurance framework using a message bus that supports a publish-subscribe model, enabling data collection and analytics consumption through plug-and-play deployment, with producer and consumer plug-ins that translate non-standard interfaces to standardize data exchange, and a topic manager to facilitate on-demand production and efficient resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different data collection systems are used for each vendor's message formats and interfaces, then data can be collected from heterogeneous network sources, but system integration complexity and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal data collection framework that can handle multiple vendor-specific message formats and interfaces through a single standardized system. The framework includes adapter components that translate various proprietary formats into a common internal representation, allowing one data collection system to serve multiple purposes across different network vendors and technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary adapter layers between the diverse vendor-specific data sources and the core data collection framework. These adapters act as mediators that translate and normalize messages from different formats (such as SNMP, CORBA, SOAP, REST) into a unified structure, thereby reducing integration complexity while maintaining compatibility with heterogeneous sources.
2Reliability
If duplicative data collection functions are implemented for each vendor, then specific vendor requirements are met, but system integration effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The framework provides a universal data collection engine that can handle multiple vendor protocols and formats through configurable adapters, eliminating the need to build separate duplicative collection functions for each vendor. The same core engine processes all vendor-specific data once adapted, reducing integration effort while maintaining vendor-specific accuracy through specialized adapter components.
3Reliability
If a common framework is not used across different vendors, then each vendor's specific requirements are satisfied, but the system lacks flexibility and requires multiple interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a common framework that maintains flexibility by incorporating vendor-specific adapters that comply with each vendor's interface requirements while processing all data through a unified core. This universal approach allows the system to adapt to different vendors without sacrificing framework flexibility or requiring multiple separate interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The framework is segmented into distinct modular components: vendor-specific adapter layers that handle protocol compliance, a normalization layer that standardizes data structures, and a core processing engine that operates on unified data. This segmentation allows each layer to independently satisfy vendor requirements while contributing to overall framework flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods enable data collection and analytics consumption with a generalized assurance framework using a message bus that supports a publish-subscribe model. A producer network element subscribes to a request topic on the message bus and posts, to the message bus, an announcement indicating a data topic is available from the producer network element. The producer network element receives via the message bus, the request topic including a request for the data topic and posts, to the message bus, records for the data topic in response to the request.