Cloud Interoperability Testing Platform for SDN Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunication carriers face challenges in maintaining network interoperability and service chain connectivity in integrated cloud environments, leading to potential software outages and increased administrative burdens due to the vulnerability of Software-Defined Networks (SDN) to configuration issues and run-time errors.
Innovation Solution
A self-driven testing platform that includes virtualized network functions to monitor, test, and correct network configurations, utilizing a virtual listener to identify changes, a virtual tester to verify interoperability, a virtual simulator to assess performance, and a virtual resetter to adjust settings automatically, ensuring compliance with benchmark requirements and optimizing network performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Software-Defined Networks are deployed to transform networks into software-based service-centric networks, then network-on-demand capabilities and capacity management are improved, but vulnerability to software configuration problems and network interoperability issues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary testing of network configurations, interoperability, and service chain connectivity before deploying software-defined network changes to production environments. This includes automated testing of network functions, virtual machines, and cloud infrastructure to detect and resolve configuration issues before they cause outages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms that automatically detect configuration problems, interoperability issues, and performance deviations in real-time. When issues are detected, the system provides feedback to automatically trigger corrective actions or alert administrators, preventing small issues from escalating into major outages.
2Productivity
If network function virtualization is implemented to enable elastic provisioning of computing resources, then cloud computing service delivery is improved, but exponential growth of software outages increases if not prevented early
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated testing of network functions and virtual machine configurations before they are deployed to production environments. This includes validating service chain paths, testing interoperability between virtualized network functions, and verifying configuration correctness to prevent software outages before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-healing capabilities that automatically detect and correct configuration errors, restore failed network functions, and reconfigure service chains without human intervention. This self-service approach prevents minor software issues from escalating into major outages that would require manual troubleshooting.
3Reliability
If manual network troubleshooting and configuration are performed to address software outages, then network issues can be resolved, but abundant network administration resources are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated self-diagnosis and self-healing capabilities that perform network troubleshooting and configuration corrections without human intervention. Automated agents continuously monitor network health, detect configuration errors, and execute corrective actions, eliminating the need for abundant network administration resources for routine troubleshooting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces automated testing and validation intermediaries between network configuration changes and production deployment. These intermediaries include automated test suites, configuration validation tools, and simulation environments that prevent erroneous configurations from reaching production, reducing the burden on network administrators.
4Reliability
If comprehensive network testing is performed to detect potential outages early, then network stability is improved, but testing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs comprehensive network testing in automated pre-deployment environments before configurations are applied to production networks. By moving testing to a preliminary stage, the system ensures thorough validation without impacting production network operations or causing service disruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic automated testing schedules that run comprehensive network validation tests at regular intervals and before configuration changes. This periodic approach balances thorough testing with operational efficiency, ensuring network stability without requiring continuous manual testing intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A first integrated cloud is identified in a self-driven testing platform. The interoperability of the first integrated cloud with a plurality of other integrated clouds is tested. A service chain to verify a service chain path connectivity between the first integrated cloud and the plurality of other integrated clouds is created. Performance of the service chain is determined as is whether the service chain performance meets a benchmark requirement. If the service chain performance does not meet the benchmark requirement, service chain inventory data and adjacent neighbor connection information is retrieved. Real time network configuration data from the first integrated cloud and the plurality of other integrated clouds is retrieved and any mismatched network configuration data is compared and corrected.