Cluster Configuration Validation via Pseudo Routing Daemons
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Solution Overview
Problem
In data communication networks, configuration changes across a cluster of intermediary devices often lead to inconsistencies due to the lack of validation mechanisms, causing failures in some nodes while succeeding in others, resulting in unexpected consequences.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for validating a configuration across a cluster of intermediary devices by using pseudo routing daemons to simulate the configuration change on each node before propagation, ensuring that the change does not cause failures, and only propagating the configuration if it successfully executes on all nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If configuration is propagated directly without validation, then configuration changes can be applied quickly to all nodes, but configuration inconsistencies and failures occur across the cluster
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating pseudo-routing daemons that simulate configuration changes before actual propagation. The validation process runs configuration commands against these pseudo-daemons to predict execution outcomes, allowing the system to pre-assess configuration validity across all nodes before committing changes, thus preventing inconsistencies while maintaining efficient propagation
2Reliability
If configuration validation is performed on actual routing daemons, then configuration validity can be ensured, but the routing daemons' normal functioning is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements copying by creating pseudo-routing daemons that are lightweight replicas of actual routing daemons. These copies contain the necessary configuration and routing logic to simulate configuration execution, allowing validation to occur on the copies rather than the originals. This eliminates interference with production routing daemons while maintaining accurate validation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The pseudo-routing daemons serve as intermediaries between the configuration validation process and the actual routing daemons. They buffer the validation operations, allowing configuration testing without direct interaction with production systems. The intermediary layer isolates validation activities from production traffic, ensuring routing daemon availability is maintained
3Reliability
If node-specific configurations are considered in validation, then configuration applicability across diverse nodes can be ensured, but validation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing pseudo-routing daemons with node-specific configurations that reflect individual node characteristics. Each pseudo-daemon is tailored to represent specific hardware, software, or configuration attributes of target nodes, allowing validation to account for local variations. This enables the system to handle heterogeneous node environments while maintaining a unified validation approach
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed towards systems and methods for validating a configuration across a cluster of intermediary devices. Within the cluster, a configuration change is entered at one node and propagated to the remaining nodes of the cluster. Before propagation, the new configuration is validated. The systems and methods include creating, on a first intermediary device, a configuration to be propagated to a plurality of routing daemons; executing, by a validation module of the first intermediary device, the configuration on a plurality of pseudo routing daemons, each pseudo routing daemon of the plurality of pseudo routing daemons corresponding to the routing daemon of a corresponding intermediary device of the cluster; and determining from results of executing the second configuration whether to propagate the second configuration to each routing daemon.