Cross-Domain Network Connectivity Discovery in Distributed Management Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fault management systems struggle to discover target system connectivity across domain boundaries due to misalignment between fault management domain boundaries and target system network continuity boundaries, limiting their ability to perform effective fault tracing and remediation.
Innovation Solution
A distributed management system with a cross-domain discovery unit that employs service agents and subnet information to identify connections between target system devices across service domains, using existing protocols like SNMP and MIB databases to determine network connectivity and detect cross-domain connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fault management domain boundaries are configured based on management system functions, then fault management implementation becomes practical and manageable, but the ability to discover connectivity across domain boundaries is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the management architecture into multiple service domains with separate management instances, each managing its own target system components. This segmentation allows practical fault management within domains while the gateway entity coordinates cross-domain connectivity discovery by collecting and correlating connectivity information from multiple domains, thus resolving the contradiction between manageable domain boundaries and complete connectivity visibility.
2Device complexity
If domain boundaries are established for practical fault management, then system manageability improves, but cross-domain connectivity discovery becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A gateway entity acts as an intermediary between multiple management system instances and the fault management system. This gateway collects connectivity information from target system components across different service domains, correlates this information, and provides complete cross-domain connectivity data to the fault management system, thereby enabling connectivity detection across domains without increasing domain management complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple management system instances are deployed for different service domains, then domain-specific management capability improves, but the ability to trace faults across domains deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges connectivity information from multiple independent management system instances by collecting data from each domain's management instance through the gateway entity. This consolidation creates a unified view of cross-domain connectivity that enables reliable fault tracing across service domains while preserving the adaptability benefits of domain-specific management instances.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining target system connectivity between service domains are disclosed herein. For each of multiple service domains configured as a distributed management system, a discovery unit identifies subnets having at least one target system component within the service domain. The discovery unit determines from among the identified subnets, subnets that each extend between two or more of the service domains. For each of the subnets that extend between two or more of the service domains, the discovery unit detects target system network connections between two or more of the service domains. The discovery unit reports the detected target system network connections to one or more entities within the distributed management system.