Automated Datacenter Topology Replication in Cloud
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud computing systems face challenges in seamlessly integrating and replicating the logical topologies of datacenters from on-premise environments to cloud platforms, requiring manual and complex processes for setting up and managing virtual appliances and networks.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to automatically learn and recreate datacenter landscapes in the cloud by determining the number of hops from nodes to a WAN-facing node, using templates with user-tunable parameters to deploy virtual appliances, thereby simplifying the replication of datacenter topologies and networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual processes are used to set up and manage virtual appliances and networks in cloud platforms, then integration accuracy can be maintained, but the complexity and time required for deployment increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the on-premise datacenter logical topology in the cloud environment. A discovery process learns the source topology by sending probes to determine hop counts and device relationships, then replicates this topology structure in the cloud using virtual appliances that mirror the original network architecture, thereby maintaining integration accuracy while automating the complex deployment process
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically discovering the on-premise datacenter topology through probe-based hop count measurement, learning the network structure without manual input, and autonomously replicating it in the cloud environment. This eliminates manual configuration while maintaining topological accuracy through automated learning and deployment processes
2Productivity
If automated processes are used to replicate datacenter topologies, then deployment speed and efficiency improve, but the precision and control over network configuration may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The discovery process uses feedback mechanisms by sending probes through the network and measuring hop counts to automatically learn the actual topology structure. This feedback loop ensures the automated system accurately determines device relationships and network paths, maintaining configuration precision while enabling rapid automated deployment without manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by conducting a discovery phase before deployment, where it learns the source topology structure through automated probing and hop count measurement. This preliminary learning step captures the exact network configuration details, which are then used to guide the subsequent automated replication process, ensuring both speed and precision
3Reliability
If complex manual configuration processes are used for virtual appliances, then security policies can be precisely implemented, but the ease of operation and deployment time decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies not only the network topology structure but also the security policies from the on-premise environment to the cloud. Virtual appliances are deployed with replicated security configurations, ensuring that security policy implementation reliability is maintained while the automated copying process eliminates complex manual security configuration tasks
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques disclosed herein permit logical topologies of datacenters to be automatically learned and re-created in the cloud. In one embodiment, a datacenter landscape is determined based on numbers of hops from nodes in a datacenter to a wide area network (WAN)-facing node. Such a datacenter landscape may then be re-created in the cloud. In another embodiment, virtual appliances are deployed using templates with user-tunable parameters. What would have been set up manually in a physical datacenter, such as connecting a new router to other devices, is then simplified to adjusting parameters of the template to specify, e.g., that the router is a routed hop rather than a bump in the wire, with the router then being automatically deployed in the specified manner.