Fabric Synchronization Agents for Consistent Network Configuration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Large networks with dispersed devices across geographical areas face disruptions due to network device failures, requiring manual configuration updates that are time-consuming and prone to misconfigurations, leading to communication disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing Fabric Availability and Synchronization (FAS) agents to manage network devices, which automatically determine a primary agent, synchronize configurations, and propagate changes across the network, ensuring redundancy and fault tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual configuration updates are performed on network devices, then configuration changes can be applied, but the process is time-consuming and prone to misconfigurations
Solution Approach 1:
The FAS agent system enables network devices to automatically synchronize their own configurations without requiring manual intervention. Each device monitors its configuration state and autonomously updates itself based on synchronized data from peer devices, eliminating manual configuration tasks while maintaining accuracy through automated validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where FAS agents monitor configuration states, detect discrepancies, and automatically trigger synchronization updates. This feedback mechanism ensures that configuration changes are propagated reliably across the network while allowing devices to self-correct inconsistencies without manual intervention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual device updates are performed, then configuration changes can be applied to specific devices, but network downtime increases and communication is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The FAS agent system performs preliminary synchronization of configuration data across multiple devices before actual updates are applied. By pre-synchronizing configuration states and validating changes in advance, the system minimizes disruption during the actual update process and allows for smoother, more resilient configuration transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous operation during configuration updates by enabling devices to synchronize configurations in the background without interrupting network traffic. The FAS agents continuously monitor and update configurations asynchronously, ensuring that network communication remains uninterrupted while still achieving configuration consistency across all devices.
3Reliability
If multiple FAS agents are deployed for redundancy, then fault tolerance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple FAS agents across different network devices are merged into a unified synchronization system that operates autonomously. The agents combine their monitoring and synchronization functions into a coordinated network-wide process, achieving redundancy and fault tolerance without requiring complex centralized management. Each agent operates independently but contributes to the collective system intelligence.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure include implementing fabric availability and synchronization (FAS) agents within a fabric network. In one example, a first FAS agent executing on a first network device may receive, from a second network device, a command to modify a configuration of a second network device. The first FAS may upgrade the configuration of the first network device based on the command from a current configuration to a new configuration. The first FAS agent increment a state identifier associated with the configuration of the first network device to a new state identifier associated with the new configuration. The first FAS agent may then transmit a control packet that includes the new state identifier. A second FAS agent executing on the second network device may receive the control packet and execute the command to update the configuration of the second network device to the new configuration.