Graphical Network Design Tool for Hybrid Service Orchestration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Service providers face challenges in delivering digital transformation through on-demand end-to-end network service creation and fulfillment, requiring agile and seamless network design and delivery that can adapt to enterprise customers' dynamic business needs, particularly in managing complex hybrid networks combining legacy and new technologies.
Innovation Solution
A graphical network design and configuration tool that provides a unified portal for users to create and maintain heterogeneous network services, abstracting the complexity of network provisioning, service configuration, and orchestration systems by allowing users to design network topology, interconnect virtual and physical network functions, and generate configuration files for automated deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a unified portal is provided to abstract network provisioning complexity, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a graphical user interface that serves as an intermediary layer between the user and the complex network provisioning systems. This interface abstracts the underlying complexity by providing visual drag-and-drop components for network elements, automatic topology generation, and centralized configuration management, thereby improving ease of operation while managing system complexity through encapsulation
2Productivity
If automated network service deployment is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating network topology designs from user-selected components before actual deployment. The graphical interface pre-configures network elements, establishes connections, and validates designs against requirements, thereby accelerating productivity while managing complexity through automated preprocessing and validation steps
3Ease of operation
If graphical design tools are used to manage hybrid networks, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms that automatically validate network designs against configured requirements and constraints. The system provides real-time verification of connectivity, configuration correctness, and compliance with service level agreements, thereby maintaining high configuration accuracy while preserving ease of operation through automated checking and error prevention
Data Source
AI summary
A graphical network design and configuration tool provides an administrator graphical user interface (GUI) with icons that represent virtual network elements, physical network elements, and links used to deliver network-based services and associates, via the administrator GUI, the icons with network element properties based on user input. A design GUI is provided including a design canvas to arrange and connect the icons. User input is received via the design GUI to arrange the icons on the design canvas to provide a design for a network-based service. A design template for the network-based service is generated based on the second user input. A configuration GUI solicits location-specific network level attributes for network elements in the design template and creates an instance of the design template based on the network level attributes. Configuration files are automatically generated for the physical network elements represented in the instance of the design template.