Hybrid Network Management with Local Server Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud-based network management solutions face challenges such as high overhead due to numerous web socket connections and performance deterioration from processing large volumes of network telemetry data, as well as abstraction that obscures troubleshooting visibility.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid network management solution that combines on-premise local network management components with remote cloud-based components, reducing network connections, local caching of telemetry data to decrease data transmission, and providing local visibility for enhanced troubleshooting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud-based network management solutions use numerous web socket connections to manage network devices, then centralized management capability is improved, but network overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network management function by deploying local server agents at branch networks that handle device onboarding and telemetry data processing locally, while only critical centralized management functions remain at the cloud-based central server. This segmentation reduces the number of web socket connections needed between individual network devices and the central server, thereby reducing network overhead while preserving centralized management capability for policy enforcement and coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces local server agents as intermediary components between network devices and the central server. These agents act as mediators that receive telemetry data from network devices, process and filter the data locally, and only transmit essential information to the central server. This intermediary layer reduces the volume of data traversing the network and the number of active connections required for centralized management.
2Measurement precision
If cloud-based network management solutions process large volumes of network telemetry data centrally, then comprehensive monitoring is improved, but performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments telemetry data processing by implementing local server agents that handle data collection, filtering, and initial analysis at the branch network level. Only essential and filtered telemetry data is transmitted to the central server for further processing. This segmentation reduces the volume of data processed centrally, improving cloud-based processing performance while maintaining comprehensive monitoring through local processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by enabling branch networks to process telemetry data locally according to their specific needs and requirements. Each branch network can filter and analyze data relevant to its local context, reducing the burden on the central server and improving overall system performance while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities through distributed intelligence.
3Stability of the object's composition
If cloud-based network management solutions implement centralized control, then policy consistency is improved, but troubleshooting visibility is obscured by abstraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces local server agents as intermediary components that provide transparent access to network device information and telemetry data at the branch network level. These agents facilitate troubleshooting by enabling direct access to local data without requiring deep dives into centralized system abstractions, thereby improving troubleshooting visibility while maintaining policy consistency through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a local processing dimension to the centralized management architecture. By enabling local server agents to process and present data in the context of their respective branch networks, the system provides troubleshooting visibility in the local dimension while maintaining policy consistency in the centralized dimension, effectively resolving the abstraction barrier.
Data Source
AI summary
A process includes establishing, by a local activate server agent of a first local branch computer network, a first connection with an activate server of a central computer system. The activate server manages network device validation information corresponding to a plurality of local branch computer networks, including the first branch local computer network. The process includes communicating, by a local activate server agent, with the central activate server over the first connection to receive network device validation information for a given network device associated with an entity that is associated with the first local branch computer network. The process includes, responsive to a given network device connecting to the first branch local computer network, establishing a second connection between the given network device and the local activate server agent. The process includes validating, by the local activate server agent, the given network device based on network device validation information for the given network device. The validation includes the local activate server agent communicating with the given network device over the second connection.