Multi-Tenant Policy Framework for Cloud Topology Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-tenant cloud environments face challenges in managing and visualizing complex network topologies across disparate cloud service providers and connectivity architectures, requiring manual intervention for policy changes and lacking a unified framework for policy application across different cloud platforms.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tenant policy framework is introduced, utilizing a connector construct datastore that enables policy agnosticism to connector types, allowing dynamic routing and automatic policy application across regions, with a visualization tool for network administrators to manage and configure policies efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual intervention is used for policy changes in multi-tenant cloud environments, then policy management can be performed with existing tools, but the complexity of managing and visualizing network topologies across disparate cloud service providers increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy framework that acts as an intermediary layer between network administrators and disparate cloud service providers. This framework includes a policy store containing service provider agnostic policy constructs and a mechanism to translate these abstract policies into provider-specific configurations, thereby simplifying policy management while handling the complexity of multiple cloud providers behind the scenes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal policy framework that can manage multiple cloud service providers through a single interface. The service provider agnostic policy constructs and visualization tools provide multi-functional capabilities, allowing administrators to perform policy management, topology visualization, and configuration tasks across different cloud platforms using the same unified system
2Productivity
If a unified policy framework is implemented across multiple cloud service providers, then policy application becomes automated and efficient, but the initial system complexity and integration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the policy management system into distinct modular components: a policy store containing service provider agnostic policy constructs, a translation mechanism that converts abstract policies into provider-specific configurations, and visualization tools. This segmentation allows the system to handle complexity in manageable parts while achieving automated policy application across multiple cloud providers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by transforming service provider agnostic policy constructs into provider-specific configurations through systematic parameter mapping. The framework maintains abstract policy parameters while dynamically adjusting them to match the specific requirements of different cloud service providers, enabling automated policy application without requiring separate management systems for each provider
3Adaptability or versatility
If service provider specific policy constructs are used, then each cloud platform can be managed with its native tools, but the ability to apply policies uniformly across different cloud platforms is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates abstract copies of cloud-specific policy constructs in the form of service provider agnostic policy constructs. These abstracted representations capture the essential policy requirements without being tied to any specific cloud provider's implementation details, allowing uniform policy definition that can be consistently applied across different platforms while maintaining compatibility with each provider's native tools
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a network topology visualization system comprising: branch connector instances; branch connectors, wherein each grouping of the branch connector instances has a corresponding grouping of branch microsegment edges and each node of each grouping of the branch connector instances has a corresponding edge of a corresponding grouping of branch connector edges; virtual private cloud (VPC) connectors; and a cloud exchange node. The cloud exchange node includes: a service group; applications coupled to the VPC connectors via VPC segment edges; connector groups, coupled to the branch connectors via branch segment edges, wherein each of the branch segment edges uniquely couples a branch connector to a connector group; and a visualization engine that provides a visualization facilitated by connector construct abstraction of a network topology for a network of a customer.