Network Configuration Validation Environment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for validating network device configuration changes are not fully automated, leading to potential unintended consequences such as network instability, performance degradation, or security vulnerabilities, as they often rely on ad-hoc testing and may not detect subtle errors until they cause significant issues.
Innovation Solution
A network configuration change validation environment that includes automated test actions and a validation report viewer to compare baseline and post-change results, allowing for comprehensive validation within a limited change window and enabling the identification of potential issues through intelligent differencing and real-time monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated validation is implemented, then validation completeness and error detection improve, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary validation system that acts as a mediator between network configuration changes and production deployment. This validation environment includes automated test actions, baseline comparisons, and validation reports that detect errors before they reach production, thereby improving reliability without requiring direct complexity in the production network itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the production network environment as a validation environment. This copy includes baseline configurations and test setups that mirror production, allowing comprehensive automated validation to be performed on the copy without affecting the actual production system, thus improving validation completeness while isolating complexity to the copy rather than the production system.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive test criteria are performed, then error detection capability improves, but validation time and processing duration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes baseline configurations and test criteria before actual network changes are made. By pre-configuring the validation environment with expected baseline states and comprehensive test suites, the system can quickly compare post-change states against these pre-prepared baselines, enabling thorough error detection without requiring extensive validation time after changes are deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the validation process into segmented test actions that can be executed independently and in parallel. The validation environment processes multiple test criteria simultaneously rather than sequentially, allowing comprehensive error detection capability to be achieved while reducing total validation time through concurrent execution of test segments.
3Ease of operation
If manual validation methods are used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but validation thoroughness and security risk reduction decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service automated validation system that performs comprehensive validation tasks without requiring manual intervention. The validation environment automatically executes test actions, compares results against baselines, generates validation reports, and identifies errors, thereby maintaining ease of operation while dramatically improving validation thoroughness and security risk reduction compared to manual methods.
4Measurement precision
If validation environment is established before changes, then error detection capability improves, but resource requirements and infrastructure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a validation environment that is a simplified copy of the production network, containing only the essential components and baseline configurations needed for validation. By copying only the necessary elements rather than duplicating the entire production infrastructure, the system achieves improved error detection capability while minimizing resource requirements and infrastructure complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A network configuration change validation environment is disclosed. In particular, this disclosure is related to an interface to initiate automated test actions (e.g., network monitoring commands, application monitoring commands, etc.) and to view results in an efficient manner to support a network communication infrastructure. In one example, results of a set of commands executed prior to a configuration change may serve as a baseline and one or more results of the same set of commands may be intelligently compared to the baseline to identify any potential issues that have arisen. For example, as a result of a specific network configuration change or application update. The disclosed network change validation command initiator and validation report viewer represent part of an overall network configuration change validation environment that includes automated techniques such that it may be used within a given change window.