Network Device Configurator Sequential Retry and Rollback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Configuring multiple network devices consistently and efficiently is a tedious and error-prone task, often resulting in inconsistent configurations, especially when uniformly reconfiguring or initially configuring a group of similar devices.
Innovation Solution
A network device configurator that sequentially configures devices, retries unsuccessful configurations a predetermined number of times, and reverts previous configurations if the retry is unsuccessful, ensuring consistency through a middleware API that defines both configuration and rollback operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If configuration is performed separately on each network device, then individual device configuration flexibility is maintained, but configuration consistency and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the configuration management of multiple network devices into a single centralized process. The configuration manager sequentially configures multiple network devices using a unified configuration dataset, ensuring that all devices receive consistent configuration parameters. This consolidation eliminates the complexity of managing separate configuration processes for each device while maintaining configuration consistency across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action through the sequential configuration approach where the configuration manager prepares and applies configurations to multiple network devices in a predetermined sequence. By establishing the configuration order and rollback mechanisms in advance, the system ensures that if any device configuration fails, previous configurations can be reverted, thereby maintaining overall configuration consistency and reliability.
2Reliability
If sequential configuration with retry logic is implemented, then configuration reliability is improved, but configuration time and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes a predetermined retry count and sequential configuration order before attempting to configure network devices. This preliminary setup allows the configuration manager to systematically retry failed configurations without ad-hoc decision-making, improving reliability through consistent retry logic while minimizing time loss by avoiding unnecessary repeated attempts beyond the predetermined limit.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration manager implements feedback mechanisms by monitoring the success or failure of each configuration attempt and adjusting subsequent actions accordingly. When a configuration fails, the system receives feedback about the failure and automatically retries up to the predetermined count. If all retries fail, the feedback triggers a rollback of previously applied configurations, ensuring that partial inconsistent configurations are not left in the network.
3Reliability
If configuration is attempted on all devices uniformly, then configuration consistency is improved, but error propagation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration process into discrete sequential steps for each network device rather than applying configuration to all devices simultaneously. The configuration manager processes devices one at a time in a predetermined sequence, isolating potential errors to individual device configurations. This segmentation prevents error propagation across the entire network because a failure at any stage does not affect the configuration status of previously successfully configured devices or trigger cascading failures in subsequent devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration manager acts as an intermediary between the configuration source and multiple network devices. It sequentially mediates the configuration process by applying configurations one device at a time and monitoring each application's success. This intermediary role allows the system to maintain configuration uniformity across all devices while controlling error propagation, as the manager can detect failures early and prevent them from affecting other devices through the rollback mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of systems and methods to configure network devices in a network are described herein. In one aspect, upon determining an unsuccessful configuration of a first network device, configuring the first network device is retried for a predetermined number of times. Further, a configuration of a second network device is reverted when the configuration of the first network device is unsuccessful upon retrying for the predetermined number of times. Upon determining of a successful configuration of the first network device, the configuration of the first network device and the second network device is committed.