Network Management System Parallel Configuration Conflict Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network management systems face challenges in handling concurrent changes to high-level configuration models across multiple network devices, leading to conflicts that are not readily apparent at the high-level model, and require efficient conflict detection and resolution, as well as support for transaction integrity without locking managed devices.
Innovation Solution
A network management system that determines differences between existing and new high-level configuration models, translates these differences to low-level configuration modifications, merges conflicting changes, and applies them to network devices while maintaining transaction integrity through snapshot-based rollback mechanisms, even when rollback is not supported on managed devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple administrators modify services in parallel, then service configuration flexibility and productivity are improved, but conflicts arise between concurrent changes that are not readily apparent at the high-level model
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary translation of high-level configuration changes to low-level device-specific configurations before applying them to network devices. This advance translation allows the system to detect conflicts between concurrent changes from multiple administrators before they are applied, enabling preventive resolution while maintaining parallel configuration capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary translation layer that converts high-level service model configurations into device-specific low-level configurations. This intermediary layer acts as a mediator that can detect and resolve conflicts between concurrent changes from multiple administrators, ensuring configuration consistency without blocking parallel operations.
2Reliability
If transaction locking is used to ensure integrity, then data consistency is improved, but device availability and productivity deteriorate due to locking managed devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates and works with copies of configuration data in a private data store rather than directly locking the managed devices during transactions. By operating on local copies and applying changes atomically, the system ensures transaction integrity without blocking device access, maintaining both consistency and availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the configuration management process into separate transactional operations on private data stores for each device. This segmentation allows multiple concurrent transactions to proceed independently without requiring global locks, ensuring integrity through local atomicity while maintaining device availability.
3Speed
If high-level service model changes are applied directly, then configuration speed is improved, but conflicts between dependent properties across device configurations are not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary translation of high-level service model changes to device-specific low-level configurations before applying them. This advance translation step enables the system to detect conflicts between dependent properties across different device configurations before the changes are applied, maintaining both speed through batch application and thorough conflict detection.
4Ease of operation
If rollback is not supported on managed devices, then device simplicity and ease of operation are improved, but transaction safety and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains private data store copies of configuration data for each managed device. When a transaction needs to be rolled back, the system reverts to the previous version from the private data store copy rather than requiring rollback capability on the managed device itself. This approach ensures transaction safety while maintaining device simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares backup copies of configuration data in private data stores before applying changes. This beforehand cushioning allows the system to safely rollback transactions by restoring from these pre-prepared copies, ensuring transaction safety without adding complexity to the managed devices.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, a network management system (NMS) device manages a plurality of network devices. The NMS device includes a processor configured to determine a first set of differences between an existing high-level configuration for the plurality of network devices and a first received high-level configuration for the plurality of network devices, determine a second set of differences between the existing high-level configuration and a second received high-level configuration, wherein the second received high-level configuration is received separately from the first received high-level configuration, translate the first set of differences to a first low-level configuration modification, translate the second set of differences to a second low-level configuration modification, merge the first low-level configuration modification and the second low-level configuration modification, and apply the merged low-level configuration modification to low-level configuration of the plurality of network devices.