Network Virtualization Upgrade Coordinator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network virtualization platforms lack a systematic and controlled approach for software upgrades, leading to ad-hoc upgrades without administrator control over sequence, troubleshooting, or uniform status reporting across different components.
Innovation Solution
An upgrade coordinator is introduced to define and execute upgrade plans for network virtualization platforms, allowing administrators to specify serial or parallel upgrades for each component, with agents installed on nodes to receive and execute instructions, generate and aggregate status and progress reports, and accommodate changes during the upgrade process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If ad-hoc software upgrades are implemented without a systematic approach, then upgrade flexibility is improved, but upgrade reliability and control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The upgrade process is segmented into distinct phases: planning phase where administrators define upgrade sequences and parameters, execution phase where upgrades are applied according to the plan, and monitoring phase where progress is tracked. This segmentation provides both structure for reliability and configurable options for flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The upgrade system implements dynamic control where administrators can define different upgrade sequences for different components, pause upgrades at intermediate stages, and modify upgrade plans based on system state. The system adapts the upgrade process dynamically while maintaining overall control and reliability.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive status tracking is implemented across all components, then upgrade monitoring capability is improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
An upgrade coordinator component is introduced as an intermediary that centralizes the tracking and management of upgrade status across all components. This coordinator aggregates status information from individual components and presents a unified view, improving monitoring capability without requiring each component to implement complex tracking independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The upgrade coordinator serves multiple functions: it plans upgrade sequences, executes upgrades, tracks progress, and generates status reports. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single component rather than distributing it across multiple components.
3Ease of operation
If systematic upgrade planning is implemented with controlled sequences, then upgrade control is improved, but upgrade time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Administrators perform preliminary actions by defining upgrade plans before execution, specifying the sequence and parameters for each component upgrade. This preliminary planning enables controlled systematic upgrades while allowing parallel execution of independent component upgrades to minimize overall upgrade time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuity of useful action by enabling parallel upgrades of independent components while preserving dependency relationships. Multiple components can be upgraded simultaneously without interruption, reducing total upgrade time while maintaining control through the predefined upgrade plan.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of upgrading nodes of a network virtualization platform is provided. The method receives a definition of an upgrade plan to upgrade a group of upgrade units. Each upgrade unit includes a set of nodes of the network virtualization platform. The plan groups sets of upgrade units into one or more upgrade groups and specifies a set of parameters for upgrading each upgrade unit. The method sends upgrade instructions to each upgrade unit to trigger upgrade for the upgrade unit. The method receives upgrade status from the upgrade units. The method aggregates and displays the status for the upgrade units of each upgrade group. When upgrade is in paused state, the method allows modifications to the upgrade plan. The method re-computes the upgrade plan before starting or resuming the upgrade. The upgrade plan is persisted by storing a portion of the upgrade plan needed to re-compute the upgrade plan.