OpenFlow Gateway Protocol Translation for Network Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern communications networks face challenges in monitoring and managing devices like OpenFlow switches due to limited computational capability, which restricts support for standard network management protocols, and existing solutions add complexity without adequate scalability and security, especially in multi-tenant datacenters.
Innovation Solution
A network management gateway that translates between communication and management protocols, provides robust authentication, and handles CPU and memory demands efficiently, offering virtualized management with simple addressing and rich monitoring information, utilizing sophisticated processors to process network requests and forward data efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If OpenFlow switches use specialized electronic circuitry to achieve high switching capacity, then packet switching speed is improved, but computational capability for network management protocols deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between the OpenFlow switch and the network management system. The gateway runs full network management protocol stacks and translates between simplified switch protocols and standard network management protocols, allowing the switch to maintain high-speed specialized circuitry while still supporting comprehensive network management through the gateway mediator.
2Speed
If OpenFlow switches have limited intelligence to achieve high speed, then packet processing speed is improved, but ability to perform network diagnosis and monitoring deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway acts as an intelligent intermediary that performs network diagnosis and monitoring functions. It collects data from the switch through simplified protocols, processes the information using full protocol stacks and diagnostic tools, then provides comprehensive network monitoring capabilities without burdening the high-speed but limited switch hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves network intelligence from the data plane (switch hardware) to the control plane (gateway software). By separating these functions across different layers and dimensions of the network architecture, the system achieves both high-speed packet processing in the data plane and sophisticated monitoring/diagnosis in the control plane.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standard network management protocols are implemented on OpenFlow switches, then protocol compatibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a protocol translation intermediary, implementing full network management protocol stacks itself rather than requiring the switch to do so. It translates between simplified switch-specific protocols and standard network management protocols, providing protocol compatibility while keeping the switch device simple and focused on high-speed packet switching.
4Quantity of substance
If OpenFlow switches have small supervisory processors, then high switching capacity is achieved, but ability to handle management tasks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is introduced as an external intermediary that handles all management tasks. It runs complete network management software stacks and processes management traffic, freeing the switch's small supervisory processor to focus exclusively on high-speed packet switching while the gateway manages all configuration, monitoring, and control plane activities.
Data Source
AI summary
A network management gateway device, method, and software is disclosed which communicates and translates between more sophisticated digital data network monitoring devices and managers, such as SNMP managers, and managed network devices, such as OpenFlow packet switches, which often are not sophisticated enough to respond to SNMP or REST type monitoring methods. This gateway may communicate with managed devices in one or more of a variety of modes. The manager may communicate with the gateway directly, or be configured to communicate with the managed device while the communications are redirected to the gateway and processed by the gateway. In some embodiments, the gateway may use the OpenFlow protocol to communicate management data with an OpenFlow switch and to install a flow in the switch to redirect management traffic to the gateway. Other routers and switches may also be used to redirect network management traffic to the gateway as well.