SDN Manager GUI for Data Flow Path Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Software-defined networking (SDN) environments often require programming expertise and specific applications to manage network traffic paths, limiting their adoption in environments without developers or suitable interfaces, and struggle to optimize data transfer paths for bandwidth and shortest routes.
Innovation Solution
An SDN manager that abstracts the programmatic interface of the controller, providing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to create and manage network paths, allowing users to select optimized or shortest data flow paths based on bandwidth and hop count, and continuously monitors these paths for security, isolation, and service level agreements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a programmatic interface is used to manage network traffic paths, then network path management capability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to requiring programming expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a graphical user interface (GUI) as an intermediary between users and the network controller. This GUI translates user-friendly visual selections into the programmatic commands needed to manage network paths, eliminating the need for users to directly interact with complex programming interfaces while maintaining full path management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual representation (copy) of the network topology and available paths through the GUI. Users interact with this visual model to select paths, and the system translates these visual selections into actual network path configurations, simplifying the interaction without losing functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple data flow paths are determined and displayed, then path optimization options are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network path determination process into distinct visual components within the GUI. Different path types (shortest path, optimized path, manual path) are presented as separate selectable options, allowing the system to handle multiple paths systematically without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension to path representation by displaying paths as graphical elements in the GUI. This visual dimension allows multiple paths to be represented and compared intuitively without increasing operational complexity, as users can visually distinguish and select between different path options.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining a data flow path within a computing network includes, with the processor executing a data flow path determination module, determining a number of data flow paths between a first node and a second node within the computing network, and with a with the processor executing a graphical user interface (GUI) module, displaying the data flow paths to a user.