SDN Reachability Verification Using Expected Endpoint Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanisms for ensuring reachability in software defined networks (SDNs) are labor-intensive and lack an end-to-end workflow for defining user connectivity, especially in scenarios like self-installations and large-scale deployments, and fail to account for dynamic routing changes.
Innovation Solution
An SDN solution that captures reachability expectations, automates edge-based verification, and simulates user connections to verify reachability without human intervention, providing auto-correction and notification when expectations are not met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual verification methods are used to ensure reachability, then verification can be performed with simple tools, but the process becomes labor-intensive and cannot scale to large numbers of locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-verification where the network infrastructure automatically tests and validates reachability without human intervention. Edge devices autonomously perform connectivity tests to destination services, eliminating the need for manual verification while maintaining simplicity in the user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs reachability verification as part of the initial site bring-up process and ongoing network operations. By automatically executing connectivity tests before and during deployment, the system ensures reachability is validated in advance, preventing issues before they affect users.
2Productivity
If automated verification is implemented, then deployment scalability improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification system is integrated into existing SDN controllers and network management platforms that already perform routing and policy management. By consolidating reachability verification within these existing multi-functional systems, the patent avoids adding separate complex verification infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing network infrastructure components such as edge devices, SDN controllers, and destination services as intermediaries to perform verification. These components already exist in the network and can be leveraged to conduct reachability tests without requiring dedicated verification hardware or software.
3Ease of operation
If manual reachability verification is performed, then the system remains simple to operate, but routing changes may go unnoticed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs periodic reachability verification at scheduled intervals and triggers additional verification events when routing changes are detected. This continuous monitoring approach ensures that reachability issues are detected promptly while maintaining operational simplicity through automated scheduling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where verification results are automatically reported to network administrators and used to trigger corrective actions. When reachability failures are detected, the system notifies operators and can automatically initiate troubleshooting or routing adjustments, ensuring continuous reliability without requiring manual monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining first, second, and third characterizing information that is indicative of respective first, second, and third characteristics of first, second, and third end-users; obtaining first and second expectation information, the first expectation information being indicative of first network node endpoints that are expected to be reachable by first end-user equipment associated with the first end-user, and the second expectation information being indicative of second network node endpoints that are expected to be reachable by second end-user equipment associated with the second end-user; automatically determining, based upon the characterizing information, with which of the first characteristic or the second characteristic the third characteristic more closely matches; in a first case that the first characteristic more closely matches the third characteristic, automatically assigning the first network node endpoints as expected to be reachable by third end-user equipment; in a second case that the second characteristic more closely matches the third characteristic, automatically assigning the second network node endpoints as expected to be reachable by the third end-user equipment; and automatically verifying whether the network node endpoints that have been assigned as expected to be reachable by the third end-user equipment can be reached by the third end-user equipment. Other embodiments are disclosed.