SDN Topology Change Tracking via Two-Phase Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network management tools struggle to maintain up-to-date network topology information in real-time, especially in software-defined networks where rapid changes occur, leading to stale configuration data and inefficiencies in reconfiguring networks for optimal performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an event-driven method with a two-phase commit approach, where the SDN controller reports topology changes to the network management system, which then confirms these changes through a confirmation-seeking message, updating a pre-confirmation database before validating in a post-confirmation database to ensure accurate and timely network configuration data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current network management tools are used to track topology changes, then network configuration monitoring is performed, but the topology data becomes stale and not updated in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the network management system sends confirmation-seeking messages to network elements after receiving topology change notifications. The network elements respond with confirmation messages, creating a closed-loop feedback system that validates topology changes in real-time and prevents stale data accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining a pre-confirmation topology database that stores topology changes before they are fully validated. This allows the system to prepare and stage topology updates, then confirm them through the two-phase commit process, ensuring real-time accuracy without losing update timing.
2Reliability
If a two-phase commit approach is implemented with confirmation-seeking messages, then topology change accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The topology update process is segmented into two distinct phases: a pre-confirmation phase where changes are staged in a separate database, and a post-confirmation phase where changes are validated and committed. This segmentation isolates complexity into manageable stages, allowing each phase to be independently implemented and maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The confirmation-seeking message acts as an intermediary mechanism between the network management system and network elements. This intermediary process simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a standardized communication protocol that mediates the complex verification process, making the system easier to manage despite the added reliability checks.
3Productivity
If real-time topology tracking is implemented, then network reconfiguration speed is improved, but data integrity risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation actions by storing topology changes in a pre-confirmation database before committing them to the main topology data. This preliminary stage allows for verification and validation without immediately applying changes, ensuring data integrity while maintaining real-time tracking capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The confirmation message feedback loop ensures that topology changes are validated by the network elements themselves before being committed. This feedback mechanism guarantees data integrity by having the source of the change confirm its own validity, preventing corrupt or erroneous data from entering the main topology database.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus to track network topology changes are disclosed. An example apparatus includes machine readable instructions, and a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations. The operations include, in response to a reporting message generated by a software defined controller containing topology change information corresponding to a topology change event scheduled to occur at a future time, store, in a topology database, a pre-validation data record reflecting the occurrence of the topology change event. The pre-validation data record indicates the occurrence is not validated. In addition, a validation seeking message is generated to validate occurrence of the topology change event and is transmitted to a network device to be subject to the topology change event after the future time. In response to a validation message from the network device, a post-validation data record is stored in the topology database.