ShadowNet Controller for Rapid Service Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern network service providers face challenges in deploying new services and features due to long deployment cycles and difficulties in recreating realistic network conditions for testing, which can lead to network disruptions and increased maintenance complexities.
Innovation Solution
The ShadowNet platform provides a sharable, programmable, and composable infrastructure using a controller with a user manager, physical manager, configuration effector, and device monitor to dynamically create and manage logical topologies on carrier-grade equipment, allowing for realistic testing and deployment of new services without impacting production networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If configuration changes are lab-tested before staged deployments, then the risk of network disruptions is reduced, but the deployment cycle becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a shadow network that is pre-configured with the same topology and equipment as the production network, allowing configuration changes to be tested in advance in a realistic environment. This preliminary testing in the shadow network enables validation of changes before they are applied to the production network, reducing deployment risk while maintaining faster deployment cycles through parallel testing.
2Loss of energy
If testing is performed in a lab environment, then resource consumption is reduced, but the ability to recreate realistic network conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a shadow network that is an exact copy of the production network topology, using the same carrier-grade equipment and network configuration. This copying approach allows testing to be performed in a realistic network environment that accurately reflects production conditions, while still being a separate testbed that consumes independent resources. The shadow network maintains the same structural and operational characteristics as production, enabling precise measurement and testing.
3Productivity
If multiple services are provided using a network, then network utilization is improved, but the complexity of implementing changes for fewer services increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into a production network and a shadow network, each serving distinct purposes. The production network handles multiple live services, while the shadow network is dedicated to testing and validation. This segmentation allows changes to be isolated and tested in the shadow network before being applied to the production network, reducing the complexity of managing service changes across multiple services. The shadow network acts as an independent testbed that can be configured and modified without affecting production services.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller is used to provide a sharable, programmable and composable infrastructure. The controller includes a user manager to take input of user application programming interface calls that correspond to actions accepted from users. A physical manager fulfills requests from the user manager by manipulating distributed physical resources and logical devices in a network controlled by the controller. A configuration effector implements configuration changes to the physical resources and logical devices. A device monitor determines a status of the physical resources and logical devices, propagates the status to the physical manager for detecting a failure of the physical resources and logical devices in real-time, and mitigates the failure.