Topology-Aware Network Configuration Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing the configuration of hundreds or thousands of disparate network devices across remote locations is inefficient due to the complexity of manual processes, making it impossible to ensure consistency and compliance with configuration policies, especially in large and highly interconnected networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a topology-aware configuration management system that identifies and updates the configuration of network devices based on a policy, using a topology database to determine topologically related devices and automatically generating scripts to enforce compliance with specified configuration parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual configuration management methods are used to manage network devices, then configuration updates can be performed with simple tools, but the complexity of managing hundreds or thousands of devices across remote locations makes the process inefficient and incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configuration management system as an intermediary between network administrators and dispersed network devices. This system automatically discovers device topologies, identifies configuration violations against policies, and generates correction scripts, thereby mediating the complex task of managing hundreds or thousands of devices across remote locations and transforming manual inefficiency into automated effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables network devices to be self-managed through automated configuration discovery and violation detection. By automatically identifying topologically related devices and generating configuration correction scripts based on policy violations, the system allows the network infrastructure to manage itself without requiring manual intervention for each device, thereby dramatically improving productivity while handling complexity.
2Reliability
If automated configuration management is implemented to improve efficiency, then configuration compliance can be enforced across all devices, but the system complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration management process into distinct modular components: topology discovery module, policy validation module, violation detection module, and script generation module. Each component handles a specific aspect of configuration management, allowing the system to achieve comprehensive compliance enforcement while keeping individual components manageable in complexity. This segmentation enables reliable automated enforcement without requiring an monolithic complex system.
3Measurement precision
If manual examination of each device configuration is performed to ensure compliance, then configuration accuracy can be verified, but the time and effort required becomes impossible in large networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual process of examining each device configuration with an automated computational system. The system uses topology databases to identify related devices, applies configuration policies algorithmically, and automatically generates verification reports. This substitution maintains precise configuration verification by systematically checking each device against policies while reducing the time from impossible to instantaneous, even in large networks with thousands of devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer readable media for managing the configuration of topologically related network devices are described. In general, devices that are “topologically related” are devices that are functionally coupled in some way (e.g., network switches sharing a common trunk line or network routers providing common router services in accordance with an established priority scheme). Specifically, techniques are disclosed for verifying or changing the configuration of a first network device based on the configuration of a second, topologically related, network device. Configuration policies (or rules) are described that are used to “bridge” the configuration of one device with that of another device.