Unified Control Plane for Multi-Chassis Router Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network service providers face challenges in managing and upgrading multi-chassis routers due to increased administrative time and costs, as well as complexities in configuring and managing individual devices within these systems.
Innovation Solution
An online network device diagnostic and recovery system that models network device components and interfaces as a data structure, allowing for proactive monitoring, fault detection, and centralized recovery actions, enabling the network to remain operational during fault recovery by generating a software entity profile and registering it with proxies for communication and response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multi-chassis routers are used to increase bandwidth capabilities, then network bandwidth capacity is improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple routing devices into a single multi-chassis router system that operates as one unified routing node. Individual devices are combined physically and functionally, sharing common control plane software and routing tables, while maintaining separate forwarding planes. This consolidation increases bandwidth capacity through aggregated resources while the unified control plane simplifies management by presenting a single device interface to network administrators.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane software is designed to be universal across multiple chassis and device types. A single instance of the control plane can manage diverse hardware components including different chassis types, line cards, and interface cards, providing multi-functional capabilities that reduce the need for device-specific management procedures and expertise.
2Power
If multi-chassis routers are deployed to meet bandwidth demands, then network capacity is improved, but administrative time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple devices into a single managed entity with unified control plane software, the system reduces administrative time required for configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Network administrators interact with one device interface rather than multiple individual devices, significantly reducing the time and effort required for routine maintenance and upgrades.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service capabilities through automated fault detection, diagnosis, and recovery mechanisms. The control plane continuously monitors device health and can automatically recover from failures without administrator intervention, reducing the time and expertise required for manual troubleshooting and repair operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual devices in multi-chassis router are configured separately, then device flexibility is maintained, but configuration and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the router into independent functional components: a shared control plane and separate forwarding planes on individual chassis. Each chassis and line card can be independently configured and managed, maintaining device flexibility and adaptability. Simultaneously, the unified control plane provides centralized configuration management, allowing administrators to configure the entire system through a single interface rather than managing each device separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane acts as an intermediary between the network administrator and the physical hardware components. It provides a unified configuration interface that translates administrator commands into device-specific configurations, maintaining flexibility in hardware configuration while simplifying the user experience through consistent management procedures across all devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An online network device monitoring and recovery system generates, based at least in part on a schema that describes entities included in a network device, a software entity profile of entity object instances that represent the entities included in the network device, the entities including both hardware components and interfaces between the hardware components. The system registers the software entity profile to one or more proxies implemented on the network device. The system receives diagnostic information corresponding to a respective entity from the plurality of entities represented in the software entity profile registered to the one or more proxies. The system communicates diagnostic information for the respective entity, and a respective connective path through the entities for the respective entity based at least in part on the software entity profile.