Method and an appliance for maintaining a configuration data structure

A network element comprising:

• one or more functional entities for controlling and carrying out data transfer between the network element and a data transfer network, and
• a processing system communicatively connected to the one or more functional entities,
• wherein the processing system is configured to maintain a configuration data structure expressing configuration of the network element, to run an operative process comprising making changes to the configuration of the network element, and to add, to the configuration data structure, change descriptors indicative of the changes, the processing system being further configured to:
• run, in response to a need to update the configuration data structure, an auxiliary process in parallel with the operative process, and
• update the configuration data structure by replacing a portion of the configuration data structure corresponding to an update time instant with an auxiliary configuration data structure constructed by the auxiliary process, the updated configuration data structure comprising the auxiliary configuration data structure and the change descriptors indicative of changes made after the update time instant, and the auxiliary process comprising:
• requesting one or more functional entities of the device to report configurations of the functional entities prevailing at the update time instant, and
• constructing the auxiliary configuration data structure at least partly on the basis of information reported by the functional entities.

A method for maintaining a configuration data structure expressing configuration of a device, the method comprising:

• running an operative process comprising:
• making changes to the configuration of the device and adding, to the configuration data structure, change descriptors indicative of the changes,
• running, in response to a need to update the configuration data structure, an auxiliary process in parallel with the operative process, and
• updating the configuration data structure by replacing a portion of the configuration data structure corresponding to an update time instant with an auxiliary configuration data structure constructed by the auxiliary process, the updated configuration data structure comprising the auxiliary configuration data structure and the change descriptors indicative of changes made after the update time instant,
• wherein the auxiliary process comprises:
• requesting one or more functional entities of the device to report configurations of the functional entities prevailing at the update time instant, and
• constructing the auxiliary configuration data structure at least partly on the basis of information reported by the functional entities.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for maintaining a configuration data structure expressing configuration of a device, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a programmable processing system to run an operative process comprising making changes to the configuration of the device and adding, to the configuration data structure, change descriptors indicative of the changes, wherein the computer program comprises computer executable instructions for controlling the programmable processing system to:

• run, in response to a need to update the configuration data structure, an auxiliary process in parallel with the operative process, and
• update the configuration data structure by replacing a portion of the configuration data structure corresponding to an update time instant with an auxiliary configuration data structure constructed by the auxiliary process, the updated configuration data structure comprising the auxiliary configuration data structure and the change descriptors indicative of changes made after the update time instant,
• wherein the auxiliary process comprises:
• requesting one or more functional entities of the device to report configurations of the functional entities prevailing at the update time instant, and
• constructing the auxiliary configuration data structure at least partly on the basis of information reported by the functional entities.