US 10,756,945 B2 · Virtualized network management protocols

Abstract

Approaches are disclosed for virtualizing a network management protocol (NMP). A network element offloads processes for communicating in the NMP to a virtualization engine (e.g., a backend virtualization proxy for the network element). The network element transmits a message containing a NMP request to the virtualization engine using service function chaining (SFC) by inserting service plane protocol data (e.g., a network service header (NSH)) into the message (e.g., an impregnated request). The virtualization engine expropriates, from the network element, processes for communicating in the NMP and can, thereby, reduce the computational resources used by the network element for communicating in the NMP. The virtualization engine generates a NMP response to the NMP request. The virtualization engine transmits a different message containing the NMP response to the network element using SFC by inserting service plane protocol data into the message (e.g., an impregnated response).

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

replacing a code block at a network element with instructions for Service Function Chaining (SFC);
receiving, by the network element, a request from a network management system (NMS), the request identifying the network element as a final destination of the request and encoded, at least in part, in a network management protocol (NMP);
converting the request to an impregnated request by inserting information into the request, the information encoded in a service plane protocol and identifying the network element and an interface of the network element on which the request was received;
and
transmitting the impregnated request to a virtualization engine, the virtualization engine being remote to the network element and containing the code block removed from the network element.

2 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to receive, via a port, a request from a network management system (NMS), the request identifying the apparatus as a final destination of the request and encoded, at least in part, in a network management protocol (NMP);
a memory element configured to store code;
at least one processor coupled to the memory element and the network interface, the at least one processor configured to execute the code to perform operations comprising:
replacing a code block at the memory element with instructions for Service Function Chaining (SFC);
converting the request to an impregnated request by inserting information into the request, the information encoded in a service plane protocol and identifying the apparatus and the port;
and
transmitting the impregnated request to a virtualization engine, the virtualization engine being remote to the memory element and containing the code block removed from the memory element.

4 more elements

A computer-readable non-transitory medium comprising instructions, that when executed by at least one processor configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

replacing a code block at the computer-readable non-transitory medium with instructions for Service Function Chaining (SFC);
receiving a request from a network management system (NMS), the request identifying a network element as a final destination of the request and encoded, at least in part, in a network management protocol (NMP);
converting the request to an impregnated request by inserting information into the request, the information identifying the network element and an interface of the network element on which the request was received and encoded in a service plane protocol;
transmitting the impregnated request to a virtualization engine, the virtualization engine being remote to the computer-readable non-transitory medium and containing the code block removed from the computer-readable non-transitory medium.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Virtualized network management protocols

Life of this patent

Virtualized network management protocols

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20