Device tagging with tag query
AssigneeArista Networks, Inc.
InventorsGursimran Singh Kohli, Grzegorz Kacy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A network management system may associate devices with informational tags to facilitate network organization and management. The network management system may obtain a tag query and process the obtained tag query to generate corresponding output such as a device tag state that satisfies the tag query. To enable efficient and scalable processing of the tag query, the network management system may standardize the tag query and process the standardized tag query.
Claims18
A method for tagging a network device using a management server for managing the network device, the method comprising:
- obtaining, by the management server, a tag query that contains a plurality of tags, wherein the plurality of tags are usable for providing contextual information about the network device;
- generating, by the management server, a device tag state based on the tag query, the device tag state indicating a state of each tag in the plurality of tags that collectively satisfies the tag query, wherein generating the device tag state based on the tag query comprises determining any tag in the plurality of tags that is irrelevant to satisfying the tag query;
- tagging, by the management server, the network device based on the state of each tag in the plurality of tags indicated by the device tag state, wherein tagging the network device based on the state of each tag in the plurality of tags indicated by the device tag state comprises:
- tagging the network device with any tag in the plurality of tags that, when present, satisfies the tag query;
- and
- removing, from association with the network device, any tag in the plurality of tags that, when absent, satisfies the tag query;
- and
- based on the device tag state, configuring, by the management server, the network device by providing a given device configuration for a given tag in the device tag state, over a corresponding network path, to the network device, wherein the network device comprises a packet processor.
One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors for a network management system that manages a plurality of network devices in a network, cause the one or more processors to:
- obtain a tag query containing a plurality of tags usable to label the plurality of network devices in the network;
- generate a device tag state based on the tag query, the device tag state indicating a state of each tag in the plurality of tags and satisfying the tag query, wherein generating the device tag state based on the tag query comprises determining any tag in the plurality of tags that is irrelevant to satisfying the tag query;
- associate a given network device in the plurality of network devices with any present tag indicated by the device tag state, wherein each present tag provides contextual information about the given network device;
- dissociate the given network device in the plurality of network devices from any absent tag indicated by the device tag state, wherein each present tag, when associated with the given network device, and each absent tag, when disassociated from the given network device, collectively indicate that the tag query is satisfied for the given network device;
- and
- configure the given network device by conveying one or more device configurations, over a corresponding network path, to the given network device based on the device tag state.
A network management system comprising:
- storage circuitry;
- and
- processing circuitry coupled to the storage circuitry and configured to:
- obtain a tag query that contains a plurality of tags, wherein the plurality of tags are used to provide contextual information about a network device;
- generate a network device tag state based on the tag query, the network device tag state indicating a state of each tag in the plurality of tags and satisfying the tag query, wherein the network device tag state is generated by identifying any tag in the plurality of tags that is irrelevant to satisfying the tag query;
- and
- tag the network device based on the state of each tag in the plurality of tags indicated by the network device tag state, wherein the network device is tagged by:
- tagging the network device with any present tag, indicated by the network device tag state, that when present satisfies the tag query;
- and
- removing, from association with the network device, any absent tag, indicated by the network device tag state, that when absent satisfies the tag query;
- and
- based on the network device tag state, configure the network device by conveying, over a corresponding network path and to the network device, configuration data for forwarding network traffic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.