Implementing managed network services for customers with duplicate IP networks

A management system for managing a plurality of computer networks mapped to a plurality of domains, each domain comprising a plurality of network elements that are each assigned a unique IP address within the domain at a given time, and at least one of the plurality of network elements within at least two of the plurality of domains being assigned an identical IP address, the management system comprising a management station comprising:

• a plurality of interfaces established at the management station, each of the plurality of interfaces being one of a virtual interface and a physical interface and being assigned a different IP address;
• and
• a management application for communicating with the plurality of interfaces;
• wherein the management application is configured to associate a first of the plurality of domains with a first of the plurality of interfaces and to associate a second of the plurality of domains with a second of the plurality of interfaces,
• wherein data transmitted from one of the first and second domains to the management application comprises data that has a destination IP address which is the IP address of a particular one of the first and second interfaces such that the transmitted data is forwarded at the management station to the respective interface corresponding to the destination IP address, and
• wherein the management application is further configured to ascertain from which of the plurality of domains the data is transmitted based on which of the first and second interfaces receives the forwarded data.

A management system for managing a plurality of computer networks mapped to a plurality of domains, each domain comprising a plurality of network elements that are each assigned a unique IP address within the domain at a given time, and at least one of the plurality of network elements within at least two of the plurality of domains being assigned an identical IP address, the management system comprising a management station comprising:

• a plurality of interfaces established at the management station, each interface being assigned a different IP address;
• and
• a management application for communicating with the plurality of interfaces;
• wherein the management application is configured to associate a first of the plurality of domains with a first of the plurality of interfaces such that the management application transmits data between the management application and the first domain exclusively through the first of the plurality of interfaces and to associate a second of the plurality of domains with a second of the plurality of interfaces such that the management application transmits data between the management application and the second domain exclusively through the second of the plurality of interfaces.

A method of managing a plurality of domains of computer networks at least two of which comprise a respective network element that is assigned an identical IP address, the method comprising:

• assigning the plurality of networks to a plurality of domains at a management station such that each network element has a unique IP address within a particular domain at a given time;
• establishing a plurality of interfaces for managing the plurality of domains at the management system, each of the plurality of interfaces being one of a virtual interface and a physical interface and having a different IP address that is unique to the plurality of domains;
• associating a first of the plurality of domains with a first of the plurality of interfaces;
• associating a second of the plurality of domains with a second of the plurality of interfaces;
• transmitting first data from the management station to a particular one of the first and second domains by:
• transmitting the first data from the management application to a particular one of the first and second interfaces associated with the particular one of the first and second domains to which the data is to be transmitted, and
• inserting in the first data a source IP address which is the assigned IP address of the particular one of the first and second interfaces.

A method of managing a plurality of domains of computer networks at least two of which comprise a respective network element that is assigned an identical IP address, the method comprising:

• assigning the plurality of networks to a plurality of domains at a management station such that each network element has a unique IP address within a particular domain at a given time;
• establishing a plurality of interfaces for managing the plurality of domains at the management system, each of the plurality of interfaces being one of a virtual interface and a physical interface and having a different IP address that is unique to the plurality of domains;
• associating a first of the plurality of domains with a first of the plurality of interfaces;
• associating a second of the plurality of domains with a second of the plurality of interfaces;
• receiving at the management system data comprising a destination IP address which is the IP address of one of the first and second interfaces;
• and
• ascertaining at the management system from which of the plurality of interfaces the received data originated based on the destination IP address in the received data.

A method of managing a plurality of computer networks at least two of which comprise a respective network element that is assigned an identical IP address, the method comprising:

• assigning each of the plurality of computer networks to a plurality of domains at a management station such that each network element has a unique IP address within a particular domain at a given time;
• establishing a plurality of interfaces for managing the plurality of domains at the management system, each interface having a different virtual IP address that is unique to the plurality of domains;
• associating a first of the plurality of domains with a first of the plurality of interfaces;
• associating a second of the plurality of domains with a second of the plurality of interfaces;
• and
• exchanging data between the management system and the plurality of domains, wherein the management application exchanges data with the first of the plurality of domains exclusively through the first interface and the management application exchanges data with the second of the plurality of domains exclusively through the second interface.