# US 2019/0356567 A1 · Methods and apparatus for providing adaptive private network centralized management system discovery processes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0356567 A1 - Document ID: US20190356567A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/528,092 - Filed: 2019-07-31 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-23 - Assignees: Talari Networks Incorporated - Applicants: Talari Networks Incorporated - Inventors: Todd Martin; Sonia Kiang Rovner; Justin Allen Patterson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190356567A1 ## CPC - H04L 43/067: using time frame reporting - G06F 16/214: {Database migration support} - G06F 16/278: {Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning} - G06F 21/33: using certificates - H04L 12/2854: {Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks} - H04L 41/0806: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play - H04L 41/0873: Checking configuration conflicts between network elements - H04L 41/22: comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] - H04L 63/0823: {using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263)} - H04L 43/0817: by checking functioning - H04L 43/10: Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route - H04L 45/76: Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Systems and techniques are described for a centralized management system operating within a virtual machine which configures, monitors, analyzes, and manages an adaptive private network (APN) to provide a discovery process that learns about changes to the APN through a network control node (NCN) that is a single point of control of the APN. The discovery process automatically learns a new topology of the network without relying on configuration information of nodes in the APN. Network statistics are based on a timeline of network operations that a user selected to review. Such discovery and timeline review is separate from stored configuration information. If there was a network change, the changes either show up or not show up in the discovery process based on the selected time line. Configuration changes can be made from the APN VM system by loading the latest configuration on the APN under control of the NCN. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for providing security in a network, the method comprising: configuring a first network manager in a first server with a first private key and a first public security certificate for an adaptive private network (APN) having a network control node (NCN) and a plurality of client nodes and, wherein the NCN is separate from each client node and administers and controls a plurality of client nodes within the APN; transferring, under control of a first network administrator, the first public security certificate from the first network manager to the NCN for installation on the NCN, wherein the first public security certificate contains a first public key corresponding to the first private key; automatically distributing by the NCN a first certificate file including the first public security certificate and an associated first hash of the first certificate file to the client nodes, wherein the first public security certificate and first public key are stored in each of the client nodes; and verifying in each client node of the one or more client nodes that a generated hash of the distributed first certificate file matches the associated first hash to verify the first public security certificate was properly received, wherein the first server manages the APN. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring a second network manager of a second server with a second private key and a second public security certificate for the APN including the NCN and the plurality of client nodes; transferring, under control of the network administrator, the second public security certificate from the second network manager to the NCN for installation on the NCN, wherein the second public security certificate contains a second public key corresponding to the second private key; automatically distributing by the NCN a second certificate file including the second public security certificate and an associated second hash of the second certificate file to the client nodes, wherein the second public security certificate and second public key are verified in each of the client nodes and wherein the first server and the second server manage the APN. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: providing the second network manager of the second server to the NCN with credentials signed by the second private key to the client nodes; checking by the NCN the credentials with the first public security certificate and with the second public security certificate that have been installed; and permitting the first server, upon finding a match with the first public security certificate, or the second server, upon finding a match with the second public security certificate, to make requests to the client nodes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a new public key at a client node; and terminating security connections to the client node that use the first public key. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: discovering that a new client node has been added to the APN creating a new configuration of the APN; exporting the new configuration to the NCN for installation; and automatically sending the public security certificate by the NCN to the new client node after the new configuration has been installed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: automatically polling for operating statistics of the new configuration of the APN including the new client node. ### Claim 7 A method to discover operating statistics for an adaptive private network (APN), the method comprising: configuring an APN with a centralized management virtual machine (VM) system, the APN VM system, a network control node at a specified management Internet protocol (IP) address, and a plurality of client nodes, wherein the NCN is separate from each client node and is a single point of control of the plurality of client nodes within the APN; requesting, by the APN VM system, a list of each client node at an associated management IP address of the plurality of client nodes from the single point of control NCN; and contacting, by the APN VM system, each client node at the associated management IP address that was returned by the NCN to gather client node information including connectivity information between client nodes in the APN. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein a discovery process operating separately from configuration information of the APN, determines a topology of the APN currently in operation has at least one additional client node than a previously operating topology and wherein the discovery process determines operating characteristics of the currently operating topology from the gathered client node information of each client node in the APN including the one additional client node and its interconnection links. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein a discovery process operating separately from configuration information of the APN, determines a topology of the APN currently in operation has at least one less client node than a previously operating topology and wherein the discovery process determines operating characteristics of the currently operating topology from the gathered client node information of each remaining client node in the APN. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the client node information includes operating statistics of the client node and associated connections. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: storing operating statistics gathered by the APN VM system from each site in the APN into a statistics database associated with the APN VM system for analysis and display. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: requesting the NCN to poll each appliance to reply with a name and a network management IP address assigned to the appliance. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: requesting each client node in the APN to gather statistics data, wherein the statistics data includes software revision, registry timestamp, and connectivity information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprises: sending a request for network management IP addresses to the NCN; and returning a list of network management IP information structures from the NCN, the information structures containing information from selected client nodes in the APN. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the information structures comprise: network management IP addresses of a newly added site in the APN. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: automatically pushing a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate from the NCN to a site that has been added to the APN, wherein the added site and interconnection links to the added site are included in the gathered client node information. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising: configuring a first network manager in a first server with a first private key and a first public security certificate for an adaptive private network (APN) having a network control node (NCN) and a plurality of client nodes and, wherein the NCN is separate from each client node and administers and controls a plurality of client nodes within the APN; transferring, under control of a first network administrator, the first public security certificate from the first network manager to the NCN for installation on the NCN, wherein the first public security certificate contains a first public key corresponding to the first private key; automatically distributing by the NCN a first certificate file including the first public security certificate and an associated first hash of the first certificate file to the client nodes, wherein the first public security certificate and first public key are stored in each of the client nodes; and verifying in each client node of the one or more client nodes that a generated hash of the distributed first certificate file matches the associated first hash to verify the first public security certificate was properly received, wherein the first server manages the APN. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising: configuring a second network manager of a second server with a second private key and a second public security certificate for the APN including the NCN and the plurality of client nodes; transferring, under control of the network administrator, the second public security certificate from the second network manager to the NCN for installation on the NCN, wherein the second public security certificate contains a second public key corresponding to the second private key; automatically distributing by the NCN a second certificate file including the second public security certificate and an associated second hash of the second certificate file to the client nodes, wherein the second public security certificate and second public key are verified in each of the client nodes and wherein the first server and the second server manage the APN. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising: providing the second network manager of the second server to the NCN with credentials signed by the second private key to the client nodes; checking by the NCN the credentials with the first public security certificate and with the second public security certificate that have been installed; and permitting the first server, upon finding a match with the first public security certificate, or the second server, upon finding a match with the second public security certificate, to make requests to the client nodes. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising: discovering that a new client node has been added to the APN creating a new configuration of the APN; exporting the new configuration to the NCN for installation; and automatically sending the public security certificate by the NCN to the new client node after the new configuration has been installed.