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US 7,398,323 B1Granted
Configuring a network router
AssigneeJuniper Networks, Inc.
InventorsSimon John Gerraty, Philip Austin Shafer, Robert P Enns
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An entity, such as a human user or automated program or script, can request an exclusive lock on a router configuration database that prevents other entities from modifying the configuration database until the lock is released. The lock is granted only if no other entity has a lock and the configuration database has not been modified since the last time it was committed. Misconfiguration of the router is thereby prevented.
Claims30
A method comprising:
- receiving a request from an entity to exclusively lock router configuration information, wherein the configuration information specifies a configuration of one or more communication protocols and one or more network interfaces supported by a network router;
- determining a first condition of whether another entity has already exclusively locked the router configuration information;
- determining a second condition of whether the router configuration information contains changes that have not yet been committed in response to a commit operation;
- and
- exclusively locking the router configuration information when both the first condition and the second condition are false.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving a request to modify router configuration information that specifies forwarding options for network router that forwards packets within a network;
- and
- allowing the router configuration information to be modified when no exclusive lock is associated with the router configuration information, wherein the exclusive lock is granted in response to a request when (i) no exclusive lock is already associated with the router configuration information when the request is received, and (ii) the router configuration information does not contain changes that have not yet been committed.
A router, comprising:
- a router configuration database configured to store a configuration of a router that forwards packets within a network, wherein the configuration specifies one or more routing policies for the network router;
- and
- a configuration module to receive a request to exclusively lock the router configuration database, and to exclusively lock the router configuration database when the router configuration database has not already been exclusively locked and when all previous changes to the router configuration database have been committed in response to a database commit command.
A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for:
- receiving a request to modify router configuration information that specifies a configuration of one or more communication protocols supported by a network router;
- and
- allowing the router configuration information to be modified when no exclusive lock is associated with the router configuration information, wherein the exclusive lock is granted in response to a request when (i) no exclusive lock is already associated with the router configuration information when the request is received, and (ii) the router configuration information does not contain changes that have not yet been committed.
A router comprising:
- a plurality of interface cards for communicating with a packet-based network;
- a routing table storing routing information that describe available routes through the network;
- a control module configured to forward packets according to the routing information;
- a router configuration database configured to store configuration data for the router, wherein the router configuration database operates in accordance with a commit-based model responsive to commit commands;
- and
- a configuration module to receive a request to exclusively lock the router configuration database, wherein the configuration module exclusively locks the router configuration database in response to the request unless the router configuration database has already been exclusively locked or the router configuration database contains changes that have not yet been committed by a commit command.
3 more elements
A router comprising:
- a plurality of interface cards for communicating with a packet-based network;
- a routing table storing routing information that describe available routes through the network;
- a control module configured to forward packets in accordance with the routing information;
- a router configuration database configured to store configuration data for the router;
- and
- a configuration module that provides concurrent access to the router configuration database for a plurality of users and allows the users to change the configuration database and issue commit commands to commit the changes,
- wherein the configuration module receives a request to exclusively lock the router configuration database from one of the users, and
- wherein the configuration module exclusively locks the router configuration database in response to the request when the router configuration database is not already exclusively locked by another user and the router configuration database contains no uncommitted changes.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.