Networking systems with dynamically changing topologies
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsLeon Poutievski, Amin Vahdat, Ashish Naik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Network performance may be improved by adjusting a logical network topology while avoiding attendant disruptions. By identifying an alternative logical topology, routing network traffic away from links that will be eliminated from the alternative logical topology, and updating a traffic routing plan upon the adoption of the alternative logical topology, a network may adopt a more efficient topology without misdirecting network traffic.
Claims34
A computer-implemented method to, in response to a network event, reconfigure a network topology of a network having a configurable patch panel and a software-configured packet switch, comprising:
- identifying, by a solver, an alternative logical topology different from a current logical topology;
- identifying, by the solver, a link in the current logical topology not present in the alternative logical topology, and generating a temporary traffic routing plan bypassing the identified link;
- reconfiguring, by a patch panel manager, the configurable patch panel to implement the alternative logical topology;
- and
- providing, by a network element manager, the temporary traffic routing plan to the software-configured packet switch for implementation prior to the reconfiguring, and an updated traffic routing plan based on the alternative logical topology to the software-configured packet switch for implementation after the reconfiguring.
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for responding to a network event by reconfiguring a network topology of a network having a configurable patch panel and a software-configured packet switch, the process comprising:
- identifying an alternative logical topology based different from a current logical topology;
- identifying a link in the current logical topology not present in the alternative logical topology, and generating a temporary traffic routing plan bypassing the identified link;
- reconfiguring the configurable patch panel to implement the alternative logical topology;
- and
- providing the temporary traffic routing plan to the software-configured packet switch for implementation prior to the reconfiguring, and an updated traffic routing plan based on the alternative logical topology to the software-configured packet switch for implementation after the reconfiguring.
A system to, in response to a network event, reconfigure a computer network having a configurable patch panel and a software-configured packet switch, comprising:
- a patch panel manager configured to program the configurable patch panel to implement a logical topology for the computer network;
- a network element manager configured to program the software-configured packet switch with a traffic routing plan, and for monitoring a status of the software-configured packet switch;
- a wiring verification component configured to determine a connectivity of the configurable patch panel to other elements in the computer network;
- a solver configured to identify, in response to a network event, an alternative logical topology based on the determined connectivity of the configurable patch panel, the status of the software-configured packet switch, and a network performance target, and further configured to generate one or more alterations to the logical topology and a modified traffic routing plan for implementing the alternative logical topology;
- and
- a sequencer configured to coordinate the alterations and implement the alternative logical topology, wherein the network element manager provides a temporary traffic routing plan to the software-configured packet switch for implementation prior to a first alteration in the one or more alterations and an updated traffic routing plan to the software-configured packet switch for implementation after the first alteration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.