Cisco Technology, Inc.

Kollivakkam Raghavan

Navneet Yadav

Kannan Ponnuswamy

Chien-Ju Lo

Bill YuFan Chen

Tefcros Anthias

Sunil Potti

Mayilraj Krishnan

Sandeep Kumar

Ricky Keangpo Ho

Alex Yiu-Man Chan

Pravin Singhal

Raj K De Datta

Manvesh Vyas

Stephen Cho

Ramakrishna Reddy Kandula

Parley Van Oleson

Mayilraj Kirshnan

Venkateswara Siramdas

A monitoring device for troubleshooting events in a datacenter network identifies a first network event for a time period, and provides an initial display page, one or more additional display pages, selectable display objects, and a representation of the first network event. The device generates a dynamic troubleshooting path for the first network event to track a user navigation between display pages, a manipulation of the one or more selectable display objects, and a last-current display page, and also provides an indication of a second network event associated with higher resolution priority relative to the first network event. Retrieving the dynamic troubleshooting path causes the interface to present the last-current display page, apply the manipulation of the one or more selectable display objects, and load the user navigation between the initial dashboard display page and the one or more additional display pages in a cache.

Techniques and interfaces for troubleshooting datacenter networks

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for generating an interface configured to display status information for network elements on a network. In embodiments, one or more logical models of the network are obtained from at least one of a plurality of controllers on a network. Network statistics are determined based on network traffic. Based on the one or more logical models and the network statistics, a topology of the network and respective status information of one or more network elements during an epoch is identified, the epoch defining a time interval. A user interface is generated that displays the respective status information in a timeline comprising one or more of the epochs.

Epoch data interface

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for versioning data generated by a network tool to provide compatibility across different versions of the network tool. In some embodiments, a method can include generating network assurance data including network events by a first instance of a network tool at a first specific version state. A version identifier uniquely corresponding to the first specific version state can be appended to the network assurance data. A query for the network assurance data can be received from a second instance of the network tool at a second specific version state. Subsequently, access to the network assurance data can be provided to the second instance of the network tool according to a version constraint for data generated by the network tool using the version identifier uniquely corresponding to the first specific version state and appended to the network assurance data.

Network assurance database version compatibility

A system that enables automatic version provisioning in heterogeneous application oriented network (AON) architectures is provided. Generally, the specification enables appropriate version configurations to be selected at runtime as needed in an AON environment. More particularly, the subject specification describes the ability of a device (e.g., AON node) to perform and/or select a self-configuration operation based upon the environment and the runtime operation. To facilitate message-based runtime instantiation of the appropriate configuration, the system enables network applicable configurations to be pushed to each of the nodes in the AON architecture.

Managing multiple application configuration versions in a heterogeneous network

Transactional application processing in a distributed environment using an application-aware network infrastructure element is described. In an embodiment, an apparatus comprises a plurality of network interfaces, forwarding logic, and transaction manager logic. The plurality of network interfaces is operable to communicatively connect to one or more packet-switched networks. The forwarding logic is coupled to the plurality of network interfaces and, when executed, is operable to receive packet flows therefrom and to forward the packet flows thereto. The transaction manager logic is encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed is operable to: receive first information that specifies one or more remote resources associated with an extended transaction, where the extended transaction comprises a plurality of child transactions; and reserve the one or more remote resources by sending out one or more reservation requests over a network management protocol.

Transactional application processing in a distributed environment

In an embodiment, a computer apparatus comprises a network interface; a processor; a packet forwarding unit; and instructions which when executed cause storing a first executable software module in computer storage; receiving and storing, in association with the first software module, a first human-readable declaration of one or more available extension points within the first software module; receiving and storing an extension software module that implements a particular one or more of the extension points; installing and executing the first software module and the extension software module; and invoking the extension software module when the particular extension point is reached during execution of the first software module. In an embodiment, a declaration of extension points enables extending a software module while running in a host, by registering an extension matching the extension points, yet the author of the extension does not need to access any code of the extended module.

Controlling and extending programmable network functions using a declarative approach

A network infrastructure element such as a packet data router or switch hosts an application program and one or more user program extensions to the application program. Logic in the network element is configured to perform creating and storing one or more default program security permissions; receiving a user-defined security policy that defines one or more user extension security permissions for the one or more user program extensions; creating and storing only each of the one or more user extension security permissions that do not conflict with the default program security permissions; receiving a request from one of the user program extensions to access a resource of the apparatus or the network; permitting the request to access the resource or the network only when the access does not violate the user extension security permissions and the default program security permissions.

Controlling computer program extensions in a network device

Transactional application processing in a distributed environment using an application-aware network infrastructure element is described. In an embodiment, an apparatus comprises a plurality of network interfaces, forwarding logic, and transaction manager logic. The plurality of network interfaces are operable to communicatively connect to one or more packet-switched networks. The forwarding logic is coupled to the plurality of network interfaces and, when executed, is operable to receive packet flows therefrom and to forward the packet flows thereto. The transaction manager logic is encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed is operable to: receive first information that specifies one or more remote resources associated with an extended transaction, where the extended transaction comprises a plurality of child transactions; and reserve the one or more remote resources by sending out one or more reservation requests over a network management protocol.

A method is disclosed for generating a network topology representation based on inspection of application messages at a network device. According to one aspect, a network device receives a request packet, routes the packet to the destination, and extracts and stores correlation information from a copy of the request packet. When the network device receives a response packet, it examines the contents of a copy of the response packet using context-based correlation rules and matches the response packet with the appropriate stored request packet correlation information. It analyzes recorded correlation information to determine application-to-application mapping and calculate application response times. Another embodiment inserts custom headers that contain information used to match a response packet with a request packet into request packets.

Method and apparatus for generating a network topology representation based on inspection of application messages at a network device

Custom or user-defined application program extensions may be loaded into a network infrastructure element such as a router or switch without restarting the device. For example, a network element has program extensibility logic operable for receiving one or more user program extensions that comprise logic operable to interface with the application program and perform message processing functions or protocol processing functions that are not in the application program; installing the one or more user program extensions without restarting the apparatus; receiving one or more packets representing an application message; selecting a particular one of the user program extensions based on a protocol associated with the message; loading the particular one of the user program extensions; executing business logic of the application program associated with the received message; and invoking a function of the particular one of the user program extensions in response to a call in the business logic.

Dynamically adding application logic and protocol adapters to a programmable network element

A method is disclosed for reducing the sizes of application layer messages in a network element such as a network switch or router. According to one aspect, the network element receives data packets and determines an original application layer message that is collectively contained in payload portions of the data packets. The network element compresses the original application layer message into a compressed message, and sends the compressed message toward an application that is hosted on a device other than the network element. According to another aspect, the network element receives data packets and determines a compressed message that is collectively contained in payload portions of the data packets. The network element decompresses the compressed message into an original application layer message, and sends the original application layer message toward an application that is hosted on a device other than the network element. Compressed messages consume less network bandwidth.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kollivakkam Raghavan