Intent-based, network-aware network device software-upgrade scheduling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11640291-B2
Application number	US-202017139773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 10, 2019
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

A controller device manages a plurality of network devices. The controller device includes one or more processing units configured to receive an upgrade request; obtain a redundancy model indicating network device redundancies or service redundancies; determine, based on the upgrade request and the redundancy model, an update graph having nodes each representing one of the network devices or one of the services, the update graph also having at least one edge that connects two of the nodes and that indicates the network redundancy or the service redundancy; determine, based on the update graph including the at least one edge, an update schedule for performing an update of software for the network devices that ensures availability for the first network device or second network device or availability for the service; and update the software of each of the network devices according to the update schedule.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a controller device that manages network devices of a network that provides services, an upgrade request and at least one policy specifying an objective that is a minimum objective or a maximum objective for the network;
obtaining, by the controller device, a redundancy model indicative of redundancy information for the network, wherein the redundancy model comprises one of: (1) a network device model that includes device redundancy information indicating a device redundancy for a first network device and a second network device of the network devices, or (2) a service model that includes service redundancy information indicating a service redundancy for a service of the services, wherein obtaining the redundancy model comprises obtaining a unified intent model that comprises the network device model and the service model and wherein the unified intent model comprises a graph database configured to graphically represent at least one of the device redundancy information or the service redundancy information, the graph database including a plurality of nodes representing one or more network resources and edges between the nodes representing the at least one of the device redundancy information or the service redundancy information;
determining, by the controller device based on the upgrade request and the redundancy model, an update graph having update graph nodes each representing one of the network devices or one of the services, the update graph also having at least one edge that connects two of the update graph nodes and that indicates the network device redundancy or the service redundancy;
determining, by the controller device based on the update graph including the at least one edge and based on the at least one policy, an update schedule for performing an update of software for the network devices that ensures availability for the first network device or second network device or availability for the service; and updating, by the controller device, the software of each of the network devices according to the update schedule.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redundancy model comprises a modified YANG or YAML data model that comprises the network device redundancy information or the service redundancy information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device model comprises syntax to indicate an alternate network device of the network devices for a network device of the network devices.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the syntax comprises a device-id property to indicate a device identifier for the network device and the syntax comprises an alternate-device property to indicate an alternate device identifier for the alternate network device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service model comprises:
first syntax for a link and an alternate link; or
second syntax for a node and an alternate node.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first syntax comprises a link-id property to indicate a link identifier and the first syntax comprises an alternate-link property to indicate an alternate link identifier.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second syntax comprises a node-id property to indicate a node identifier and the second syntax comprises alternate-node property to indicate an alternate node identifier.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the upgrade request comprises a device selector that selects the network devices based on a tag or role of the network devices.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one policy specifies at least one of:
a maximum down-time for any network device;
a maximum number of connections that may be down at any one time;
a latest-permissible upgrade completion date;
a maximum percent of devices that to be upgraded at any one time;
a maximum upgrade-window duration; or
an upgrade priority based on devices having the most subscribers.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the controller device, a criteria definition that defines new criteria for performing the update of the software,
wherein the upgrade request specifies the new criteria.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the redundancy model comprises receiving the service redundancy information from the service of the services.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the redundancy model comprises determining, by the controller device based on the services, the redundancy information for the network.

13. A controller device that manages a plurality of network devices of a network, the controller device comprising one or more processing units implemented in circuitry and configured to:
receive an upgrade request and at least one policy specifying an objective that is a minimum objective or a maximum objective for the network;
obtain a redundancy model indicative of redundancy information for the network, wherein the redundancy model comprises one of: (1) a network device model that includes device redundancy information indicating a device redundancy for a first network device and a second network device of the network devices, or (2) a service model that includes service redundancy information indicating a service redundancy for a service of the services, wherein to obtain the redundancy model, the one or more processing units are configured to obtain a unified intent model that comprises the network device model and the service model and wherein the unified intent model comprises a graph database configured to graphically represent at least one of the device redundancy information or the service redundancy information, the graph database including a plurality of nodes representing one or more network resources and edges between the nodes representing the at least one of the device redundancy information or the service redundancy information;
determine, based on the upgrade request and the model, an update graph having update graph nodes each representing one of the network devices or one of the services, the update graph also having at least one edge that connects two of the update graph nodes and that indicates the network device redundancy or the service redundancy;
determine, based on the update graph including the at least one edge and the at least one policy, an update schedule for performing an update of software for the network devices that ensures availability for the first network device or second network device or availability for the service; and
update the software of each of the network devices according to the update schedule.

14. The controller device of claim 13 , wherein the redundancy model comprises a modified YANG or YAML data model that comprises the network device redundancy information or the service redundancy information.

15. The controller device of claim 13 , wherein to obtain the redundancy model the controller device is configured to receive the service redundancy information from the service of the services.

16. The controller device of claim 13 , wherein to obtain the redundancy model the controller device is configured to determine, based on the services, the redundancy information for the network.

17. The controller device of claim 13 , wherein the network device model comprises syntax to indicate an alternate network device of the network devices for a network device of the network devices, and wherein the syntax comprises a device-id property to indicate a device identifier for the network device and the syntax comprises an alternate-device property to indicate an alternate device identifier for the alternate networ

Assignees

• Juniper Networks Inc

Inventors

• A Chandrasekhar
• R Jayanthi
• Antich Javier

Classifications

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/04 Primary

  Network management architectures or arrangements · CPC title

• H04L41/082

  the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality · CPC title

• G06F16/9024

  Graphs; Linked lists (G06F16/9027 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title