Check-pointing ACI network state and re-execution from a check-pointed state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11824728-B2
Application number	US-202017112854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2020
Priority date	Jan 17, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for emulating a state of a network environment for purposes of re-executing a network assurance appliance in the emulated state of the network environment. In some embodiments, a method can include receiving snapshot data for a network environment corresponding to a specific time in the network environment and including network events occurring in the network environment generated by a network assurance appliance. A state of the network environment at the specific time can be emulated using the snapshot data to create an emulated state of the network environment. Subsequently, the network assurance appliance can be re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment corresponding to the specific time and the network assurance appliance can be debugged outside of the network environment based on re-execution of the network assurance appliance in the emulated state of the network environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
executing, within a network environment, a network assurance appliance;
identifying a failure in the executing caused by the network assurance appliance;
debugging, in response to the identifying, the network assurance appliance, comprising:
receiving snapshot data for a network environment corresponding to first and second specific times in the network environment, the snapshot data including network events occurring in the network environment and generated by the network assurance appliance;
emulating, outside of the network environment, a state of the network environment at the first and second specific times using the snapshot data to create first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times;
re-executing the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times; and
debugging the network assurance appliance outside of the network environment based on comparison of results of the re-execution of the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times;

wherein the snapshot data includes software versions of network devices in the network environment, tenant information of one or more tenants associated with the network environment, object information for one or more objects in the network environment, and policy information for policies in the network environment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the snapshot data includes one or more statuses of one or more devices in a fabric of the network environment, and/or endpoint information of one or more endpoints in the network environment.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the snapshot data includes one or more queries sent from the network assurance appliance to the network environment to generate one or more network events occurring in the network environment and the emulated state of the network environment is created based on the one or more network events.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re- executed in the emulated state of the network environment based on the one or more queries.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specific time corresponds to one or more failures occurring in the network environment and the emulated state of the network environment includes the one or more failures.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment in response to the one or more failures occurring in the network environment.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment concurrently with the network environment continuing to provide network service access.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment while the network environment is inaccessible.

9. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
execute, within a network environment, a network assurance appliance;
identify a failure in the executing caused by the network assurance appliance;
debug, in response to the identify, the network assurance appliance, comprising:
receive snapshot data for a network environment corresponding to first and second specific times in the network environment, the snapshot data including network events occurring in the network environment and generated by the network assurance appliance;
emulate, outside of the network environment, a state of the network environment at the first and second specific times using the snapshot data to create first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times;
re-execute the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times; and
debug the network assurance appliance outside of the network environment based on comparison of the re-execution of the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times,

wherein the snapshot data includes software versions of network devices in the network environment, tenant information of one or more tenants associated with the network environment, object information for one or more objects in the network environment, and policy information for policies in the network environment.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot data includes one or more statuses of one or more devices in a fabric of the network environment, and/or endpoint information of one or more endpoints in the network environment.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the snapshot data includes one or more queries sent from the network assurance appliance to the network environment to generate one or more network events occurring in the network environment and the emulated state of the network environment is created based on the one or more network events.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment based on the one or more queries.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the specific time corresponds to one or more failures occurring in the network environment and the emulated state of the network environment includes the one or more failures.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment in response to the one or more failures occurring in the network environment.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment concurrently with the network environment continuing to provide network service access.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network assurance appliance is re-executed in the emulated state of the network environment while the network environment is inaccessible.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
execute, within a network environment, a network assurance appliance;
identify a failure in the executing caused by the network assurance appliance;
debug, in response to the identify, the network assurance appliance, comprising:
receive snapshot data for a network environment corresponding to first and second specific times in the network environment, the snapshot data including network events occurring in the network environment and generated by the network assurance appliance;
emulate, outside of the network environment, a state of the network environment at the first and second specific times using the snapshot data to create first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times;
re-execute the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environment corresponding to the specific times; and
debug the network assurance appliance outside of the network environment based on comparison of results of the re-execution of the network assurance appliance in the first and second emulated states of the network environm

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Sethi Divjyot
• Nagarajan Chandra
• Dixit Advait
• Monk John Thomas
• Ng Gabriel Cheukbun
• Kompella Ramana Rao
• Iyer Sundar

Classifications

• H04L41/145 Primary

  involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network · CPC title

• H04L41/5019

  Ensuring fulfilment of SLA · CPC title

• H04W24/04

  Arrangements for maintaining operational condition · CPC title

• H04W24/06

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using simulated traffic · CPC title

• G06F9/45533

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title