Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Health Analytics For Easier Health Monitoring Of A Network”, for Approval (USPTO 20240039813): Patent Application
2024 FEB 15 (NewsRx) -- By a
No assignee for this patent application has been made.
News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “It is important for users to have full visibility into the health of components in order to proactively monitor and take actions in advance to avoid costly outages. Health of composite components depends upon various factors and each of these factors are currently monitored independently. However, users have to manually monitor all of these factors and co-relate them in order to determine the overall health of the composite component, which is time consuming and requires strong expertise in the component’s architecture and how it impacts networking, performance, and latency, in general, to accurately detect a health issue. New methods and systems are needed to automatically quantify the health of composite components, control planes and data planes of networks, distributed network elements, and logical networks.”
As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “Some embodiments provide a novel method of assessing health of a software managed network (SMN) that includes multiple forwarding elements that exchange data messages with each other. A health analytics manager collects performance metrics from control-plane components of the SMN that configure the forwarding elements of the SMN to forward data messages. The health analytics manager also collects performance metrics from data-plane components including the forwarding elements of the SMN. Then, the health analytics manager generates one health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane and data-plane components to express an overall health of the SMN.
“In some embodiments, the forwarding elements of the SMN included in the data-plane components are physical forwarding elements (PFEs) of the SMN that are configured to implement a set of one or more logical forwarding elements (LFEs) that exchange data messages with each other. In other embodiments, the forwarding elements of the SMN included in the data-plane components are the LFEs implemented by PFEs.
“The control-plane components of some embodiments includes (1) a central control plane (CCP) that includes a set of controllers executing on a host computer in the SMN, and (2) a set of local control-plane (LCP) modules each executing on another host computer in the SMN. In such embodiments, the CCP and the set of LCP modules implement a control plane through which PFEs are configured to implement LFEs and exchange data messages with each other. In some embodiments, the PFEs implement a data plane through which they exchange data messages with each other.
“In some embodiments, the performance metrics from the control-plane components include (1) metrics associated with the CCP, (2) metrics associated with the host computer on which the CCP operates, (3) metrics associated with each of the LCP modules, and (4) metrics associated with each host computer on which the LCP modules operate. The performance metrics of the data-plane components in some embodiments includes metrics associated with the data messages exchanged between the forwarding elements of the SMN, i.e., LFEs, PFEs, or both.
“In some embodiments, the health analytics manager also collects performance metrics from management-plane components of the SMN that manage the control-plane components. In such embodiments, the health analytics manager generates the health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components, the data-plane components, and the management-plane components to express the overall health of the SMN. The management-plane components may include (1) a set of management servers operating on a host computer in the SMN, and (2) local management-plane (LMP) modules each operating on other host computers in the SMN. The performance metrics of the management-plane components, hence, may include metrics associated with the set of management servers and the LMP modules. The management servers manage the control-plane components of the SMN by receiving data from users/administrators for the SMN, and providing the data to the control-plane components. In some embodiments, the management servers process the data before providing it to the control-plane components. In other embodiments, the management servers provide the data to the control-plane components as it is given to the management servers. The management servers also in some embodiments receive data from PFEs and/or LFEs of the SMN, such as topology data, and the management servers use this data to configure the control-plane components.
“The health score generated to express the overall health of the SMN is in some embodiments a final health score computed based on secondary health scores. To generate the aggregated health score, the health analytics manager computes a first health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components to express a health of the control-plane components. The health analytics manager also computes a second health score from the collected performance metrics of the data-plane components to express a health of the data-plane components. Then, the health analytics manager uses the first and second health scores and weight values assigned to the control-plane components and the data-plane components to generate the final health score to express the overall health of the SMN.
“In some embodiments, control-plane components are as a group assigned one weight and the data-plane components are as a group assigned one weight, such that the health analytics manager computes the first health score for the control-plane components and the second health score for the data-plane components, and uses the assigned weights to combine the two health scores. In other embodiments, the metrics of the control-plane components and the data-plane components are each assigned their own weight. In such embodiments, a normalized metric value is computed for each metric, and the normalized metric values are used along with individual weights assigned to the metrics to compute the final health score. In both of these two methods of generating the final health score, the weights may be assigned by an administrator or a user.
“As discussed previously, the health analytics manager in some embodiments generates one health score using the performance metrics of the control-plane, data-plane, and management-plane components (if the management-plane components metrics are collected) to express the overall health of the SMN. In other embodiments, the health analytics manager generates a health score for each component type. For instance, the health analytics manager generates a first health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components to express an overall health of the control plane of the SMN, and generates a second health score from the collected performance metrics of the data-plane components to express an overall health of the data plane of the SMN. If performance metrics from management-plane components are collected, the health analytics manager may also generate a third health score from the collected performance metrics of the management-plane components to express an overall health of the management plane of the SMN. In such embodiments, the three health scores are computed in order to monitor the health of the control, data, and management planes individually to understand which plane, if any, is causing a poor health of the SMN.
“Some embodiments provide a novel method for monitoring the health of LFEs of a logical network. For an LFE implemented by multiple PFEs, a health analytics manager identifies a set of one or more metrics associated with each PFE implementing the LFE. The health analytics manager uses the set of metrics to compute a health score for the LFE. Then, the health analytics manager provides the health score in a report to provide an indication regarding the monitored health of the LFE. The set of metrics used to compute the health score for the LFE includes, in some embodiments, at least one metric for each PFE implementing the LFE.
“In some embodiments, to compute the health score using the set of metrics, the health analytics manager computes a normalized metric value for each metric in the metric set. the normalized metric values may be computed by dividing the collected metric value by the metric’s maximum value. The normalized metric values may instead be computed based on rules and/or thresholds defined by an administrator or user. For example, for a storage usage metric for a particular network element, a rule may be defined such that when the storage usage reaches 60%, the normalized metric value for the metric is a value of 50 (in embodiments where normalized metric values are valued on a 1 to 100 scale). Another rule may be defined for this metric such that when the storage usage reaches 90%, the normalized metric value drops to a value of 10. Any suitable threshold or rule may be defined for any metric.
“Once the normalized metric values for each metric are computed, the health analytics manager computes the health score based on the normalized metric values for each of the metrics and based on weights assigned to the metrics. The weights assigned to each metric of some embodiments, when added together, sum to 100% (when the weights are values within a range of 0% to 100%). The weights in other embodiments, when added together, sum to 1 (when the weights are values within a range of 0 to 1). For example, a first metric may have a normalized metric value of 80 and have an assigned weight of 40%, so the weighted normalized metric value for the first metric is 32 (i.e., 40% of 80). A second metric may have a normalized metric value of and have an assigned weight of 60%, so the weighted normalized metric value for the second metric is 36 (i.e., 60% of 60). Once weighted normalized metric values are computed, the health analytics manager computes a sum of the weighted normalized metric values to compute the health score. Using the example above, the health analytics manager would sum the weighted normalized metric values of the first and second metrics (i.e., 32 and 36), resulting in a health score of 68.”
There is additional summary information. Please visit full patent to read further.”
The claims supplied by the inventors are:
“1. A method of assessing health of a software managed network (SMN) comprising a plurality of forwarding elements that exchange data messages with each other, the method comprising: collecting performance metrics from control-plane components of the SMN that configure the plurality of forwarding elements to forward data messages; collecting performance metrics from data-plane components including the plurality of forwarding elements; and generating one health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane and data-plane components to express an overall health of the SMN.
“2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of forwarding elements are physical forwarding elements (PFEs) of the SMN that are configured to implement a set of one or more logical forwarding elements (LFEs) that exchange the data messages with each other.
“3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of forwarding elements are logical forwarding elements (LFEs) that are implemented by a set of physical forwarding elements (PFEs) of the SMN and that exchange the data messages with each other.
“4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control-plane components comprise (i) a central control plane (CCP) comprising a set of central controllers executing on a particular host computer in the SMN, and (ii) a set of local control-plane (LCP) modules each executing on one of a set of host computers not including the particular host computer in the SMN.
“5. The method of claim 4, wherein the control-plane components implement a control plane through which a set of physical forwarding elements (PFEs) are configured to implement a data plane to exchange the data messages with each other.
“6. The method of claim 5, wherein the performance metrics from the control-plane components comprise metrics associated with the CCP, metrics associated with the particular host computer on which the CCP operates, metrics associated with each of the LCP modules, and metrics associated with each of the set of host computers on which the set of LCP modules operate.
“7. The method of claim 5, wherein the performance metrics from the data-plane components comprise metrics associated with the data messages exchanged between the PFEs.
“8. The method of claim 1 further comprising collecting performance metrics from management-plane components of the SMN that manage the control-plane components, wherein generating the one health score comprises generating the one health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components, the data-plane components, and the management-plane components to express the overall health of the SMN.
“9. The method of claim 8, wherein the management-plane components comprise (i) a set of management servers executing on a particular host computer in the SMN and (ii) a set of local management-plane (LMP) modules each executing on one of a set of host computers not including the particular host computer in the SMN.
“10. The method of claim 9, wherein the performance metrics from the management-plane components comprise metrics associated with the set of management servers.
“11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one health score is a first health score, wherein generating the first health score comprises: computing a second health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components to express a health of the control-plane components; computing a third health score from the collected performance metrics of the data-plane components to express a health of the data-plane components; and generating the first health score based on the second and third health scores and weight values assigned to the first and second health scores to express the overall health of the SMN.
“12. A method of assessing health of a software managed network (SMN) comprising a plurality of forwarding elements that exchange data messages with each other, the method comprising: collecting performance metrics from control-plane components of the SMN that configure the plurality of forwarding elements to forward data messages; collecting performance metrics from data-plane components including the plurality of forwarding elements; and generating a first health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components to express an overall health of a control plane of the SMN; generating a second health score from the collected performance metrics of the data-plane components to express an overall health of a data plane of the SMN; generating a combined third health score by combining the first and second health scores.
“13. The method of claim 12 further comprising collecting performance metrics from management-plane components of the SMN that manage the control-plane components, the method further comprising generating a fourth health score from the collected performance metrics of the management-plane components to express an overall health of a management plane of the SMN.
“14. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processing unit for assessing health of a software managed network (SMN) comprising a plurality of forwarding elements that exchange data messages with each other, the program comprising sets of instructions for: collecting performance metrics from control-plane components of the SMN that configure the plurality of forwarding elements to forward data messages; collecting performance metrics from data-plane components including the plurality of forwarding elements; and generating one health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane and data-plane components to express an overall health of the SMN.
“15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of forwarding elements are physical forwarding elements (PFEs) of the SMN that are configured to implement a set of one or more logical forwarding elements (LFEs) that exchange the data messages with each other.
“16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the control-plane components comprise (i) a central control plane (CCP) comprising a set of central controllers executing on a particular host computer in the SMN, and (ii) a set of local control-plane (LCP) modules each executing on one of a set of host computers not including the particular host computer in the SMN.
“17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein the control-plane components implement a control plane through which a set of physical forwarding elements (PFEs) are configured to implement a data plane to exchange the data messages with each other.
“18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the performance metrics from the control-plane components comprise metrics associated with the CCP, metrics associated with the particular host computer on which the CCP operates, metrics associated with each of the LCP modules, and metrics associated with each of the set of host computers on which the set of LCP modules operate.
“19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the performance metrics from the data-plane components comprise metrics associated with the data messages exchanged between the PFEs.
“20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the one health score is a first health score, wherein the sets of instructions for generating the first health score comprises sets of instructions for: computing a second health score from the collected performance metrics of the control-plane components to express a health of the control-plane components; computing a third health score from the collected performance metrics of the data-plane components to express a health of the data-plane components; and generating the first health score based on the second and third health scores and weight values assigned to the first and second health scores to express the overall health of the SMN.”
For additional information on this patent application, see: Agarwal, Minjal; Panse,
(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)
“Evidence Oracles” in Patent Application Approval Process (USPTO 20240037668): Patent Application
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited: Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2023
Advisor News
- Surpassing expectations: How planning helps clients with their financial goals
- Retirement regrets spark financial resolutions for the new year
- Wealth management: why some insurance companies are opting out of a lucrative opportunity
- Middle-income households exceeding retirement savings expectations
- How SECURE impacts inherited IRA beneficiaries
More Advisor NewsAnnuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
- DACA ruling may impact Texas health care coverage
How the DACA ruling could impact health coverage in Texas, and beyond
- Insurance is a noble craft, but health insurance follows none of its core principles
- DACA ruling may affect health care coverage
- UnitedHealth Group CEO: Transparency is needed
- Ocasio-Cortez: Denying coverage can be seen as ‘act of violence’
More Health/Employee Benefits NewsLife Insurance News