Modelling the temporal aspects of network configurations

Abstract

One of the main issues with the existing management configuration is the absence of a transactional model, which should allow the network configuration data to retain their integrity and consistence during the configuration process. In this paper, we propose a mathematical framework based on lattice theory allowing the structuring of configuration operations leading to the concept of component and validation checkpoint, and present polynomial-time algorithms for studying these structures. We will illustrate the model by an example of two examples of configuration operations: the deployment of a VLAN service through SNMP and the deployment of a VPN service through the Netconf protocol. © 2007 International Federation for Information Processing.