Juniper Networks has been granted a patent for a controller device that manages a set of network devices. The device includes a memory with a configuration database and processing circuitry. It can receive an intent file for the network devices, translate it to a low-level configuration, and implement the intended configuration. It can also monitor out-of-band configurations and determine compatibility with the intent file based on the actual configuration and stored network device configuration. GlobalData’s report on Juniper Networks gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Juniper Networks, VPN tunneling was a key innovation area identified from patents. Juniper Networks's grant share as of September 2023 was 76%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Managing network devices and determining compatibility with configuration changes
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11777800B2) describes a controller device that manages a set of network devices. The controller device includes a memory with a configuration database and processing circuitry. The configuration database stores network device configurations corresponding to the set of network devices. The processing circuitry performs several functions.
First, it receives an intent file that represents the intended configuration for the network devices. It then translates this intent file into a low-level configuration for each network device and outputs the corresponding low-level configurations to implement the intended configuration.
The processing circuitry also identifies characteristics to monitor in out-of-band configurations based on the intent file. These characteristics are determined by instructions other than the low-level configurations. It receives messages from network devices indicating out-of-band configuration changes and determines whether the intent file is compatible with these changes by comparing the actual configuration of the network device with the stored network device configuration and considering the identified characteristics.
The patent also describes additional features of the controller device. It can request the actual configuration of a network device, retrieve the stored network device configuration, and determine the difference between the two. It can generate flagged XML Path Language (XPath) operations based on the intent file to check for out-of-band configuration changes. User input can define these flagged XPath operations, which are stored in memory and used to determine compatibility with configuration changes.
The intent file can represent a high-level intent, and the processing circuitry can output the low-level configurations with identification tags indicating that they are pushed from the controller device. It can receive messages from network devices indicating the implementation of the low-level configurations and determine out-of-band configuration changes based on messages that omit the identification tag.
Overall, this patent describes a controller device that efficiently manages network device configurations, translates high-level intents into low-level configurations, monitors out-of-band configuration changes, and ensures compatibility between the intended configuration and actual device configurations.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
