RCV: Network monitoring and diagnostic system with interactive user interface

Abstract

Minimizing the impact of network convergence events has been an active area of research and innovation since it usually occurs unexpectedly and triggers (often jolting) alarms in network operations centers. Examination of router logs, network management system information, and router configuration reviews are the standard tools for assessment and often do not lead to satisfactory conclusions. We introduce Route Convergence Visualizer providing the network operator with a fast and simple tool to understand what exactly happened and who was impacted during a network convergence event. The main novel ingredients include a) effectiveness of information delivery regarding convergence events, b) programmability of the tool, and c) application of the tool. At last, we will enlighten an indispensable collaboration between network operators and software engineers for SDN solutions which require contributions from two disparate engineering disciplines, networking and application development.