A System to Automatically Generate Configuration Instructions for Network Elements from Network Configuration Models

TL;DR

This work addresses the problem of configuration procedures diverging from specifications by engineers. It introduces a UML-based network configuration metamodel and a diff-driven generation method that converts differences between AsIs and ToBe configurations into device command sequences via vendor-specific templates. The approach enables precise, extensible specifications and rollback-friendly automation, demonstrated through a Shinshu University network migration from static routing to OSPF. The results show that the generated procedures matched expectations and produced a functioning ToBe network, offering potential to reduce manual workload and improve correctness across multi-device environments.

Abstract

In preparation for constructing or modifying information networks, network engineers develop configuration procedures for network devices according to network configuration specifications. However, as engineers typically create these procedures manually, the generated configuration procedures frequently diverge from the specified requirements. To improve this situation, this paper proposes a method for automatically generating configuration procedures consisting of network device configuration commands based on network configurations and their modification specifications. In this study, we employed the UML (Unified Modeling Language) object-oriented modeling language to develop a notation for network configuration modeling that ensures both strict specification adherence and ease of extension. Additionally, we implemented a method for automatically generating configuration procedures that match the specifications by utilizing network configuration models. As an evaluation experiment, we applied the proposed method to a configuration change scenario in a wide-area campus network at Shinshu University, where the network was migrated from static routing to dynamic routing using the OSPF protocol. As a result, all expected configuration procedures were obtained and a network exhibiting the intended behavior was successfully constructed.

Figures (14)

• Figure 1: Network configuration metamodel
• Figure 2: Network configuration model
• Figure 3: Overview of the proposed method to generate configuration commands for network elements
• Figure 4: AsIs network diagram
• Figure 5: ToBe network diagram