US 12,294,501 B2
Methods and systems for distributed network verification
Ashkan Sobhani, Kanata (CA); and Xingjun Chu, Ottawa (CA)
Assigned to HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed by Ashkan Sobhani, Kanata (CA); and Xingjun Chu, Ottawa (CA)
Filed on Feb. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/175,393.
Application 18/175,393 is a division of application No. 17/131,102, filed on Dec. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,595,267.
Prior Publication US 2023/0208724 A1, Jun. 29, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 41/14 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 41/145 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, at a network device in a network, for verification of the network, the method comprising:
obtaining, at the network device, a device-specific input binary decision diagram (BDD) representing a device-specific input header space to query for a network property of interest;
calculating a device-specific output BDD representing a device-specific output header space, wherein the device-specific output BDD is calculated by applying a device-level BDD to the device-specific input BDD, the device-level BDD representing logical behavior of the network device for the network property of interest;
wherein the device-level BDD is obtained by:
collecting data about states and configurations of network entities in the network device;
modeling each network entity as a respective Boolean function and encoding the respective Boolean function as a respective entity-level BDD; and
logically combining the respective entity-level BDDs to obtain the device-level BDD;
storing the device-specific input BDD and the device-specific output BDD; and
comparing the device-specific output BDD and the device-specific input BDD, to verify the network property of interest at the network device.