US 12,081,407 B2
Updating configuration settings of network elements when a network is changed to a planned topology
Dale Frederick Zacharias, Ottawa (CA); and Jitendra Kumar Yadav, Gurgaon (IN)
Assigned to Ciena Corporation, Hanover, MD (US)
Filed by Ciena Corporation, Hanover, MD (US)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/704,164.
Claims priority of application No. 202211006721 (IN), filed on Feb. 8, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0254217 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 41/12 (2022.01); H04L 41/0813 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 41/12 (2013.01) [H04L 41/0813 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising the steps of:
in response to receiving a topology plan to change a network from an initial network topology to a future network topology that includes adding a new Network Element (NE) in the network, determining a configuration plan to change configuration settings of one or more existing NEs deployed in the network in order to transition the network from the initial network topology to the future network topology with the new NE, and
in response to discovering that the network has been physically changed to match the future network topology, automatically enacting the configuration plan to change the configuration settings of a relay agent on the one or more existing NEs, wherein the configuration settings are changed to configure at least one of the one or more existing NEs to communicate with the new NE where the relay agent is configured to communicate with the new NE for provisioning thereof, wherein the relay agent is configured as a DHCP relay agent to facilitate in DHCP message exchanges between the new NE and a DHCP server subsequent to the configuration settings changes.