Software image management for large networks

One of the difficult problems network administrators encounter in large networks consisting of hundreds and thousands of devices is software management - the problems and issues associated with installing, upgrading, and patching the embedded operating system (OS) running in routers, switches, firewalls, VPN devices, and many other types of devices. The upgrade process for each device may be different depending on the type and capabilities of the device and OS. Wide variations in upgrade procedures may exist, even within the same family of devices. Network administrators require a solution that hides such device-specific details and allows them to focus on the overall task of upgrading software on their network devices in a reliable and robust manner, consistent with prevailing practices and policies in their environment. The paper describes an architecture and framework for solving the problem in a large network. A Web-based application based on this architecture was developed successfully in Java and XML at Cisco Systems.