Remotely configurable routers with failover features, and methods and apparatus for reliable web-based administration of same
Web-enabled routers are remotely and securely administered in a centralized fashion. A server for configuring a remotely configurable router on a computer network includes a memory to store a plurality of router configuration profiles that include a first router configuration profile associated with the remotely configurable router at a first instant in time. A server may also include a network interface to receive a request to reconfigure the remotely configurable router via the computer network. A server may also include a processor, operably coupled to the network interface and to the memory, that receives instructions to provide a second router configuration profile to the remotely configurable router for installation on the remotely configured router. The processor may also provide the first router configuration profile to the remotely configurable router in response to an indication that the second router configuration profile was not successfully installed on the remotely configurable router.
1. A server for configuring a remotely configurable router on a computer network, the server comprising:
a memory to store a plurality of router configuration profiles, the plurality of router configuration profiles comprising a first router configuration profile associated with the remotely configurable router at a first instant in time;
a network interface to receive a request to reconfigure the remotely configurable router via the computer network; and
a processor, operably coupled to the network interface and to the memory, configured to receive instructions such that, when received, the processor provides a second router configuration profile to the remotely configurable router for installation on the remotely configured router and to provide the first router configuration profile to the remotely configurable router in response to an indication that the second router configuration profile was not successfully installed on the remotely configurable router,
wherein the indication that the second router configuration profile was not successfully installed on the remotely configurable router includes a heartbeat signal that represents a router status at a corresponding time and the heartbeat signal includes a plurality of router performance metric values for the remotely configurable router, the plurality of router performance metric values including a throughput value for the remotely configurable router; a latency value for the remotely configurable router; a first bandwidth value representing a first bandwidth consumed by the computer network; a second bandwidth value representing a second bandwidth consumed by at least one device in the computer network; a router downtime value representing a downtime period of impaired connectivity of the remotely configurable router to the Internet; and a signal strength value representing a signal strength of a wireless signal associated with a wireless WAN communication interface of the remotely configurable router.
2. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first router configuration profile and the second router configuration profile are associated with a single Local Area Network (LAN).
3. The server of claim 1 , wherein the first router configuration profile includes a configuration profile variant of the second router configuration profile, wherein the configuration profile variant is an earlier version of the second router configuration profile.
4. The server of claim 3 , wherein the configuration profile variant is a next earlier version of the second configuration profile.
5. The server of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of router configuration profiles stored in the memory includes a plurality of configuration profile variants of the second router configuration profile, wherein the plurality of configuration profile variants respectively represent earlier different versions of the second configuration profile as a function of time.
6. A remotely configurable router, comprising:
a network interface to receive a first router configuration profile from a server via a computer network; and
a processor, operably coupled to the network interface, configured to receive instructions such that, when received, the processor changes at least one setting of an active router configuration profile of the remotely configurable router in accordance with the first router configuration profile and to provide, to the server via the network interface and the computer network a heartbeat signal indicative of successful installation of the first router configuration profile on the remotely configurable router and an error message indicative of unsuccessful installation of the first router configuration profile on the remotely configurable router,
wherein, if the installation of the first router configuration profile on the remotely configurable router is unsuccessful, the network interface is further configured to receive at least one failover router configuration profile from the server via the computer network and the processor is configured to change the least one setting of the remotely configurable router in accordance with the at least one failover router configuration profile, and wherein the router status represented by the heartbeat signal includes a plurality of router performance metric values for the remotely configurable router including a throughput value for the remotely configurable router; a latency value for the remotely configurable router: a first bandwidth value representing a first bandwidth consumed by the computer network; a second bandwidth value representing a second bandwidth consumed by at least one device in the computer network; a router downtime value representing a downtime period of impaired connectivity of the remotely configurable router to the Internet; and a signal strength value representing a signal strength of a wireless signal associated with the plurality of wireless WAN communication interfaces of the router.
7. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the first router configuration profile is associated with a LAN.
8. The remotely configurable router of claim 7 , wherein the at least one failover router configuration profile is associated with the LAN.
9. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the at least one failover router configuration profile includes a router configuration profile variant of the active router configuration profile, wherein the configuration profile variant is an earlier version of the first router configuration profile.
10. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein: the at least one failover router configuration profile includes a default configuration profile that was previously instantiated in the router when the router was initially deployed in the computer network; and the default configuration profile comprises a plurality of atomic settings to ensure connectivity of the router, via at least one WAN communication interface, to the first web domain.
11. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the at least one failover router configuration profile includes a configuration profile variant of an active configuration profile, wherein the configuration profile variant is an earlier version of the active configuration profile.
12. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , further comprising a memory configured to store at least the router configuration profile and a previously successful router configuration profile.
13. The remotely configurable router of claim 12 , wherein the previously successful router configuration profile is the at least one failover router configuration profile.
14. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to control at least one of a plurality of WAN communication interfaces to transmit the heartbeat signal in thirty second intervals.
15. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the heartbeat signal represents a router status at a corresponding time and a profile identifier for the active configuration profile at the corresponding time.
16. The remotely configurable router of claim 6 , wherein the heartbeat signal includes a list of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) addresses for respective devices in the computer network.