Self-identifying cable assignment

• US 10,003,501 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Xiong, Joan, Xin, Jia, Chen, Xi, Mace, Donald, Jiang, Xiaoye
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/975,317
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers

Abstract

A plurality of network cables are physically connected to a plurality of network ports on an appliance, wherein the appliance comprises a plurality of nodes each associated with a corresponding chassis slot position in which the node is located within a chassis of the appliance and each node having at least one management network port and one host network port. A network address is identified for each of the plurality of network ports. A first subset of network addresses is identified as being associated with a management network port and a second subset of network addresses is identified as being associated with a host network port based at least in part on a respective response received from each network address to a management request using a management interface protocol. For each management network port, a corresponding chassis slot position is associated with that management network port based at least in part on a response to a slot request using the management interface protocol. For each host network port, a corresponding chassis slot position is associated with that host network port based at least in part on a response to an identification request using the management interface protocol.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an appliance, the appliance comprising a plurality of nodes each associated with a corresponding chassis slot position in which the node is located within a chassis of the appliance and each node having at least one management network port and one host network port;

a plurality of network cables coupled to a management server; and

the management server, wherein the management server comprises a processor configured to, upon physically connecting the plurality of network cables to a plurality of network ports on the appliance;

programmatically identify a network address for each of the plurality of network ports;

sending a management request using a management interface protocol, in part to identify a first subset of identified network addresses as being associated with a management network port and a second subset of identified network addresses as being associated with a host network port;

interrogating each management network port with a slot request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that management network port; and

interrogating each host network port with an identification request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that host network port.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each identification request is an in-band request on an in-band connection.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the in-band request is made from within an SSH session associated with a particular host network port.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said management network ports are configured to respond to requests using the management interface protocol and said host network ports are not configured to respond to requests using the management interface protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the network address for each of the plurality of network ports is based at least in part on a DHCP service request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network cables belong to one subnet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network cables belong to one virtual LAN group.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the management request is for a management address.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the management address is a UUID address.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said management network ports are BMC ports.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the management interface protocol is IPMI.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server uses IPMItool to perform one or more of the following:

a management request, a slot request, and an identification request.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server is further configured to use a management interface protocol to host power-on a node.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server is further configured to use a management interface protocol to host power-on a node and associate a corresponding chassis slot position with a host network port based at least in part on the host powering-on of the node.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein associating a corresponding chassis slot position with that host network port is based at least in part on a match between a host output UUID address and a result of a IPMI UUID command via a BMC port.

16. A method comprising:

physically connecting a plurality of network cables to a plurality of network ports on an appliance, wherein the appliance comprises a plurality of nodes each associated with a corresponding chassis slot position in which the node is located within a chassis of the appliance and each node having at least one management network port and one host network port;

programmatically identifying a network address for each of the plurality of network ports;

sending a management request using a management interface protocol, in part to identify a first subset of identified network addresses as being associated with a management network port and a second subset of identified network addresses as being associated with a host network port;

interrogating each management network port with a slot request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that management network port; and

interrogating each host network port with an identification request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that host network port.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein each identification request is an in-band request on an in-band connection.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein associating a corresponding chassis slot position with that host network port is based at least in part on a match between a host output UUID address and a result of a IPMI UUID command via a BMC port.

19. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

programmatically identifying a network address for each of a plurality of network ports after physically connecting a plurality of network cables to the plurality of network ports on an appliance, wherein the appliance comprises a plurality of nodes each associated with a corresponding chassis slot position in which the node is located within a chassis of the appliance and each node having at least one management network port and one host network port;

sending a management request using a management interface protocol, in part to identify a first subset of identified network addresses as being associated with a management network port;

interrogating each management network port with a slot request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that management network port; and

interrogating each host network port with an identification request using the management interface protocol, in part to associate a corresponding chassis slot position with that host network port.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein each identification request is an in-band request on an in-band connection.