Methods for exchanging network management messages using UDP over HTTP protocol

• US 10,110,714 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frey, Clifford A., Bicket, John, Herbert, Kevin Paul, Malhotra, Varun Sagar, Chambers, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scott, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US14/964,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A network access device (NAD) receives a UDP packet from a client to be transmitted to a management server over Internet, the UDP packet including a management message. The NAD is one of NADs managed by the management server. The NAD determines whether the management server is reachable using a UDP protocol. The NAD transmits the UDP packet to the management server using the UDP protocol over the Internet if it is determined that the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol. Otherwise, the NAD extracts a UDP payload from the UDP packet, encapsulates the UDP payload within an HTTP POST request, and transmits the HTTP POST request having the UDP payload encapsulated therein to the management server using a HTTP protocol over the Internet.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

periodically sending, from a network access device, a ping or hello message to a management server;

determining whether a response to the ping or hello message is received from the management server within a predetermined period of time;

determining, at the network access device, whether the management server is reachable using a UDP protocol based at least upon the response to the ping or hello message;

receiving, at the network access device, a user datagram protocol (UDP) packet from a client to be transmitted to the management server over a network, wherein the network access device is one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the network;

determining that the management server is unreachable using the UDP protocol;

extracting a UDP payload from the UDP packet;

encapsulating the UDP payload within a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) POST request; and

transmitting the first HTTP POST request to the management server using a HTTP protocol over the network, the HTTP POST request comprising the UDP payload.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol; and

transmitting the UDP packet to the management server using the UDP protocol over the network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTTP POST request includes a predetermined universal resource locator (URL) associated with the management server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first HTTP POST response from the management server, the first HTTP POST response corresponding to the first HTTP POST request;

stripping off a HTTP header of the first HTTP POST response to recover a second UDP packet therein; and

processing the second UDP packet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that there is no outstanding HTPP POST request that has not yet received a response from the management server;

delaying a predetermined period of time before transmitting a second HTTP POST request to the management server;

encapsulating new data to be sent to the management server within the second HTTP POST request, the new data caused by a previous response from the management server; and

transmitting the second HTTP POST request to the management server.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that there is no data pending to be sent to the management server; and

transmitting the second HTTP POST request without a new UDP payload.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

storing UDP state information in a storage device of the network access device, the UDP state information indicating whether the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol, wherein the UDP state information is utilized during a subsequent reboot of the network access device.

8. A network access device, comprising:

a user datagram protocol (UDP) unit configured to receive a UDP packet from a client to be transmitted to a management server over a network, wherein the network access device is one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the network;

a UDP monitoring unit coupled to the UDP unit to;

periodically send a ping or hello message from a network access device to a management server;

determine whether a response to the ping or hello message is received from the management server within a predetermined period of time;

determine whether the management server is reachable using a UDP protocol based at least upon the response to the ping or hello message, wherein the UDP unit is further configured to transmit the UDP packet to the management server using the UDP protocol over the network if the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol; and

a UDP/hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) unit (UDP/HTTP) coupled to the UDP monitoring unit and the UDP unit, if the management server is unreachable using the UDP protocol, configured to

extract a UDP payload from the UDP packet,

encapsulate the UDP payload within a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) POST request; and

transmit the first HTTP POST request to the management server using a HTTP protocol over the network, the HTTP POST request comprising the UDP payload.

9. The network access device of claim 8, wherein the network access device represents one of a router, an access point, or a switch.

10. The network access device of claim 9, wherein the HTTP POST request includes a predetermined universal resource locator (URL) associated with the management server.

11. The network access device of claim 8, wherein the UDP unit is configured to:

determine that the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol; and

transmit the UDP packet to the management server using the UDP protocol over the network.

12. The network access device of claim 8, wherein the UDP unit is further configured to:

receive a first HTTP POST response from the management server, the first HTTP POST response corresponding to the first HTTP POST request;

strip off a HTTP header of the first HTTP POST response to recover a new UDP packet therein; and

hand over the new UDP packet to the UDP/HTTP unit for UDP processing.

13. The network access device of claim 12, wherein UDP/HTTP unit is further configured to:

determine that there is no outstanding HTPP POST request that has not yet received a response from the management server;

delay a predetermined period of time before transmitting a second HTTP POST request to the management server;

encapsulate new data to be sent to the management server within the second HTTP POST request, the new data caused by a previous response from the management server; and

transmit the second HTTP POST request to the management server.

14. The network access device of claim 12, wherein UDP/HTTP unit is further configured to:

determine that there is no data pending to be sent to the management server; and

transmit the second HTTP POST request without a new UDP payload.

15. The network access device of claim 12, wherein the UDP monitoring unit is further configured to:

store UDP state information in a storage device of the network access device, the UDP state information indicating whether the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol, wherein the UDP state information is utilized during a subsequent reboot of the network access device.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a management server, a ping or hello message from a network access device that periodically sends the ping or hello message to the management server, the network access device being one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the network;

sending, from the management server, a response to the network access device based upon the ping or hello message;

receiving, at the management server, a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) POST request from the network access device over the network;

extracting a user datagram protocol (UDP) payload from the first HTTP POST request, the UDP payload containing at least one network management message from the network access device; and

processing the UDP payload at the management server.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that a prior HTTP POST request is still pending at the management server, the prior HTTP POST request received from the network access device prior to the first HTTP POST request;

transmitting a HTTP POST response corresponding to the prior HTTP POST request;

determining that there is no previously received HTTP POST request pending; and

retaining the first HTTP POST request as a pending HTTP POST request without responding.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

delaying a predetermined period of time before responding the first HTTP POST request;

encapsulating new data to be sent to the network access device within a HTTP POST response, the new data caused by a second HTTP POST request from the network access device, the second HTTP POST request received during the predetermined period of time; and

transmitting the second HTTP POST request to the management server.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

maintaining a UDP to HTTP (UDP/HTTP) mapping table within the management server, the UDP/HTTP mapping table having one or more entries, each entry mapping a corresponding network access device of the plurality of network access devices with a HTTP connection that is open for the corresponding network access device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining that a UDP packet is received from processing software running within the management server, the UDP packet to be sent to the network access device;

performing a lookup operation in the UDP/HTTP mapping table to determine whether there is a pending HTTP POST request associated with the network access device;

determining that there is a pending HTTP POST request associated with the network access device;

encapsulating at least a payload of the UDP packet within a first HTTP POST response corresponding to the pending HTTP POST request; and

transmitting the first HTTP POST response to the network access device.