Network switch management via embedded management controller using management information base (MIB) to JSON parser

• US 10,284,418 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Bhatia, Anurag, Ballapalli, Kiran Kumar, Chiu, Yi-Wei, Hsin, George, Gupta, Ajay Kumar, Balakrishnan, Venkatesan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US15/218,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20180026830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for network switch management via a management controller using a management information base (MIB) to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) parser. At a computing device, an administrator provides a MIB file corresponding to a network switch to be managed. Then the administrator utilizes a parser application to parse the MIB file at the computing device to retrieve Object Identifiers (OIDs) from the MIB file, and then converts the OIDs to JSON objects, in order to generate parsed information of the MIB file including the JSON objects. Thus, the administrator may use a browser to access a web user interface at a management controller to upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller. The management controller may then manage and configure the network switch through a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface based on the parsed information of the MIB file.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a network switch having a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface;

a management controller communicatively connected to the network switch through the SNMP interface; and

a computing device communicatively connected to the management controller through an out-of-band (OOB) network, the computing device comprising a processor and a storage device storing computer executable code, wherein the computer executable code, when executed at the processor, is configured to;

parse a management information base (MIB) file corresponding to the network switch to retrieve a plurality of Object Identifiers (OIDs) from the MIB file;

convert the OIDs to a plurality of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) objects to generate parsed information of the MIB file comprising the JSON objects;

upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is configured to receive the parsed information of the MIB file, and establish a communication between the management controller and the network switch through the SNMP interface based on the parsed information of the MIB file, wherein the management controller functions as a client of the communication and the network switch functions as a server of the communication;

receive an input for managing and configuring the network switch;

send the input to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is further configured to receive the input and manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file;

wherein the computer executable code comprises;

a parser application configured to;

parse the MIB file corresponding to the network switch to retrieve the OIDs from the MIB file; and

convert the OIDs to the JSON objects to generate parsed information of the MIB file; and

a browser application configured to;

request for a web user interface (UI) from the management controller;

receive the web UI from the management controller;

display the web UI in the browser application; and

upload, through the web UI, the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management controller is a chassis management controller, a baseboard management controller (BMC), or a rack management controller.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the web UI is in a HTML5 compatible format.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the browser application is configured to upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller using a jQuery Ajax function.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the management controller is configured to:

generate the web UI;

in response to receiving the request for the web UI from the computing device, send the web UI to the computing device;

in response to receiving the parsed information of the MIB file being uploaded from the computing device, process the parsed information of the MIB file, and display, through the web UI, the processed parsed information of the MIB file in a hierarchical organization; and

establish the communication between the management controller and the network switch through the SNMP interface based on the processed parsed information of the MIB file.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the browser application is further configured to:

receive, through the web UI, the input for managing and configuring the network switch; and

send the input to the management controller through the OOB network.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the management controller is further configured to:

receive the input from the computing device through the OOB network; and

manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file.

8. A method for network switch management via a management controller using a management information base (MIB) to JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) parser, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a MIB file corresponding to a network switch having a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface, wherein the management controller is communicatively connected to the network switch through the SNMP interface, and the computing device is communicatively connected to the management controller through an out-of-band (OOB) network;

parsing, by a parser application executed at the computing device, the MIB file to retrieve a plurality of Object Identifiers (OIDs) from the MIB file;

converting, by the parser application executed at the computing device, the OIDs to a plurality of JSON objects to generate parsed information of the MIB file comprising the JSON objects;

uploading, by the computing device, the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is configured to receive the parsed information of the MIB file, and establish a communication between the management controller and the network switch through the SNMP interface based on the parsed information of the MIB file, wherein the management controller functions as a client of the communication and the network switch functions as a server of the communication;

receiving, by the computing device, an input for managing and configuring the network switch;

sending, by the computing device, the input to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is further configured to receive the input and manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file;

requesting, by a browser application executed at the computing device, for a web user interface (UI) from the management controller;

receiving, by the browser application, the web UI from the management controller; and

displaying, by the browser application, the web UI in a browser application;

wherein the parsed information of the MIB file is uploaded through the web UI displayed by the browser application to the management controller.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the management controller is a chassis management controller, a baseboard management controller (BMC), or a rack management controller.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the web UI is in a HTML5 compatible format.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the browser application is configured to upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller using a jQuery Ajax function.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the browser application through the web UI, the input for managing and configuring the network switch; and

sending, by the browser application, the input to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is configured to manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable code, wherein the computer executable code, when executed at a processor of a computing device, is configured to:

parse a management information base (MIB) file corresponding to a network switch having a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) interface to retrieve a plurality of Object Identifiers (OIDs) from the MIB file, wherein a management controller is communicatively connected to the network switch through the SNMP interface, and the computing device is communicatively connected to the management controller through an out-of-band (OOB) network;

convert the OIDs to a plurality of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) objects to generate parsed information of the MIB file comprising the JSON objects;

upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is configured to receive the parsed information of the MIB file, and establish a communication between the management controller and the network switch through the SNMP interface based on the parsed information of the MIB file, wherein the management controller functions as a client of the communication and the network switch functions as a server of the communication;

receive an input for managing and configuring the network switch;

send the input to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is further configured to receive the input and manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file;

wherein the computer executable code comprises;

a parser application configured to;

parse the MIB file corresponding to the network switch to retrieve the OIDs from the MIB file; and

convert the OIDs to the JSON objects to generate parsed information of the MIB file; and

a browser application configured to;

request for a web user interface (UI) from the management controller;

receive the web UI from the management controller;

display the web UI in a browser application; and

upload, through the web UI, the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the management controller is a chassis management controller, a baseboard management controller (BMC), or a rack management controller.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the web UI is in a HTML5 compatible format.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the browser application is configured to upload the parsed information of the MIB file to the management controller using a jQuery Ajax function.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the browser application is further configured to:

receive, through the web UI, the input for managing and configuring the network switch; and

send the input to the management controller through the OOB network, wherein the management controller is configured to manage and configure the network switch via the communication through the SNMP interface based on the input and the parsed information of the MIB file.