Display of phones on a map of a network

• US 20010029536A1
• Filed: 04/04/2001
• Published: 10/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bulmer, Russell Kennett, Linzell, Christopher Robert, Walker, Lee Anthony, Valentine, Simon Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• 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 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers

Abstract

In a computer network, a process of discovery of the network, including discovery of network phones, and means for retrieving an icon relating to the phones and displaying a network map including network phones in the network map.

Claims

1. A method of discovery and display of one or more phones on a network, said method including the steps of

discovering a phone by means of a first protocol,

using discovered information to insert an icon representing the phone in the relevant position in a display of the topology of the network,

and discovering other devices on the network using a different protocol.

2. A method as claimed in

claim 1

in which the phone is discovered using HTML, and the other devices are discovered using SNMP.

3. A method as claimed in

claim 1

in which the display comprises a map of the network.

4. A method as claimed in

claim 3

in which, on the map, the icon phone is connected to the other parts of the network by a line which represents the line connecting the telephone to the network.

5. A method as claimed in

claim 1

in which the display includes, adjacent said phone icon, further information relating to the phone.

6. A computer program on a computer readable medium or embodied in a carrier wave for use in discovery and display of one or more phones on a network, said computer program comprising:

a program step for establishing the topology of the network including said one or more phones, said program step comprising a program step for establishing the topology of the network using a first protocol, and a program step for establishing the topology of said one or more phones using a different protocol, and

a program step for using this information to insert an icon representing a relevant phone into a display of the topology of the network.

7. A computer program as claimed in

claim 6

in which the first protocol is SNMP and the second protocol is HTML.

8. A computer program as claimed in

claim 6

including a program step for providing the topology in a form which may be displayed on a visual display unit as a map of the network.

9. A computer program as claimed in

claim 6

including a program step whereby on the map, the icon is connected to other parts of the network by a line which represents the line connecting the telephone to the network.

10. A computer program as claimed in

claim 6

including a program step for establishing further information relating to the phone, and a program step for providing said information in a form whereby this information may be displayed on the visual display unit.

11. A computer program on a computer readable medium or embodied in a carrier wave for use in discovery of one or more phones on a network, said computer program comprising:

a program step to use SNMP to discover the network, including managed devices, a telephone controller and establishing MAC addresses of unmanaged phones;

a program step to change from SNMP to HTTP;

a program step to load a web page from the telephone controller;

a program step to parse the web page of the telephone controller to establish correspondence between particular Ethernet phones and MAC addresses;

a program step to find ports with MAC address of phones;

a program step to determine, in respect of a port on which a phone MAC address present, if there is only a single MAC address;

if yes, a program step to retrieve and display a phone icon on a network map and relevant details connected directly to the port;

if no, a program step to determine if there are two MAC addresses and if one is a phone;

if yes, a program step to provide an icon of a device with a second MAC address connected to the network via the phone;

if no, a program step to display an unmanaged aggregator display cloud.

12. Apparatus for use in the discovery of one or more phones on a network, comprising means to discover the network, including means to discover one or more phones and the other devices on the network using different protocols and means to use the information discovered to insert an icon representing a phone in the relevant position in a display of the topology of the network.

13. Apparatus as claimed in

claim 12

in which different protocols comprise HTML and SNMP.

14. Apparatus as claimed in

claim 12

in which the display comprises a map of the network.

15. Apparatus as claimed in

claim 14

in which, on the map, the icon is connected to the other parts of the network by a line which represents the line connecting the telephone to the network.

16. Apparatus as claimed in

claim 12

in which the display includes, adjacent said phone icon, further information relating to the phone.