System for inference of presence of network infrastructure devices

• US 20020124079A1
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• 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: Pulsipher, Eric A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,307,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

A device discovery module of a network management software is utilized to discover the presence of layer-2 network devices. When enabled by a command from the network management software, the device discovery module may be configured to query or poll all network devices for information. The device discovery module may be configured to seek address information from an address resolution protocol (“ARP”) cache of a queried network device. The ARP cache may contain addresses, e.g., layer-2 address, of other network devices contacted by the queried network device. The device discovery module may be further configured to retrieve from the queried network device the port type and port configuration. After retrieving the address information, the device discovery module organizes the address information in an ordered list starting with the identified port of a network device and address information detected on the identified port. If the identified port has been identified as a single point-to-point connection, and there are multiple address detected on that port, this is an inference that there is a device connecting the remote device of the identified port with the devices of each address heard. Otherwise, if the identified port has been identified as a single point-to-point connection, and there is only one address detected, this is an inference that there are no intervening devices.

Claims

1. A method for determining network topology comprising:

querying a plurality of remote devices for layer-2 address information, said layer-2 address information configured to provide at least one detected layer-2 address by each remote device of said plurality of remote devices; and

inferencing an intermediate device in response to an identification of a plurality of detected layer-2 addresses for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

2. The method for determining network topology according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying said plurality of remote devices for port information, said port information configured to provide a type of connection for each port of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices;

storing said port information and said layer-2 address information for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices; and

grouping said port information and said layer-2 address information for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

3. The method for determining network topology according to claim 2, further comprising:

querying an address resolution protocol cache for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices for said layer-2 address information.

4. The method for determining network topology according to claim 3, wherein said type of connection comprises a single point-to-point connection.

5. The method for determining network topology according to claim 1, further comprising:

inferencing a direct connection in response to another identification of a single detected layer-2 address for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

6. The method for determining network topology according to claim 5, further comprising:

repeating said inferencing for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

7. A method of managing a network, comprising:

receiving a command, said command configured to determine a configuration of said network;

polling a plurality of remote devices for layer-2 address information, said layer-2 address information configured to provide at least one detected layer-2 address for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices; and

determining an intermediate device in response to an identification of a plurality of detected layer-2 addresses for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

8. The method for managing a network according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining a direct connection in response to another identification of a single detected layer-2 address for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

9. The method for managing a network according to claim 8, further comprising:

polling said plurality of remote devices for port information, said port information configured to provide a type of connection for each port of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices;

storing said port information and said layer-2 address information for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices; and

grouping said port information and said layer-2 address information for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

10. The method for managing a network according to claim 9, further comprising:

polling an address resolution protocol cache of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices for said layer-2 address information.

11. The method for managing a network according to claim 10, further comprising:

repeating said determining on said grouping for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices; and

storing each intermediate device determined from said repeating in a network topology database.

12. The method for managing a network according to claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a network topology map with said each intermediate device generated from said network topology database in response to a second command, said second command configured to display said network topology map.

14. The system for determining a network topology according to claim 13, wherein:

said network management software is further configured to query said plurality of remote devices for port information, said port information configured to provide type of connection for each port of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices, to store said port information and said layer-2 address information of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices, and to group said port information and said layer-2 address information for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

15. The system for determining a network topology according to claim 14, wherein:

said network management software is further configured to query an address resolution protocol cache of each remote device of said plurality of remote devices for said layer-2 address information.

16. The system for determining a network topology according to claim 15, wherein said type of connection comprises a single point-to-point connection.

17. The system for determining a network topology according to claim 16, wherein:

said network management software is further configured to inference a direct connection in response to another identification of a single detected layer-2 address for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

18. The system for determining a network topology according to claim 16, wherein:

repeating said inference for each remote device of said plurality of remote devices.

13. A system for determining a network topology, comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to said at least one processor; and

a network management software residing in said memory and executing on at least one processor, said network management software configured to query a plurality of remote devices for layer-2 address information, said layer-2 address information configured to provide at least one detected layer-2 address by each remote device of said plurality of remote devices, and to inference an intermediate device in response to an identification of a plurality of detected layer-2 addresses for one remote device of said plurality of remote devices.