Network management apparatus and method for determining the topology of a network

• US 20020154606A1
• Filed: 07/02/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2001
• 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: Duncan, Robert James, Ginger, Daniel Simon, Valentine, Simon Peter, Stuart Martin, Hamish Donald
• Granted Patent: US 7,385,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/256
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• 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 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/488 using root node determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0083 Network planning or design; Modelling of planned or existing networks

Abstract

A network management apparatus and method for determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, is disclosed in which address table data is obtained from the ports of the core network devices on the network, and the identity of the ports of the core network devices are determined. Spanning-Tree protocol information is obtained from the core network devices and used to process the address table data to remove data relating to ports having links which are inactive. The topology of the network is then determined using the processed data by first selecting one of the core network devices as a root network device, and then using the processed address table data to build a network tree from the selected root device.

Claims

1. A method for use in determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, and in which the identity of the devices on the network can be determined, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining address table data for the ports of core network devices on the network, the address table data including the identity of each said port and the addresses of other network devices which the port has learnt;

obtaining Spanning-Tree protocol information from one or more of the core network devices;

using the Spanning-Tree protocol information, processing the address table data, by removing data relating to ports which are in a blocking state, and

providing the processed address table data for use to build a network tree to determine a topology of the network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of removing comprises determining the ports that are in the blocking state, and removing address table data of those ports.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising building a data representation of the network tree, thus determining a topology of the network.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising presenting the determined topology of the network.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of removing comprises storing the removed data in memory.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, prior to the step of presenting, the method further comprises the step of retrieving the removed data from memory, and determining links for the ports in the blocking state.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the Spanning-Tree protocol information includes a Designated Bridge identifier and a Designated Port identifier, and said step of determining links for the ports in the blocking state comprises matching pairs of ports having the same Designated Bridge and Designated Port identifiers and determining a link between each matched pair of ports.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising adding the determined links for the ports in the blocking state into the network topology.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the Spanning-Tree protocol information comprises, identifying the core network devices in which the Spanning-Tree protocol is enabled, and retrieving the Spanning-Tree protocol information from the identified core network devices.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, prior to the step of obtaining address table data, the method comprises:

determining the identity of the core network devices on the network;

determining the identity of the ports of the core network devices, and

reading the address tables of the ports of the core network devices.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining the identity of the core network devices includes sending an SNMP data request onto the network, and receiving and processing the response.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising memory for storing data for use in determining the network topology.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a display screen and/or a printer for presenting the determined topology of the network.

12. A computer program on a computer readable medium, for use in determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, and in which the identity of the devices on the network can be determined, the program comprising:

a program step for obtaining address table data for the ports of core network devices on the network, the address table data including the identity of each said port and the addresses of other network devices which the port has learnt;

a program step for obtaining Spanning-Tree protocol information from one or more of the core network devices;

a program step for processing the address table data, by removing data relating to ports which are in a blocking state, said ports being determined using the Spanning-Tree protocol information, and

a program step for providing the processed address table data for use to build a network tree to determine a topology of the network.

13. A network management apparatus for determining the topology of a network in which a Spanning-Tree protocol is implemented, the apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining address table data for the ports of the core network devices on the network, the address table data including the identity of each said port and the addresses of other network devices which the port has learnt;

means for obtaining Spanning-Tree protocol information from at least one of the core network devices;

processing means for processing, using the Spanning-Tree protocol information, the address table data, the processing means for removing data relating to ports having links which are in a blocking state, and

means for providing the processed address table data for use to build a network tree to determine a topology of the network.