System and method for ensuring a device uses the correct instance of a network service

• US 20070027970A1
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Backman, Drake, Lewis, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level

Abstract

A system and method are provided for ensuring access to the correct instance of a network service. The system includes a plurality of management domains. Each management domain may include at least one server and at least on managed device. When the managed device sends a request for a network service, the request may be received by all servers in the network, including those belonging to different management domains. As such, each server may include a referral list. When the server receives a request, the server may determine whether its management domain includes the appropriate instance of the network service. If it does not, it may forward the request to other servers in the referral list until the appropriate network service is identified.

Claims

1. A system of providing access to a network service for a requesting managed device, comprising:

a plurality of management domains communicatively coupled to each other via a network, wherein each management domain comprises;

at least one managed device configured to issue a request for the network service;

at least one server comprising an instance of the network service requested by the at least one managed device, in which the instance of the network service is responsible for communicating with one or more managed device within its management domain;

wherein the at least one server further comprises a network service management module configured to determine whether it includes the instance of the network service required by the requesting device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server further comprises:

a referral list comprising information about one or more other servers in the other management domains.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one managed device comprises:

a service determination module configured to locate the network service by generating a network service request query; and

a resource utilization module configured to receive and implement the requested network service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network service request is a broadcast request transmitted to the plurality of management domains, wherein at least one of the plurality of management domains does not include the requesting managed device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the request for network service includes identity information comprising at least one of a unique attribute associated with the managed device, and indicia indicating membership in a particular management domain.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the network services management module is further configured to provide a response to the network service request.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the plurality of management domains comprises a primary server and at least one secondary server, wherein the primary server is configured to load balance network service request responses among the primary server and the at least one secondary server.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of management domains comprises two or more servers arranged as a cluster.

9. A method of providing a correct instance of a network service to a requesting managed device, wherein the managed device is part of a network having a plurality of management domains belonging to a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server located in one of the plurality of management domains, a request for a network service from the managed device; and

determining whether the managed device is a member of the same management domain as the server;

wherein, if the managed device is a member of the same management domain as the server, providing the requested network service and if the managed device is not a member of the same management domain as the server, forwarding the request to one or more additional servers located within the network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether the managed device is a member of the same management domain comprises determining whether the network service request includes identity information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein forwarding the request to one or more additional servers comprises consulting a referral list to determine the one or more additional servers.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the managed device is not a member of the same management domain as the server, the method further comprising:

receiving a response from one of the one or more additional servers indicating the one server includes the correct instance of the network service; and

forwarding the response to the managed device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein forwarding further comprises forwarding instructions to the managed device to send future requests to the identified server.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the request does not include identity information, the method further comprising:

transmitting a default action to the managed device, wherein the default action is a request for additional information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the request does not include identity information, the method further comprising:

determining one or more run-time detectable parameters; and

using, at least in part, the one or more run-time detectable parameters to determine the correct instance of the network service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the run-time detectable parameters include a network address associated with the managed device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the run-time detectable parameters include an amount of memory associated with the managed device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the request includes identity information identified the appropriate management domain, and wherein the method further comprises:

forwarding the request to the appropriate management domain.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the request includes identity information that does not identify the appropriate management domain, wherein the method further comprises:

forwarding the request to each server in a referral list, wherein the referral list identifies other servers in the network.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the managed device is not a member of the same management domain as the server, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a response from one of the one or more additional servers in the network; and

acting as a proxy between the one server and the managed device.

21. A server configured to provide access to a network service for a managed device, wherein the managed device is a member of one of a plurality of management domains within a network, the server comprising:

a referral list that includes information about one or more additional servers within the network, wherein each of the additional servers comprises an instance of the network service;

a network service determination module configured to receive a network service request from the managed device and to forward the request to at least one of the one or more additional servers; and

a resource determination module configured to receive a response from at least one of the one or more additional servers, wherein the response indicates whether the additional server comprises the appropriate instance of the network service.

22. A method of providing a correct instance of a network service to a managed device, wherein the managed device is part of a network having a plurality of management domains belonging to a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a network service request from the managed device;

determining which of the plurality of management domains includes the correct instance of the network service; and

forwarding the request to the determined management domain.