Methods and apparatus for cluster management using a common configuration file

• US 20070230415A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Malik, Ajay
• Application Number:
  US11/394,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230415A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

Wireless switches in a cluster are managed by providing a configuration server for storing common configuration files and a DHCP server for storing cluster-specific configuration files corresponding to each cluster. A method for configuring the wireless switches then includes requesting, from the DHCP server, an IP address for the wireless switch; receiving, from the DHCP server, the IP address and the cluster-specific configuration file; receiving, from the configuration server, the common configuration file; and executing, at the wireless switch, the cluster-specific configuration file and the common configuration file.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a wireless switch within a cluster, the method comprising:

requesting, from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, an IP address for the wireless switch;

receiving, from the DHCP server, the IP address and a cluster-specific configuration file in response to the requesting step;

requesting, from a configuration server, a common configuration file;

receiving, from the configuration server, the common configuration file; and

executing, at the wireless switch, the cluster-specific configuration file and the common configuration file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of requesting an IP address occurs when operation of the wireless switch is initiated.

3. The method of claim 1, further including receiving, from the DHCP server, information specifying an address of the configuration server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address of the wireless switch is received from the DHCP server.

5. The method of claim 1, further including applying a hash function to the common configuration file to produce a hash, and storing the hash at the wireless switch.

6. A network management system for managing a plurality of wireless switches configured in a cluster, the system comprising:

a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server having a set of cluster-specific configuration files stored therein, the DHCP server configured to send to each of the plurality of wireless switches an IP address and one of the cluster-specific configuration files in response to an IP address request;

a configuration server having a common configuration file stored therein, the configuration server configured to send to each of the plurality of wireless switches the common configuration file in response to a common configuration file request;

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the DHCP server stores a list of clusters and, for each cluster, a cluster-specific configuration file and a list of IP addresses corresponding to each cluster.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the common configuration file and the cluster-specific configuration file contain command line interface (CLI) commands associated with the plurality of wireless switches.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless switches are configured to apply a hash function to the common configuration file to produce a hash.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless switches are configured to issue an IP address request to the DHCP upon start-up or reboot.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the common configuration file and the cluster-specific configuration file are lists of command line interface (CLI) commands.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the configuration server is a server of a type selected from the group consisting of FTP, TFTP, HTTP, and SCP.