Port management system

• US 20080240104A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anil Villait, Deepika Dwivedi, Govind Raj Desur, Nick G. Suizo
• Original Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Villait, Anil, Desur, Govind raj, Suizo, Nick G., Dwivedi, Deepika
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30141 Implementation provisions of register files, e.g. ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A method is provided for a port management system in which a switch is automatically provisioned with network resources. A command or set of commands are stored and automatically executed on the switch upon the occurrence of a defined network event. The command or set of commands may be associated with one or more ports on the switch. When executed, the commands cause a change to a port configuration and/or policy on the switch to control access to a network resource. The network resource may include any device or service accessible on the network. The defined network event may include any network event associated with a device or user connected to the network. The command or set of commands may reference variables, control structures, and functions to modify command execution.

Claims

1. A method for automatically provisioning a switch in a network, the method comprising:

storing a command on a switch having a port configuration;

detecting an occurrence of an event associated with the command; and

executing the command in response to the occurrence of the event to change the port configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

referencing a variable in the command, the variable having a value determined upon the occurrence of the event associated with the command;

determining the value of the referenced variable upon the occurrence of the event associated with the command; and

executing the command to change the port configuration in accordance with the determined value of the referenced variable.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the value of the referenced variable is based on parameter values contained in a message for communicating the event to the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the parameter values contained in the message for communicating the event to the network conform to a protocol.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the message for communicating the event to the network was sent from an authentication server connected to the network.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

referencing a control structure in the command, the control structure to modify the command'"'"'s execution based on the determined value of the variable; and

modifying the command execution to change the port configuration in accordance with the referenced control structure.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

referencing a function in the command, wherein the function returns a value to modify the command'"'"'s execution based on the returned value; and

modifying the command execution to change the port configuration in accordance with the returned value of the referenced function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the event associated with the command is an event associated with a device connecting to the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the event associated with the device is one of a detection and un-detection of the device connecting to the network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the event associated with the device is communicated to the switch using a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the event associated with the command is an event associated with a user connecting to the network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the event associated with the user connecting to the network is one of authenticating and un-authenticating the user connecting to the network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the event associated with the user is communicated to the switch using a NetLogin authentication protocol.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the NetLogin authentication protocol is one of a MAC-based protocol, a web-based protocol, and an IEEE 802.1X-based protocol.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the command with a port on the switch; and

executing the command in response to the occurrence of the event to change the port configuration of the associated port.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing the command in one of a persistent and non-persistent modes.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the command is executing in persistent mode; and

saving the port configuration change to a persistent repository on the switch to preserve the port configuration change if the switch is re-booted.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to execute the command from a command line interface; and

executing the command in response to the request.

19. A port management system to control access to a network resource, the system comprising:

a repository in which is stored a profile containing a set of commands, the execution of which controls access to a network resource via a port on a switch;

a definition of an event, the occurrence of which triggers execution of the profile;

a port manager having an interface to create the profile, define the event, and associate the profile with a port on the switch; and

a processor in which to operate the port manager, and in which to execute the profile upon the occurrence of the event to control access to the network resource via the associated port on the switch.

20. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the profile containing the set of commands includes a command that references a variable, the variable having a value that is determined upon the occurrence of the event, and wherein the processor executes the profile in accordance with the value of the variable.

21. The port management system of claim 20, wherein the profile containing the set of commands further includes a command that references a control structure to conditionally modify the profile execution depending on the value of the variable.

22. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the profile containing the set of commands includes a command that references a function that returns a value, and wherein the processor executes the profile in accordance with the returned value.

23. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the defined event is an event associated with a device accessing the network.

24. The port management system of claim 23, wherein the event associated with the device is one of a detection and un-detection of the device accessing the network.

25. The port management system of claim 23, wherein the event associated with the device is communicated to the switch using a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP).

26. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the defined event is an event associated with a user accessing the network.

27. The port management system of claim 26, wherein the event associated with the user is one of authenticating and un-authenticating the user accessing the network.

28. The port management system of claim 26, wherein the event associated with the user is communicated to the switch using a NetLogin authentication protocol.

29. The port management system of claim 28, wherein the NetLogin authentication protocol is one of a MAC-based protocol, a web-based protocol, and an IEEE 802.1X-based protocol.

30. The port management system of claim 19, in which to execute the profile upon the occurrence of the event to control access to the network resource via the associated port on the switch includes executing a command in the profile that causes a port configuration change.

31. The port management system of claim 19, in which to execute the profile upon the occurrence of the event to control access to the network resource via the associated port on the switch includes executing a command in the profile that causes a policy change.

32. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the defined event is a timer, the expiration of which triggers execution of the profile.

33. The port management system of claim 32, wherein the timer specifies a time at which the timer expires.

34. The port management system of claim 32, wherein the timer specifies an interval after which the timer expires.

35. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the network resource is a device accessible via the network.

36. The port management system of claim 19, wherein the network resource is a service accessible via the network.

37. A switch to control access to a network resource, the network device comprising:

a port having a configuration, the port configuration for controlling access to a network resource via the port;

a repository in which is stored a profile associated with the port, the profile containing a set of commands, the execution of which changes the port configuration controlling access to the network resource;

a repository in which is stored a definition of an event, the occurrence of which triggers execution of the profile; and

a processor in which to execute the profile upon the occurrence of the event to change the port configuration controlling access to the network resource via the associated port.

38. The switch of claim 37, further comprising:

a port manager having an interface, wherein the processor is to operate the port manager to create the profile in response to an input received via the interface.

39. The switch of claim 38, wherein the processor is to operate the port manager to define the event in response to the input received via the interface.

40. The switch of claim 38, wherein the processor is to associate the profile with a port on the switch in response to the input received via the interface.

41. The switch of claim 37, wherein the profile containing the set of commands includes a command that references a variable, the variable having a value that is determined upon the occurrence of the event, and wherein the processor executes the profile in accordance with the value of the variable.

42. The switch of claim 37, wherein the profile containing the set of commands further includes a command that references a control structure to conditionally modify the profile execution depending on the value of the variable.

43. The switch of claim 37, wherein the profile containing the set of commands includes a command that references a function that returns a value, and wherein the processor executes the profile in accordance with the returned value.

44. The switch of claim 37, wherein the event definition associates the event with a device connecting to the network.

45. The switch of claim 44, wherein the event definition is one of a detection and un-detection of the device connecting to the network.

46. The switch of claim 44, wherein the event is communicated to the switch using a Link Layer Data Protocol (LLDP).

47. The switch of claim 37, wherein the event definition associates the event with a user logging on to the network.

48. The switch of claim 47, wherein the event definition is one of authenticating and un-authenticating the user logging on to the network.

49. The switch of claim 47, wherein the event is communicated to the switch using a NetLogin authentication protocol.

50. The switch of claim 49, wherein the NetLogin authentication protocol is one of a MAC-based protocol, a web-based protocol, and an IEEE 802.1X-based protocol.

51. The switch of claim 37, wherein the event definition sets a timer, the expiration of which triggers execution of the profile.

52. The switch of claim 51, wherein the timer specifies a time at which the timer expires.

53. The switch of claim 51, wherein the timer specifies an interval after which the timer expires.

54. The switch of claim 37, wherein the network resource is a device accessible via the network.

55. The switch of claim 37, wherein the network resource is a service accessible via the network.