PROTOCOL INCOMPATIBILITY DETECTION

• US 20090268728A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagra, Sundeep S., Santos, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,064,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A network switch configured to detect protocol incompatibility and a corresponding method are described. The switch comprises one or more network ports and a memory. The memory stores a protocol set comprising one or more protocols each comprising protocol-specific identifying information and one or more actions to be taken by the network switch upon detection of the particular protocol. The memory also stores a protocol packet detection logic configured to perform at least one of the one or more actions responsive to detection of a corresponding protocol.

Claims

1. A network switch configured to detect protocol incompatibility, the switch comprising:

one or more network ports;

a memory storing;

a protocol set comprising protocol data information corresponding to a particular protocol, each protocol data information comprising;

protocol-specific identifying information; and

protocol packet detection logic configured to perform an action responsive to detection, via one of the one or more network ports, of a protocol corresponding to protocol-specific identifying information.

2. The switch as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a processor connected with the one or more network ports and memory and wherein the protocol packet detection logic comprises a set of instructions stored in the memory.

3. The switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the action performed comprises at least one of:

recording an entry corresponding to the detected protocol;

generating a notification regarding the detected protocol;

or

disabling the network port related to the detected protocol.

4. The switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein each protocol further comprises:

one or more actions to be taken by the network switch upon detection of the particular protocol.

5. The switch as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more actions comprise at least one of:

recording an entry corresponding to the detected protocol;

generating a notification regarding the detected protocol;

or disabling the network port related to the detected protocol.

6. The switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores:

a log for storing an entry comprising information related to the detected protocol.

7. The switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory further stores:

a detection type specifying whether the protocol packet detection logic is configured to automatically or manually detect protocol incompatibility.

8. The switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protocol packet detection logic is configured to perform at least one of a control level detection or a data level detection on a received packet.

9. A method of detecting protocol incompatibility comprising:

determining a protocol incompatibility at a network switch based on comparison of a received packet with protocol information in response to receipt of a packet; and

performing an action responsive to a positive determination of protocol incompatibility.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the action performed comprises at least one of:

recording an entry corresponding to the detected protocol;

generating a notification regarding the detected protocol;

or

disabling the network port related to the detected protocol.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein recording an entry comprises storing an entry in a log where the entry comprises information related to the detected protocol.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein recording an entry comprises storing an entry in a log where the entry comprises a media access control address of a device which transmitted the received packet

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein generating a notification comprises generating a notification comprising a media access control address of a device which transmitted the received packet.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the determining a protocol incompatibility comprises comparison of the received packet with protocol-specific identifying information.

15. A memory or a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to determine a protocol incompatibility at a network switch based on comparison of a received packet with protocol information in response to receipt of a packet;

and perform an action responsive to a positive determination of protocol incompatibility.