METHOD FOR MANAGING NETWORK COMPONENTS IN A NETWORK, AND A NETWORK COMPONENT

• US 20100235502A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Hütter, Ingo, Weber, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/734,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235502A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing network components in a network comprising a request subnet with request network components and a select subnet with select network components as well as to a network component, wherein the requesting network component out of the request network components of the request subnet transmits a registration request to a selected network component out of the select network components of the select subnet and, based on the registration request, the selected network component transmits information concerning the configuration of the select subnet at the time of registration request to the requesting network component, wherein, based on the registration request, the selected network component transmits further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet to the requesting network component at a later point in time which is chronologically following the registration request.

Claims

1. A method for managing network components in a network, comprising a request subnet with request network components and a select subnet with select network components, wherein the requesting network component out of the request network components of the request subnet transmits a registration request to a selected network component out of the select network components of the select subnet and, based on the registration request, the selected network component transmits information concerning the configuration of the select subnet at the time of registration request to the requesting network component, wherein, based on the registration request, the selected network component transmits further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet to the requesting network component at a later point in time which is chronologically following the registration request, and in that said latter point in time is not restricted over time.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the information and the further information is transmitted at predefined time intervals.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information and the further information are consecutively transmitted at regular intervals.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet is transmitted whenever the configuration of the select subnet has changed in relation to a configuration which a previous transmission of information to the requesting network component concerned.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet comprises at the later points in time information concerning changes in the configuration of the select subnet, which occurred after a previous transmission of information concerning the configuration of the select subnet to the requesting network component.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the select subnet and/or the selected network component are/is determined from a plurality of select subnets and/or select network components by means of an automatic selection method or with the help of a user or an administrator.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted information and/or the further information are/is, at least in part, transferred from the requesting network component to further ones of the request network components of the request subnet.

10. The method according to claim 9,

wherein the transmitted information and/or the further information are/is, at least in part, transferred from the requesting network component to all remaining request network components of the request subnet.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein an unregistration request is transmitted from the requesting network component to the selected network component and that, in reaction to the unregistration request, the selected network component does not transmit any further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet to the requesting network component at later points in time.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, after having received the registration request from the requesting network component, the selected network component, on its part, transmits a further registration request to the requesting network component.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein data is exchanged in the network in a packet switched manner.

6. The method according to,

wherein the information and the further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet comprise an enumeration of select network components pertaining to the select subnet at the time of registration request.

7. The method according to claim 6,

wherein, subsequent to an evaluation of the information or the further information, the requesting network component transmits a detailed request to one or more of the further select network components.

14. A network component comprising

a connecting assembly which is configured to establish connections for electronic data exchange with select network components of a select subnet in a network;

a retrieving assembly which is configured to retrieve a registration request from a requesting network component in a request subnet connected to the select subnet in the network;

a determining assembly which is configured to determine information concerning the configuration of the select subnet and, at a later point in time, to determine further information concerning the configuration of the select subnet at that later point in time;

a registration assembly which is configured to make a registration of the requesting network component based on the registration request; and

a transmission assembly which is configured to transmit the information determined and the further information to the requesting network component in the request subnet based on the registration.