CONFIGURING A SECURE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE DEVICE

• US 20150043553A1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Swinkels, Gerard Leo, Parker, Craig Warren
• Granted Patent: US 10,333,777 B2
• 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 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/24 using dedicated network management hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE), establishes a local connection (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, etc.) to a network infrastructure device (e.g., a network switch or router) that is not yet configured for operation on a communications network. The UE obtains, while connected to the network infrastructure device over the local connection, device-identifying information (e.g., a location of the UE, a pre-provisioned identifier for the network infrastructure device, etc.) by which the network infrastructure device can be distinguished from other network infrastructure devices of the same type. The UE loads a configuration installation file that is specially configured for the network infrastructure device based on the obtained device-identifying information. The UE executes the configuration installation file over the local connection to configure the network infrastructure device for operation on the communications network.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising:

establishing a local connection to a network infrastructure device that is not yet configured for operation on a communications network;

obtaining, while connected to the network infrastructure device over the local connection, device-identifying information by which the network infrastructure device can be distinguished from other network infrastructure devices of the same type;

loading a configuration installation file that is specially configured for the network infrastructure device based on the obtained device-identifying information; and

executing the configuration installation file over the local connection to configure the network infrastructure device for operation on the communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local connection is a wireless connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the local connection is a wired connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wired connection is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-identifying information corresponds to a location of the UE that is determined by execution of a positioning procedure executed at the UE.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the positioning procedure is a global positioning system (GPS) positioning procedure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-identifying information corresponds to a pre-provisioned identifier that is assigned to the network infrastructure device and is acquired by the UE over the local connection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pre-provisioned identifier is a media access control (MAC) address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, device code or a serial number.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the configuration installation file is stored locally on the UE prior to the establishment of the local connection, and

wherein the configuration installation file is identified based on the device-identifying information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading includes:

transmitting a request for the configuration installation file to an external entity; and

receiving the configuration installation file from the external entity in response to the request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitted request includes the device-identifying information to permit the external entity to identify the configuration installation file for delivery to the UE.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying the configuration installation file based on the device-identifying information,

wherein the transmitted request includes an indication of the configuration installation file based on the identifying.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the network infrastructure device corresponds to a network switch or router in a backbone or backhaul portion of the communications network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is provisioned with a file management application that is configured to manage configuration installation files for configuring a plurality of network infrastructure devices.

16. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

logic configured to establish a local connection to a network infrastructure device that is not yet configured for operation on a communications network;

logic configured to obtain, while connected to the network infrastructure device over the local connection, device-identifying information by which the network infrastructure device can be distinguished from other network infrastructure devices of the same type;

logic configured to load a configuration installation file that is specially configured for the network infrastructure device based on the obtained device-identifying information; and

logic configured to execute the configuration installation file over the local connection to configure the network infrastructure device for operation on the communications network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the device-identifying information corresponds to a location of the UE that is determined by execution of a positioning procedure executed at the UE.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the device-identifying information corresponds to a pre-provisioned identifier that is assigned to the network infrastructure device and is acquired by the UE over the local connection.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the network infrastructure device corresponds to a network switch or router in a backbone or backhaul portion of the communications network.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

at least one instruction configured to cause the UE to establish a local connection to a network infrastructure device that is not yet configured for operation on a communications network;

at least one instruction configured to cause the UE to obtain, while connected to the network infrastructure device over the local connection, device-identifying information by which the network infrastructure device can be distinguished from other network infrastructure devices of the same type;

at least one instruction configured to cause the UE to load a configuration installation file that is specially configured for the network infrastructure device based on the obtained device-identifying information; and

at least one instruction configured to cause the UE to execute the configuration installation file over the local connection to configure the network infrastructure device for operation on the communications network.