CONFIGURING NETWORK SETTINGS OF AN UNREACHABLE HOST

• US 20150180709A1
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat Israel Ltd. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat Israel Ltd. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Warszawski, Eduardo, Kaplan, Yeela
• Granted Patent: US 9,397,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/686 using dual-stack hosts, e.g. in Internet protocol version 4 [IPv4]/Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• 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 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/52 Multiprotocol routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/76 Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

An exemplary system may configure network settings of an unreachable host. In one embodiment, the system determines that a first host on a network is unreachable using a first communication protocol. The system selects a second host on the network that is reachable using the first communication protocol. The second host on the network can reach the first host using a second communication protocol. The system provides a communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol. The communication causes the second host to access the first host on the network using the second communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a processing device, that a first host on a network is unreachable using a first communication protocol;

selecting a second host on the network that is reachable using the first communication protocol, wherein the second host on the network can reach the first host using a second communication protocol; and

providing, by the processing device, a communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol, wherein the communication causes the second host to access the first host on the network using the second communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a second host on the network that is reachable comprises:

selecting the second host from one or more hosts on a same segment of the network as the first host, wherein the processing device can communicate with the second host using the first communication protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol comprises:

providing a command to the second host, wherein the command instructs the second host to securely access the first host based on a scope associated with the first host and to cause the second host to configure a network configuration of the first host, wherein the network configuration is associated with the first communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the command further instructs the second host to reboot the first host to cause the scope associated with the first host to be automatically configured.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing the scope associated with the first host to the second host, wherein the scope for the first host is based on another network configuration of the first host and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first host, wherein the another network configuration of the first host is associated with the second communication protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is associated with a protocol module in a protocol stack and the second communication protocol is associated with the protocol module in the protocol stack.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

determining, by a processing device, that a first host on a network is unreachable using a first communication protocol;

selecting a second host on the network that is reachable using the first communication protocol, wherein the second host on the network can reach the first host using a second communication protocol; and

providing, by the processing device, a communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol, wherein the communication causes the second host to access the first host on the network using the second communication protocol.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein selecting a second host on the network that is reachable comprises:

selecting the second host from one or more hosts on a same segment of the network as the first host, wherein the processing device can communicate with the second host using the first communication protocol.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein providing the communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol comprises:

providing a command to the second host, wherein the command instructs the second host to securely access the first host based on a scope associated with the first host and to cause the second host to configure a network configuration of the first host, wherein the network configuration is associated with the first communication protocol.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the command further instructs the second host to reboot the first host to cause the scope associated with the first host to be automatically configured.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations further comprising.

providing the scope associated with the first host to the second host, wherein the scope for the first host is based on another network configuration of the first host and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first host, wherein the another network configuration of the first host is associated with the second communication protocol.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first communication protocol is associated with a protocol module in a protocol stack and the second communication protocol is associated with the protocol module in the protocol stack.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first communication protocol is Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and the second communication protocol is Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

15. A computing device comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device coupled to the memory, wherein the processing device is to;

determine that a first host on a network is unreachable using a first communication protocol;

select a second host on the network that is reachable using the first communication protocol, wherein the second host on the network can reach the first host using a second communication protocol; and

provide a communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol, wherein the communication causes the second host to access the first host on the network using the second communication protocol.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein to select a second host on the network that is reachable, the processing device is further to:

select the second host from one or more hosts on a same segment of the network as the first host, wherein the network management engine can communicate with the second host using the first communication protocol.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein to provide the communication to the second host on the network using the first communication protocol, the processing device is further to:

provide a command to the second host, wherein the command instructs the second host to securely access the first host based on a scope associated with the first host and to cause the second host to configure a network configuration of the first host, wherein the network configuration is associated with the first communication protocol.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the command further instructs the second host to reboot the first host to cause the scope associated with the first host to be automatically configured.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the processing device is further to:

provide the scope associated with the first host to the second host, wherein the scope for the first host is based on another network configuration of the first host and a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first host, wherein the another network configuration of the first host is associated with the second communication protocol

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the first communication protocol is associated with a protocol module in a protocol stack and the second communication protocol is associated with the protocol module in the protocol stack.