Port-link configuration tracking method and apparatus

• US 5,822,305 A
• Filed: 10/17/1996
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cabletron Systems Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kenny, Patrick, Matthews, Wallace, Vaishnavi, Vick
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US08/731,701
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/245, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/351, 370/401, 370/452, 340/825.07, 340/825.08, 340/825.16, 340/825.54, 395/200.11
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing

Abstract

A logical representation of a communications network topology has links which represent connections within a network, and models of ports representing elements of devices which form the connections of the network. The logical representation is created and maintained in response to reports from the network, such as new neighbor reports and lost neighbor reports. A new neighbor module creates or changes the logical representation in response to new neighbor reports, based upon whether the reporting port is recently attached and whether the new neighbor port is recently attached. A lost neighbor module changes the logical representation in response to lost neighbor reports, by creating pseudo new neighbor reports, and allowing the pseudo new neighbor reports to be processed following a certain amount of time. The operation of the new neighbor module and lost neighbor module allow reports to be processed independent of the order in which the reports are received, and also facilitates monitoring of complex network topologies, such as those including connections of more than two nodes, and those in which reports may be received in any order.

Claims

1. A method for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a connection-oriented communications network, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of reports, each of the plurality of reports providing an indication of a connection status between at least two of the plurality of ports;

(b) determining that a connection exists in the connection-oriented communications network among at least three of the plurality of ports; and

(c) determining the configuration of the plurality of ports including the connection determined in step (b).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) includes determining a connection status in a manner that is independent of an order of which the plurality of reports are received in step (a).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) includes determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon an attachment time of at least one of the plurality of ports.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) includes determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon whether a reporting port of the plurality of reports has been recently attached, and based upon whether a neighbor report corresponding to the reporting port has been recently attached.

5. A method for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a communications network, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of port reports, each of the plurality of port reports including an indication of a connection status between at least two of the plurality of ports; and

(b) determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon an attachment time for at least one of the plurality of ports as indicated in at least one of the plurality of port reports received in step (a).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein step (b) includes classifying at least some of the plurality of ports as being either recently attached or not recently attached.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of classifying includes determining whether at least some of the plurality of ports have been attached to a connection for a predetermined amount of time.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein step (b) includes determining the configuration of the plurality of ports independent of an order in which the plurality of reports are received in step (a).

9. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a connection-oriented communications network, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of reports, each of the plurality of reports providing an indication of a connection status between at least two of the plurality of ports;

means for determining that a connection exists in the connection-oriented communications network among at least three of the plurality of ports;

means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports including the connection determined by the means for determining that a connection exists.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for determining that a connection exists includes means for determining a connection status in a manner that is independent of an order of which the plurality of reports are received by the means for receiving.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports includes means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon an attachment time of at least one of the plurality of ports.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports includes means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon whether a reporting port of the plurality of reports has been recently attached, and based upon whether a neighbor report corresponding to the reporting port has been recently attached.

13. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a communications network, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of port reports, each of the plurality of port reports including an indication of a connection status between at least two of the plurality of ports; and

means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports based upon an attachment time for at least one of the plurality of ports as indicated in at least one of the plurality of port reports received by the means for receiving.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining includes means for classifying at least some of the plurality of ports as being either recently attached or not recently attached.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for classifying includes means for determining whether at least some of the plurality of ports have been attached to a connection for a predetermined amount of time.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining includes means for determining the configuration of the plurality of ports independent of an order in which the plurality of reports are received by the means for receiving.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining includes a network representation, the apparatus further comprising a report module, coupled to the network representation, having an output that modifies the network representation based upon an attachment time of at least one of the plurality of ports.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining includes a network representation the apparatus further comprising a report module coupled to the network representation, having an input that receives a plurality of reports from the connection-oriented communications network, and an output that modifies the network representation in a manner that is independent of an order in which the plurality of reports are received.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining includes a network representation the apparatus further comprising a report module having an input that receives a plurality of reports from the connection-oriented communications network, and output that modifies the network representation based upon whether a reporting port within the connection-oriented communications network has been recently attached and whether a neighbor port within the connection-oriented communications network has been recently attached.

20. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports within a communications network, comprising:

a network representation including a data structure that is a virtual model of the configuration of the plurality of ports, the network representation having an input; and

a report module having an output that is coupled to the input of the network representation, the output of the report module modifying the network representation based upon an attachment time of at least one of the plurality of ports.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein:

the report module has an input that receives a plurality of reports from the communications network, each of the plurality of reports providing an indication of a connection status between at least two of the plurality of ports, and

the output of the report module modifies the network representation in a manner that is independent of an order in which the plurality of reports are received.

22. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a connection-oriented communications network, the apparatus comprising:

a network representation including a data structure that is a virtual model of the configuration of the plurality of ports, the network representation including at least one representation that a single connection exists among at least three of the plurality of ports; and

a report module, coupled to the network representation, having an output that modifies the network representation based upon an attachment time of at least one of the plurality of ports.

23. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a connection-oriented communications network, the apparatus comprising:

a network representation including a data structure that is a virtual model of the configuration of the plurality of ports, the network representation including at least one representation that a single connection exists among at least three of the plurality of ports; and

a report module coupled to the network representation, having an input that receives a plurality of reports from the connection-oriented communications network, and an output that modifies the network representation in a manner that is independent of an order in which the plurality of reports are received.

24. An apparatus for tracking a configuration of a plurality of ports of a connection-oriented communications network, the apparatus comprising:

a network representation including a data structure that is a virtual model of the configuration of the plurality of ports, the network representation including at least one representation that a single connection exists among at least three of the plurality of ports; and

a report module having an input that receives a plurality of reports from the connection-oriented communications network, and output that modifies the network representation based upon whether a reporting port within the connection-oriented communications network has been recently attached and whether a neighbor port within the connection-oriented communications network has been recently attached.