Method and apparatus for automatically populating a network simulator tool

• US 6,014,697 A
• Filed: 12/18/1996
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cabletron Systems Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soper, G. Michael, St. Onge, David H., Lewis, Lundy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Daniel H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dzung C
• Application Number:
  US08/769,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.1, 395/800, 395/500, 395/800.01, 395/500.35, 395/500.42, 395/500.49, 364/DIG. 1, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/230, 709/246, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5628 Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5684 Characteristics of traffic flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

Method and apparatus for automatically populating a network simulation tool database with network topology and/or traffic information. A topology extraction tool is provided for reading the topology and traffic information in a network management system database, and translating this information into a matching data format required by the simulation tool database before writing the information to the simulation tool database. This automatic method avoids the time-consuming and error-prone prior art manual method of constructing a network model.

Claims

1. A network topology extraction tool comprising:

an autodiscovery tool, coupled to a live network, that automatically, and in real-time, polls devices on the live network to generate a first form of topology and traffic information of the live network, the first form of topology and traffic information being stored in a network management system database;

a data reader coupled to the network management system database to read the first form of topology and traffic information from the network management system database;

a data translator coupled to the data reader that translates the first form of topology and traffic information into a second form of topology and traffic information matching a data format required by a simulation tool database; and

a data writer, coupled between the data translator and the simulation tool database, that writes the second form of topology and traffic information into the simulation tool database.

2. A system for automatically acquiring and storing topology and traffic information of a live network for use in a network simulation tool, the system comprising:

an autodiscovery tool coupled to the live network that automatically, and in real time, polls devices on the live network and discovers topology and traffic information of the live network and which generates a first form of topology and traffic information;

a network management system database coupled to the autodiscovery tool that stores the first form of topology and traffic information;

a simulation tool database that stores a second form of topology and traffic information, the second form of topology and traffic information matching a data format required by the simulation tool database; and

a topology extraction tool, coupled between the network management system database and the simulation tool database, that reads the first form of topology and traffic information from the network management system database, translates the first form of topology and traffic information into the second form of topology and traffic information, and writes the second form of topology and traffic information into the simulation tool database.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a graphical user interface coupled to the network management system database that displays the first form of topology and traffic information.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a graphical user interface coupled to the simulation tool database that displays the second form of topology and traffic information.

5. A method of transferring topology and traffic information of a live network from a network management system database to a simulation tool database, the method comprising:

a) automatically, and in real time, polling devices on the live network thereby discovering and providing topology and traffic information of the live network to the network management system database;

b) reading the topology and traffic information from the network management system database to generate a first form of topology and traffic information;

c) translating the first form of topology and traffic information into a second form of topology and traffic information matching a data format required by the simulation tool database; and

d) writing the second form of topology and traffic information into the simulation tool database.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein reading the first form of topology and traffic information comprises:

retrieving a list of a plurality of segments from the network management system database;

retrieving, for each segment of the plurality of segments, descriptive data from the network management system database including a list of nodes on each segment; and

determining, for each segment of the plurality of segments, which nodes on each segment are outlets to another network and which nodes on each segment are not outlets to another network.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein reading the first form of topology and traffic information further comprises:

retrieving, for each determined outlet, descriptive data from the network management system database; and

retrieving, for each determined non-outlet, descriptive data from the network management system database.

8. A method of automatically acquiring and storing topology and traffic information of a live network, for use in a network simulation tool, the method comprising:

a) automatically, and in real time, polling devices on the live network thereby discovering topology and traffic information of the live network and generating a first form of the topology and traffic information;

b) storing the first form of topology and traffic information in the network management system database;

c) reading the first form of topology and traffic information from the network management system database;

d) translating the first form of topology and traffic information into a second form of topology and traffic information matching a data format required by a simulation tool database; and

e) writing the second form of topology and traffic information into the simulation tool database.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

displaying the first form of topology and traffic information.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

displaying the second form of topology and traffic information.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein reading the first form of topology and traffic information comprises:

retrieving a list of a plurality of segments from the network management system database;

retrieving, for each segment of the plurality of segments, descriptive data from the network management system database including a list of nodes on each segment; and

determining, for each segment of the plurality of segments, which nodes on each segment are outlets to another network and which nodes on each segment are not outlets to another network.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein reading the first form of topology and traffic information further comprises:

retrieving, for each determined outlet, descriptive data from the network management system database; and

retrieving, for each determined non-outlet, descriptive data from the network management system database.