Apparatus and method for providing topology information about a network

• US 6,061,505 A
• Filed: 07/22/1994
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Viswanathan, Suresh, Pitchaikani, Balaji, Mehta, Kamlesh, Luo, Chen-Yea, Ho, Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/279,196
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 395/159, 395/140, 395/161, 395/200, 395/600, 395/200.48, 395/200.44, 395/200.5, 395/200.54, 395/200.56, 395/200.59, 707/10, 711/100
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing information about the logical and physical connections between devices on a network. The apparatus includes a storage access unit coupled to a storage device. The storage device stores a database of connectivity information. Various applications which display network information request the information from the storage access unit. The storage access unit supplies the information to the applications based on information contained in the connectivity database. The connectivity database is incrementally built and updated as information is acquired from devices on the network in response to requests for information not currently stored in the database.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing connectivity information about a network, said network including a plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device;

a plurality of physical connectivity records stored on said storage device, said plurality of physical connectivity records including;

1) a plurality of device records, wherein each device record of said plurality of device records uniquely represents a physical device on said network,

2) a plurality of physical connection records, wherein each physical connection record of said plurality of physical connection records represents a physical line;

a plurality of pointers connecting said plurality of device records of said plurality of physical connection records, wherein said pointers connect each device record of said plurality of device records to the physical connections records of said plurality of physical connection records connected;

a plurality of logical connectivity records stored on said storage device, said plurality of logical connectivity records representing logical devices that correspond to said plurality of devices;

said storage access unit coupled to said storage device, said storage access unit coupled to receive a request for connectivity information, said request being a request for physical connectivity information or logical connectivity information;

said storage access unit acccessing said plurality of physical connectivity records on said storage device and generating a signal containing physical connectivity information when said request is a request for physical connectivity information; and

said storage access unit accessing said containing of logical connectivity records on said storage device and generating a signal containing logical connectivity information when said request is a request for logical connectivity information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said network includes a plurality of interfaces, each interface of said plurality of interfaces belonging to a corresponding device of said plurality of devices, said physical connectivity records including

a plurality of interface records, each interface record of said plurality of interface records representing a specified interface of said plurality of interfaces.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said plurality of pointers includes a plurality of device-to-interface pointers, said plurality of device-to-interface pointers linking said plurality of device records to said plurality of interface records, each device-to-interface pointer linking a given device record to a given interface record to indicate that an interface of said plurality of interfaces represented by said given interface record belongs to a device of said plurality of devices represented by said given device record.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said plurality of pointers includes a plurality of interface-to-link pointers, each interface-to-link pointers of said plurality of interface-to-link pointers linking a given interface record of said plurality of interface records to a given physical connection record of said plurality of physical connection record to indicate that said given interface record represents an interface of said plurality of interfaces connected to a physical line represented by said given physical connection record.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said connected set of interfaces includes an upstream interface and a downstream interface;

said upstream interface being represented by a first interface record of said plurality of interface records;

said downstream interface record being represented by a second interface record of said plurality of interface records;

said plurality of interface-to-link pointers including a plurality of link-to pointers and a plurality of link-from pointers;

said each physical connection record being associated with said first interface record by a link-from pointer of said plurality of link-from pointers; and

said each physical connection record being associated with said second interface record by a link-to pointer of said plurality of link-to pointers.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a plurality of interface type records stored on said storage device, each interface type record representing a particular type interface;

a plurality of interface-to-interface-type pointers, said plurality of interface-to-interface-type pointers linking said plurality of interface records to said plurality of interface type records, wherein a given interface record is linked to a given interface type record by an interface to interface type pointer if the interface represented by said interface record is of the interface type represented by said interface type record.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of logical connectivity records include a plurality of view records, each view record corresponding to a logical view of the network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said logical connectivity records further include a plurality of view device records, each view device record being associated with a corresponding view record, each view device record containing an index of interfaces which exist in a logical view of the network represented by said corresponding view record.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further including an NMS (Network Management Station) application unit for executing one or more of a plurality of NMS applications, said NMS application unit being coupled to said storage access unit, said one or more NMS applications generating said request for connectivity information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a connectivity derivation unit coupled to said storage access unit, said connectivity derivation unit receiving station status information and generating physical connectivity information based on said status information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said connectivity derivation unit transmits said physical connectivity information to said storage access unit, said storage access unit generating said plurality of physical connectivity records responsive to said physical connectivity information, said storage access unit storing said plurality of physical connectivity records on said storage device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including an information access unit coupled to said storage access unit, said information access unit accessing said network to acquire said station status information when said connectivity information requested in said request for connectivity information is not presently represented in either said plurality of physical connectivity records or plurality of logical connectivity records.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of device type records stored on said storage device, each device type record representing a particular type of device;

a plurality of device-to-device-type pointers, said plurality of device-to-device-type pointers linking said plurality of device records to said plurality of device type records, wherein a given device record is linked to a given device type record by a device-to-device-type pointer if the device represented by said device record is of the device type represented by said device type record.

14. A method for providing connectivity information about a network, said network including a plurality of devices, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

storing a plurality of physical connectivity records on a storage device, including the steps of;

1) storing a plurality of device records, wherein each device record of said plurality of device records uniquely represents a physical device on said network,

2) storing a plurality of physical connection records, wherein each physical connection record of said plurality of physical connection records represents a physical line;

storing a plurality of pointers connecting said plurality of device records to said plurality of physical connection records wherein said pointers connect each device record of said plurality of device records to the physical connection records of said plurality of physical connection records that represent the physical lines to which the device represened by the device record is physically connected;

storing a plurality of logical connectivity records on said storage device, said plurality of logical connectivity records representing logical devices that correspond to said plurality of devices;

receiving a request for connectivity information, said request being a request for physical connectivity information or logical connectivity information;

accessing said plurality of physical connectivity records on said storage device and generating a signal containing physical connectivity information when said request is a request for physical connectivity information; and

accessing said plurality of logical connectivity records on said storage device and generating a signal containing logical connectivity information when said request is a request for logical connectivity information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said network includes a plurality of interfaces, each interface of said plurality of interfaces belonging to a corresponding device of said plurality of devices, said step of storing said plurality of physical connectivity records including

storing a plurality of interface records, each interface record of said plurality of interface records representing a specified interface of said plurality of interfaces.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of storing said plurality of pointers includes the step of storing a plurality of device-to-interface pointers, said plurality of device-to-interface pointers linking said plurality of device records to said plurality of interface records, each device-to-interface pointer linking a given device record to a given interface record to indicate that an interface of said plurality of interfaces represented by said given interface record belongs to a device of said plurality of devices represented by said given device record.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of storing said plurality of pointers includes the step of storing a plurality of interface-to-link pointers, each interface-to-link pointers of said plurality of interface-to-link pointers linking a given interface record of said plurality of interface records to a given physical connection record of said plurality of physical connection records to indicate that said given interface record represents an interface of said plurality of interfaces connected to a physical line represented by said given physical connection record.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of storing said plurality of interface-to-link pointers includes the steps of:

storing a plurality of link-to pointers and

storing a plurality of link-from pointers,

said connected set of interfaces including an upstream interface and a downstream interface;

said upstream interface being represented by a first interface record of said plurality of interface records;

said downstream interface record being represented by a second interface record of said plurality of interface records;

said each physical connection record being associated with said first interface record by a link-from pointer of said plurality of link-from pointers; and

said each physical connection record being associated with said second interface record by a link-to pointer of said plurality of link-to pointers.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of interface type records stored on said storage device, each interface type record representing a panticular type of interface;

storing a plurality of interface-to-interface-type pointers, said plurality of interface-to-interface-type pointers linking said plurality of interface records to said plurality of interface type records, wherein a given interface record is linked to a given interface type record by an interface-to-interface-type pointer if the interface represented by said interface record is of the interface type represented by said interface type record.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of storing said plurality of logical connectivity records includes the step of storing a plurality of view records, each view record corresponding to a logical view of the network.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said step of storing said logical connectivity records further includes the step of storing a plurality of view device records, each view device record being associated with a corresponding view record, each view device record containing an index of interfaces which exist in a logical view of the network represented by said corresponding view record.

22. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of causing an NMS (Network Management Station) application to generate said request for connectivity information.

23. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of receiving station status information and generating physical connectivity information based on said status information.

24. The method of claim 23 further including the step of generating said plurality of physical connectivity records responsive to said physical connectivity information.

25. The method of claim 24 further including the steps of accessing said network to acquire said station status information when said connectivity information requested in said request for connectivity information is not presently represented in either said plurality of physical connectivity records or said plurality of logical connectivity records.

26. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of device type records on said storage device, each device type record representing a particular type of device;

storing a plurality of device-to-device-type pointers, said plurality of device-to-device-type pointers linking said plurality of device records to said plurality of device type records, wherein a given device record is linked to a given device type record by a device-to-device-type pointer if the device represented by said device record is of the device type represented by said device type record.