Network device with unified management

• US 6,243,756 B1
• Filed: 05/14/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Fang, Gang, Michals, Timothy, Whitmire, Laura E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/078,550
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG.1 MS File, 364/DIG.2 MS File, 370/445, 370/377, 370/450, 395/500.46, 709/200, 709/218, 709/220, 709/221, 709/225, 709/228, 709/229, 709/226, 709/232, 709/233, 709/238, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/40 Constructional details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane

Abstract

A network device with unified management including at least one port operable at any one of a plurality of media standards, port apparatus coupled to the port(s) that monitors and controls the port(s) for each of the media standards, and a management system that interfaces the port apparatus to manage the port(s) in a unified manner with respect to all of the media standards. The management system manages each of the ports in a unified manner regardless of the particular supported media standards. In one embodiment, the network device includes a memory and maintains multiple sets of statistical information per port. The port apparatus stores the first and second sets of statistics in the memory. The management system receives a statistics request and provides a unified statistic or a corresponding statistic from either the first or the second set of statistics. For port intrusion detection and prevention, one or more ports are assigned one or more authorized source addresses. The port apparatus disables a port for all media standards if an unauthorized source address is received at that port. The management system ensures that the port is disabled for all media standards.

Claims

1. A network device with unified management, comprising:

one or more ports operable at any one of a plurality of media standards;

port apparatus coupled to said one or more ports that monitors and controls said one or more ports for each of said plurality of media standards, said port apparatus receiving at least one authorized address for said one or more ports from said management system, wherein said port apparatus disables said one or more ports for all of said plurality of media standards if an address is received at said one or more ports that is different from said at least one authorized address; and

a management system that interfaces said port apparatus to manage said one or more ports in a unified manner with respect to all of said plurality of media standards.

2. The network device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory;

said port apparatus maintaining a first set of statistics of said one or more ports when operating according to a first media standard, that maintains a second set of statistics of said one or more ports when operating according to a second media standard and that stores said first and second sets of statistics in said memory; and

said management system that receives a statistics request and that provides at least one corresponding statistic from said first and second sets of statistics.

3. The network device of claim 2, further comprising:

said management system receiving a statistics request for said one or more ports and that provides a corresponding statistic from said first set of statistics if said statistics request indicates said first media standard and that provides a corresponding statistic from said second set of statistics if said statistics request indicates said second media standard.

4. The network device of claim 3, wherein said statistics request includes a rate parameter identifying one of first and second transmission rates, wherein said first transmission rate corresponds to said first media standard and wherein said second transmission rate corresponds to said second media standard.

5. The network device of claim 4, wherein said management system further comprises:

a database with a table of objects including a set of objects associated with said first and second sets of statistics; and

a management agent that receives said statistics request with said rate parameter and that provides a corresponding statistic from said first set of statistics if said rate parameter indicates said first transmission rate and that provides a corresponding statistic from said second set of statistics if said rate parameter indicates said second transmission rate.

6. The network device of claim 4, further comprising:

said port apparatus maintaining said first set of statistics to include statistics for each of said one or more ports when operating at said first transmission rate and maintaining said second set of statistics to include statistics for each of said one or more ports when operating at said second transmission rate;

said statistics request including a port parameter identifying one of said one or more ports; and

said management system providing a statistic corresponding to said one of said one or more ports in response to said statistics request.

7. The network device of claim 2, wherein said management system receives a statistics request for said at least one port and respondingly combines statistics from said first and second sets of statistics corresponding to said one or more ports and provides a unified statistic in response to said statistics request.

8. The network device of claim 7, wherein said management system adds corresponding statistics from said first and second sets of statistics to achieve said unified statistic.

9. The network device of claim 7, further comprising:

said management system including a database including a plurality of objects associated with said first and second sets of statistics; and

said statistics request including an identifier of at least one of said plurality of objects.

10. The network device of claim 2, further comprising:

said port apparatus maintaining said first set of statistics to include statistics for each of said one or more ports when operating according said first media standard and maintaining said second set of statistics to include statistics for each of said one or more ports when operating according said second media standard.

11. The network device of claim 1, further comprising:

said port apparatus including a first port module that operates according to a first media standard and a second port module that operates according to a second media standard, wherein said first port module disables said one or more ports for said first media standard if an address is received at said one or more ports that is different from said at least one authorized address and communicates to said management system that said one or more ports is disabled; and

said management system controlling said second port module to disable said one or more ports for said second media standard.

12. The network device of claim 1, further comprising:

said port apparatus including a first port module that operates according to a first media standard and a second port module that operates according to a second media standard, wherein said first port module communicates to said management system if an address is received at said one or more ports that is different from said at least one authorized address; and

said management system controlling said first and second port modules to disable said one or more ports for both of said first and second media standards, respectively.

13. The network device of claim 1, further comprising:

a nonvolatile memory coupled to said management system; and

said management system storing a value in said nonvolatile memory that indicates that said one or more ports is disabled, wherein upon subsequent power cycle, said management system accesses said nonvolatile memory and controls said port apparatus to disable said one or more ports for all of said plurality of media standards.

14. A network resource system with unified management, comprising:

a plurality of network resource devices coupled together via a common backplane, each including;

a memory; and

said port apparatus maintaining a first set of statistics of said at least one port when operating at according to a first media standard and maintaining a second set of statistics of said at least one port when operating according to a second media standard and storing said first and second sets of statistics in said memory;

at least one port; and

port apparatus that monitors and controls said at least one port for each of a plurality of different media standards; and

one of said plurality of network resource devices further including a management agent that interfaces said port apparatus of each of said plurality of network resource devices to manage said at least one port of each network resource device in a unified manner with respect to all of said plurality of media standards, said management agent accessing said memory of each of said plurality of network resource devices via said backplane, receiving a statistics request and providing at least one corresponding statistic from one of said plurality of network resource devices.

15. The network resource system of claim 14, further comprising:

said statistics request indicating a port of one of said plurality of network resource devices and further indicating one of said first and second media standards; and

said management agent receiving said statistics request and providing at least one statistic from a first set of statistics of an indicated port of said one of said plurality of network resource devices if said statistics request identifies said first media standard and providing at least one statistic from a second set of statistics corresponding to an indicated port of said one of said plurality of network resource devices if said statistics request identifies said second media standard.

16. The network resource system of claim 15, wherein said statistics request includes a port parameter, a device parameter and a media parameter.

17. The network resource system of claim 16, further comprising:

a database with a table of objects associated with said first and second sets of statistics and an index for indicating a port, a network resource device and a media standard; and

wherein said management agent receives said statistics request, applies said port parameter, said device parameter and said media parameter to said index to identify a corresponding object and retrieves at least one corresponding statistic.

18. The network resource system of claim 14, wherein said management agent receives a statistics request for said at least one port of any one of said plurality of network resource devices, combines statistics from said first and second sets of statistics and provides a unified statistic in response to said statistics request.

19. The network resource system of claim 18, wherein said statistics request indicates a port and a network resource device.

20. The network resource system of claim 14, further comprising:

said port apparatus of each of said plurality of network resource devices receiving at least one authorized address for said at least one port from said management system, and disabling a corresponding port for all of said plurality of media standards if an address is received at said corresponding port that is different from said at least one authorized address.

21. The network resource system of claim 20, further comprising:

said port apparatus of each of said plurality of network resource devices including a first port module that operates according to a first media standard and a second port module that operates according to a second media standard, wherein said first port module disables said corresponding port for said first media standard if an address is received at said corresponding port that is different from said at least one authorized address and communicates to said management system that said corresponding port is disabled; and

said management system controlling a corresponding second port module to disable said corresponding port for said second media standard.

22. The network resource system of claim 20, further comprising:

said port apparatus of each of said plurality of network resource devices including a first port module that operates according to a first media standard and a second port module that operates according to a second media standard, wherein said first port module communicates to said management system if an address is received at said corresponding port that is different from said at least one authorized address; and

said management system controlling said first port module and a corresponding second port module to disable said corresponding port for both of said first and second media standards.

23. A method of managing a network resource device that includes a plurality of ports, each port capable of operating at one of a plurality of media standards, comprising:

detecting a network device coupled to any of the plurality of ports and determining a compatible one of the plurality of media standards;

operating each port having a coupled device according to one of the plurality of media standards;

monitoring and controlling each port having a coupled device in a unified manner with respect to all of the plurality of media standards;

receiving an authorized address for at least one of the plurality of ports;

receiving a transmission at a port operating at one of the plurality of media standards and having an authorized address, wherein the transmission includes a source address that is different from the authorized address for that port; and

disabling that port for all of the plurality of media standards.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said monitoring and controlling step further comprises steps of:

tracking and storing a set of statistics for each port of each network device for each of the plurality of media standards;

receiving a statistics request indicating one of the ports;

combining statistics corresponding to more than one of the media standards to achieve a unified statistic; and

providing the unified statistic.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said monitoring and controlling step further comprises steps of:

tracking and storing a set of statistics for each port of each network device for each of the plurality of media standards;

receiving a statistics request indicating one of the ports and further indicating one of the plurality of media standard;

retrieving a statistic corresponding to the indicated media standard according to the statistics request; and

providing the retrieved statistic.