System and method using level three protocol information for network centric problem analysis and topology construction of actual or planned routed network

• US 6,393,486 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1999
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: McGuire, James G., Madan, Herbert S., Pelavin, Richard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/429,767
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 714/10, 370/392, 709/223, 709/240, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/228, 709/238, 709/244, 709/242
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• 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

Abstract

A method is provided for managing a computer network includes the step of providing respective router configuration information in executable form; producing respective Structured Router Objects (SROs) that are respectively associated with respective router configuration information and that respectively organize associated information in executable form in respective structures in electronic memory; and producing respective Single Protocol Topology (SPT) objects in electronic memory, each respectively associated with a different respective single protocol and each respectively interrelating SROs associated with the same respective single protocol.

Claims

1. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the actual or planned routed computer network and in which respective stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective first level three protocol subnets associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses, wherein identifying includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a first level three protocol and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data; and

producing first connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified first level three protocol subnets and respective first level three protocol port addresses.

2. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the actual or planned routed computer network and in which respective stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective first level three protocol subnets associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses;

producing first connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified first level three protocol subnets and respective first level three protocol port addresses;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective second level three protocol subnets associated with respective second level three protocol port addresses; and

producing second connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified second level three protocol subnets and respective second level three protocol port addresses.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein identifying respective first level three protocol subnets includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a first level three protocol and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data; and

wherein identifying respective second level three protocol subnets includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a second level three protocol and determining respective second level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified second level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured router data.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein producing first connection information includes producing in electronic memory respective first subnet information which represents respective identified first level three protocol subnets and which provides references between the respective first subnet information to associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

and

wherein producing second connection information includes producing in electronic memory respective second subnet information which represents respective identified second level three protocol subnets and which provides references between the respective second subnet information and associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the first and second protocols is a different one of, IP, IPX and AppleTalk.

6. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the actual or planned routed computer network and in which respective stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective first level three protocol subnets associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses;

producing first connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified first level three protocol subnets and respective first level three protocol port addresses;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective second level three protocol subnets associated with respective second level three protocol port addresses;

producing second connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified second level three protocol subnets and respective second level three protocol port addresses;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data respective third level three protocol subnets associated with respective third level three protocol port addresses; and

producing third connection information in electronic memory indicating respective associations between respective identified third level three protocol subnets and respective third level three protocol port addresses.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein identifying respective first subnets includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a first level three protocol and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data;

wherein identifying respective second subnets includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a second level three protocol and determining respective second level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified second level three protocol port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data; and

wherein identifying respective third subnets includes sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify respective level three port addresses associated with a third level three protocol and determining respective third level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified third level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data.

8. The method of claim 6,

wherein producing first connection information includes producing in electronic memory respective first subnet information which represents respective identified first level three protocol subnets and which provides respective references between the respective first subnet information and associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

wherein producing second connection information includes producing in electronic memory respective second subnet information which represents respective identified second level three protocol subnets and which provides respective references between the respective second subnet information and associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data; and

wherein producing third connection information includes producing in electronic memory respective third subnet information which represents respective identified third level three protocol subnets and which provides respective references between the respective third subnet information and associated third level three protocol port addresses in the structured router data.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the first, second and third protocols is a different one of, IP, IPX and AppleTalk.

10. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory in which respective stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with respective routing device names from the actual or planned routed computer network;

identifying respective first level three protocol subnets associated with first level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data;

identifying respective second level three protocol subnets associated with second level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured routing device data;

identifying respective third level three protocol subnets associated with third level three port addresses in the actual or planned routed computer network as represented by the structured router data;

producing first subnet information in electronic memory representing respective first level three protocol subnets and references to associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

producing second subnet information in electronic memory representing respective identified second level three protocol subnets and references to associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data; and

producing third subnet information in electronic memory representing respective identified third level three protocol subnets and references to associated third level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

11. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which corresponds to the actual or planned routed computer network and which associates respective level three protocol routing device port addresses with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured data multiple respective first level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses;

producing first subnet information in electronic memory that represents respective first identified level three protocol subnets and that references associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data that respectively belong to respective represented first level three protocol subnets;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data multiple respective second level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective second level three protocol port addresses; and

producing second subnet information in electronic memory that represents the respective second identified level three protocol subnets and that references associated second level three protocol port address in the structured routing device data that respectively belong to respective represented second level three protocol subnets.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein producing first structured subnet information includes producing in electronic memory respective stored representations of multiple different first level three protocol subnets and producing respective links in electronic memory between respective first subnet representations and respective associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

wherein producing second structured subnet information includes producing in electronic memory respective stored representations of multiple different second level three protocol subnets and producing respective links in electronic memory between respective second subnet representations and respective associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

13. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which corresponds to the actual or planned routed computer network and which associates respective level three protocol routing device port addresses with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured data multiple respective first level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses;

producing first subnet information in electronic memory that represents respective first identified level three protocol subnets and that references associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data that respectively belong to respective represented first level three protocol subnets;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data multiple respective second level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective second level three protocol port addresses;

producing second subnet information in electronic memory that represents the respective second identified level three protocol subnets and that references associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data that respectively belong to respective represented second level three protocol subnets;

identifying based upon the structured routing device data multiple respective third level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective third level three protocol port addresses; and

producing third subnet information in electronic memory that represents the respective third identified level three protocol subnets and that references associated third level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data that respectively belong to respective represented third level three protocol subnets.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein producing first structured subnet information includes producing in electronic memory respective stored representations of multiple different first level three protocol subnets and producing respective links in electronic memory between respective first subnet representations and respective associated first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

wherein producing second structured subnet information includes producing in electronic memory respective stored representations of multiple different second level three protocol subnets and producing respective links in electronic memory between respective second subnet representations and respective associated second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data;

wherein producing third structured subnet information includes producing in electronic memory respective stored representations of multiple different third level three protocol subnets and producing respective links in electronic memory between respective third level three protocol subnet representations and respective associated third level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

15. A method of analysis of an actual or planned routed computer network comprising:

producing structured routing device data in electronic memory which corresponds to the actual or planned routed computer network and which associates respective level three protocol routing device port addresses with respective routing device names;

identifying based upon the structured data multiple respective first level three protocol subnets respectively associated with respective first level three protocol port addresses;

producing in electronic memory first subnet information which includes respective stored representations of multiple different first level three protocol subnets;

producing respective references in electronic memory between respective first subnet representations and respective first level three protocol port addresses such that such respective references represent respective connections between respective routing device ports in the actual or planned routed network;

producing in electronic memory second subnet information which includes respective stored representations of multiple different second level three protocol subnets; and

producing respective references in electronic memory between respective second subnet representations and respective second level three protocol port addresses such that such respective references represent respective connections between respective routing device ports in the actual or planned routed network.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

producing in electronic memory third subnet information which includes respective stored representations of multiple different third level three protocol subnets; and

producing respective references in electronic memory between respective third subnet representations and respective third level three protocol port addresses such that such respective references represent respective connections between respective router ports in the actual or planned routed network.

17. A method of analyzing a routed computer network, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

creating and storing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the routed computer network and in which stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with corresponding routing device names;

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more first level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding first level three protocol port addresses, by sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol subnet and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the routed computer network; and

creating and storing first connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more second level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding second level three protocol port addresses; and

creating and storing second connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses.

19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of identifying first level three protocol subnets includes the steps of sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify one or more level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol, and determining one or more first level three protocol subnet functions that are associated with the first level three port addresses that are identified.

20. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of identifying second level three protocol subnets includes the steps of sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify one or more level three port addresses that are associated with a second level three protocol, and determining one or more second level three protocol subnet functions that are associated with the first level three port addresses that are identified.

21. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of creating and storing first connection information includes the step of creating and storing first subnet information that represents the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified, and that includes one or more references between the first subnet information and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

22. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of creating and storing second connection information includes the step of creating and storing second subnet information that represents the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified, and that includes one or more references between the second subnet information and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

23. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more second level three protocol subnets associated with corresponding second level three protocol port addresses;

creating and storing second connection information in electronic memory that indicates one or more associations between the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified and one or more second level three protocol port addresses;

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more third level three protocol subnets associated with corresponding third level three protocol port addresses;

creating and storing third connection information in electronic memory that indicates one or more associations between the third level three protocol subnets that have been identified and one or more third level three protocol port addresses.

24. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

creating and storing in electronic memory second subnet information that includes one or more stored representations of one or more different second level three protocol subnets; and

creating and storing references in electronic memory between the second subnet representations and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses, wherein the references represent corresponding connections between routing device ports in the network.

25. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for analyzing a routed computer network, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

creating and storing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the routed computer network and in which stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with corresponding routing device names;

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more first level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding first level three protocol port addresses, by sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol subnet and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the routed computer network; and

creating and storing first connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses.

26. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more second level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding second level three protocol port addresses; and

creating and storing second connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses.

27. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the instructions for carrying out the steps of identifying first level three protocol subnets include instructions for carrying out the steps of sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify one or more level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol, and determining one or more first level three protocol subnet functions that are associated with the first level three port addresses that are identified.

28. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the instructions for carrying out the steps of identifying second level three protocol subnets include instructions for carrying out the steps of sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify one or more level three port addresses that are associated with a second level three protocol, and determining one or more second level three protocol subnet functions that are associated with the first level three port addresses that are identified.

29. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of creating and storing first connection information include instructions for carrying out the step of creating and storing first subnet information that represents the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified, and that includes one or more references between the first subnet information and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

30. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of creating and storing second connection information include instructions for carrying out the step of creating and storing second subnet information that represents the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified, and that includes one or more references between the second subnet information and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses in the structured routing device data.

31. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, further comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of:

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more second level three protocol subnets associated with corresponding second level three protocol port addresses;

creating and storing second connection information in electronic memory that indicates one or more associations between the second level three protocol subnets that have been identified and one or more second level three protocol port addresses;

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more third level three protocol subnets associated with corresponding third level three protocol port addresses;

creating and storing third connection information in electronic memory that indicates one or more associations between the third level three protocol subnets that have been identified and one or more third level three protocol port addresses.

32. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, further comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of:

creating and storing in electronic memory second subnet information that includes one or more stored representations of one or more different second level three protocol subnets; and

creating and storing references in electronic memory between the second subnet representations and corresponding second level three protocol port addresses, wherein the references represent corresponding connections between routing device ports in the network.

33. An apparatus for analyzing a routed computer network, comprising:

means for creating and storing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the routed computer network and in which stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with corresponding routing device names;

means for identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more first level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding first level three protocol port addresses, by sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol subnet and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the routed computer network; and

means for creating and storing first connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses.

34. An apparatus for analyzing a routed computer network, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more storage devices that are accessible to the processors for storing data therein;

one or more sequences of instructions stored in the one or more storage devices, which instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of;

creating and storing structured routing device data in electronic memory which represents the routed computer network and in which stored level three protocol routing device port addresses are associated with corresponding routing device names;

identifying, based upon the structured routing device data, one or more first level three protocol subnets that are associated with corresponding first level three protocol port addresses, by sequencing through the structured routing device data to identify level three port addresses that are associated with a first level three protocol subnet and determining respective first level three protocol subnet functions associated with such identified first level three protocol port addresses in the routed computer network; and

creating and storing first connection information in electronic memory indicating one or more associations between the first level three protocol subnets that have been identified and corresponding first level three protocol port addresses.