System for managing cluster of network switches using IP address for commander switch and redirecting a managing request via forwarding an HTTP connection to an expansion switch

• US 6,654,796 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slater, Charles, Chennapragada, Krishna Rao
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/415,375
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/236, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0293 for accessing web services by means of a binding identification of the management service or element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/583 Stackable routers

Abstract

A group of network devices, such as Ethernet switches, are logically configured as a single cluster, with one commander device and one or more expansion devices. Each device in the cluster contains an embedded HTML server that facilitates configuration and management of the network device via a management station running a Web browser. Each device in the cluster is identified by a unique Universal Resource Locator (“URL”). However, only the cluster commander is required to have an IP address. The cluster commander redirects and translates configuration and management requests from the Web browser on the management station so that requests are processed by the appropriate device in the cluster. The exchange of information between the Web browser on the management station and the devices in a cluster is accomplished via redirection of HTTP GET and POST methods. This provides a consistent, device-independent interface between the device and the Web browser on the management station.

Claims

1. A method for managing a cluster of network devices, said method comprising:

assigning an IP address for the cluster to a first network device selected as a commander network device, remaining network devices being expansion network devices;

establishing a first HTTP connection from a management station to the first network device using the cluster IP address;

receiving a network device management request at the first network device, the request including a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) indicating one of the network devices in the cluster and management data for the indicated network device;

determining if the URI indicates an expansion network device;

establishing a forwarding HTTP connection from the first network device to the expansion network device indicated by the URI; and

redirecting the request to the expansion network device indicated by the URI.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network device is a LAN switch.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the second network device is a LAN switch.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined data pattern is a four byte octet sequence consisting of CR-LF-CR-LF.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said redirecting includes:

reading the management data in the request from the first HTTP connection; and

writing the management data to the forwarding HTTP connection.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said redirecting further includes:

determining whether the entire management data has been received from the first HTTP connection.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said determining includes:

comparing the management data stream to a predetermined data pattern indicating termination of the data stream.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the request is a GET request.

9. The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said determining includes:

parsing a header of the request and extracting a field containing a length of the request.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 wherein the request is a POST request.

11. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the URI includes Universal Resource Location (URL) and Universal Resource Name (URM).

12. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the URI includes a string specific to the corresponding expansion network device.

13. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

processing the request at the first network device if the URI does not indicate any one of the expansion network devices.

14. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

redirecting a response from the expansion network device to the management station by reading response data in the response from the forwarding HTTP connection and writing the response data to the first HTTP connection at the first network device.

15. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the redirected request at the expansion network device.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15 wherein said authenticating includes:

comparing an IP address of a sender of the request with a Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) address of the commander.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16 wherein said authenticating further includes:

checking the CMP address of the commander is associated with a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the commander using an IP Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table.

18. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first HTTP connection includes:

a first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection established between the management station and an HTTP server on the first network device.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the forwarding HTTP connection includes:

a forwarding TCP connection established between the HTTP server on the first network device and an HTTP server on the expansion network device, thereby providing the management station with Web access to the expansion network device.

20. A cluster of network devices, said cluster comprising:

a commander network device having an IP address, said commander network device capable of receiving a network device management request from a management station via a first HTTP connection, and redirecting the request via a forwarding HTTP connection, the request including a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) indicating one of the network devices in the cluster and management data for the indicated network device; and

at least one expansion network device capable of receiving the redirected request from the forwarding HTTP connection,

wherein said commander network device includes;

a request redirector for receiving the request, determining if the URI indicates an expansion network device, and forwarding the request to the expansion network device indicated by the URI.

21. The cluster of network devices according to claim 20, wherein said commander network device is a LAN switch.

22. The cluster of network devices according to claim 21, wherein said expansion network devices are LAN switches.

23. The cluster of network devices according to claim 20, wherein said commander network device has a non-private IP address and said expansion devices have private IP addresses.

24. The cluster of network devices according to claim 20, wherein said network devices in the cluster transmit data to other network devices to discover whether additional network devices may be added to the cluster.

25. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said request redirector includes:

a read module for reading the management data in the request from the first HTTP connection; and

a write module writing the management data to the forwarding HTTP connection.

26. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said request redirector further includes:

an end determiner module for determining whether the entire management data has been received from the first HTTP connection.

27. The cluster in accordance with claim 26 wherein said end determiner module compares the management data stream to a predetermined data pattern indicating termination of the data stream.

28. The cluster in accordance with claim 27 wherein the request is a GET request.

29. The cluster in accordance with claim 26 wherein said end determiner module parses a header of the request and extracting a field containing a length of the request.

30. The cluster in accordance with claim 29 wherein the request is a POST request.

31. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein the URI includes Universal Resource Location (URL) and Universal Resource Name (URM).

32. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein the URI includes a string specific to the corresponding expansion network device.

33. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said commander network device locally processes the request if the URI does not indicate any one of the expansion network devices.

34. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said commander network device further includes:

a response redirector for redirecting a response from the expansion network device to the management station.

35. The cluster in accordance with claim 34 wherein said response redirector includes:

a read module for reading response data in the response from the forwarding HTTP connection; and

a write module for writing the response data to the first HTTP connection.

36. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said expansion device includes:

an authentication module for authenticating the redirected request.

37. The cluster in accordance with claim 36 wherein said authentication module compares an IP address of a sender of the request with a Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) address of the commander.

38. The cluster in accordance with claim 37 wherein said authentication module checks the CMP address of the commander is associated with a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the commander using an IP Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table.

39. The cluster in accordance with claim 20 wherein said commander network device includes:

an HTTP server for establishing a first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection from the management station, and for establishing a forwarding TCP connection to an HTTP server on said expansion network device, thereby providing the management station with Web access to the expansion network device.

40. A system for managing a cluster of network devices, said system comprising:

a management station capable of sending a network device management request via a first HTRP connection, the request including a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) indicating one of the network devices in the cluster and management data for the indicated network device;

a commander network device capable of receiving the request from the first HTTP connection, and redirecting the request via a forwarding HTTP connection; and

at least one expansion network device capable of receiving the redirected request from the forwarding HTTP connection,

wherein said commander network device includes;

a request redirector for receiving the request, determining if the URI indicates an expansion network device, and forwarding the request to the expansion network device indicated by the URI.

41. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said request redirector includes:

a read module for reading the management data in the request from the first HTTP connection; and

a write module writing the management data to the forwarding HTTP connection.

42. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said request redirector further includes:

an end determiner module for determining whether the entire management data has been received from the first HTTP connection.

43. The system in accordance with claim 42 wherein said end determiner module compares the management data stream to a predetermined data pattern indicating termination of the data stream.

44. The system in accordance with claim 43 wherein the request is a GET request.

45. The system in accordance with claim 42 wherein said end determiner module parses a header of the request and extracting a field containing a length of the request.

46. The system in accordance with claim 45 wherein the request is a POST request.

47. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein the URI includes Universal Resource Location (URL) and Universal Resource Name (URM).

48. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein the URI includes a string specific to the corresponding expansion network device.

49. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said commander network device locally processes the request if the URI does not indicate any one of the expansion network devices.

50. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said commander network device further includes:

a response redirector for redirecting a response from the expansion network device to the management station.

51. The system in accordance with claim 50 wherein said response redirector includes:

a read module for reading response data in the response from the forwarding HTTP connection; and

a write module for writing the response data to the first HTTP connection.

52. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said expansion device includes:

an authentication module for authenticating the redirected request.

53. The system in accordance with claim 52 wherein said authentication module compares an IP address of a sender of the request with a Cluster Management Protocol (CMP) address of the commander.

54. The system in accordance with claim 53 wherein said authentication module checks the CMP address of the commander is associated with a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the commander using an IP Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table.

55. The system in accordance with claim 40 wherein said commander network device includes:

an HTTP server for establishing a first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection from the management station, and for establishing a forwarding TCP connection to an HTTP server on said expansion network device, thereby providing the management station with Web access to the expansion network device.

56. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for managing a cluster of network devices, the method comprising:

assigning an IP address for the cluster to a first network device selected as a commander network device, remaining network devices being expansion network devices;

establishing a first HTTP connection from a management station to the first network device using the cluster IP address;

receiving a network device management request at the first network device, the request including a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) indicating one of the network devices in the cluster and management data for the indicated network device;

determining if the URI indicates an expansion network device;

establishing a forwarding HTTP connection from the first network device to the expansion network device indicated by the URI; and

redirecting the request to the expansion network device indicated by the URI.