System and method for maintaining network system information

• US 6,850,528 B1
• Filed: 11/20/1998
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jiang, Wei, Pall, Gurdeep Singh, Aboba, Bernard D., Gidwani, Narendra C., Crocker, Kenneth Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US09/197,405
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/254, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/409, 370/411, 709/220, 709/223, 709/242, 709/224, 703/23, 703/27
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00

Abstract

A system for maintaining network information. The system resides in a network comprising a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone. Each sub-network has a router for use in performing communications with other sub-networks. A directory service is linked to the communications backbone and includes a database. The database stores router attribute information that is published by each of the routers. Using a query engine associated with the directory service, meaningful information can be gathered from the database as a function of specified router attribute information.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining network information, the system comprising:

a network comprising a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone, each sub-network having a router linked to the communications backbone for use in performing communications with other sub-networks, each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself over the communications backbone, the router attribute information comprising a router identity object, the router identity object comprising;

a router role data field indicating a role of the network router; and

a filtering enabled data field indicating whether the network router has filtering turned on for at least one network protocol that the network router is running;

a directory service linked to the communications backbone having associated therewith a database, the database storing the published router attribute information for each of the routers; and

a query engine associated with the directory service for gathering information from the database as a function of specified router attribute information, the query engine configured to, at least;

accept a query of the database which includes a specified attribute of network routers; and

return to the querier a list of network routers having the specified attribute; and

wherein the directory service is configured to, at least, issue to one of the returned network routers a message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the router attribute information comprises information representative of a routing protocol used by each router.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the router attribute information comprises information representative of a network communications protocol used by each router.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself comprises publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a network communications protocol used by the router.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself comprises publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a router protocol used by the router.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the router attribute information further comprises a reachability object.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the router identity object is created at the time the router is set up.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein publishing router attribute information occurs periodically.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the role of the network router is selected from a group consisting of RAS server, Tunnel server, DDR server, LAN—

LAN server and NAT server.

10. In a network comprised of a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone, a method for maintaining network systems information comprising the steps of:

publishing over the communications backbone a message from a network router within one of the sub-networks including data representative of attributes of the network router, the data representative of attributes of the network router comprising a router identity object, the router identity object comprising;

a router role data field indicating a role of the network router; and

a filtering enabled data field indicating whether the network router has filtering turned on for at least one network protocol that the network router is running;

receiving at a directory service in communication with the backbone the message;

parsing the message to extract the data representative of the attributes of the network router;

storing the extracted data in a database associated with the directory service;

accepting a query of the database which includes a specified attribute of the network router;

returning to the querier a list of the network routers having the specified attribute; and

issuing to one of the returned network routers a message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of publishing comprises the step of publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a network communications protocol used by the router.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of publishing comprises the step of publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a router protocol used by the router.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of publishing comprises the step of publishing from the network router a router identity object.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising the step of creating the router identity object at the time the router is set up.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of publishing comprises the step of publishing from the network router a reachability object.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of publishing occurs periodically.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the data representative of attributes of the network router further comprises information representative of a routing protocol used by the network router.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the data representative of attributes of the network router further comprises information representative of a network communications protocol used by the network router.

19. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the role of the network router is selected from a group consisting of RAS server, Tunnel server, DDR server, LAN—

LAN server and NAT server.

21. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the role of the network router is selected from a group consisting of RAS server, Tunnel server, DDR server, LAN—

LAN server and NAT server.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon router attribute information for a network router, the router attribute information published by the network router, the router attribute information comprising a router identity object, the router identity object comprising;

at least one routing protocols data field, each routing protocols data field indicating at least one routing protocol installed on the network router;

a network protocols data field indicating at least one network protocol that the network router is running;

a router role data field indicating a role of the network router; and

a filtering enabled data field indicating whether the network router has filtering turned on for at least one of said at least one network protocol that the network router is running; and

wherein a database is capable of storing router attribute information published by network routers, a query of the data base is capable of including a specified attribute of network routers, a list of network routers having the specified attribute is capable of being returned to a querier, and a message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router is capable of being issued to one of the returned network routers.

22. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein publishing router attribute information comprises publishing a message including router attribute information.

23. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the router attribute information further comprises a reachability object.

24. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the router identity object is created at the time the router is set up.

25. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the router attribute information is published periodically.

26. A system for maintaining network information, the system comprising:

a network comprising a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone, each sub-network having a router linked to the communications backbone for use in performing communications with other sub-networks, each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself over the communications backbone, the router attribute information comprising;

a reachability object for the sub-network containing the network router; and

a router identity object, the router identity object comprising a filtering enabled data field indicating whether the network router has filtering turned on for at least one network protocol that the network router is running;

a directory service linked to the communications backbone having associated therewith a database, the database storing the published router attribute information for each of the routers; and

a query engine associated with the directory service for gathering information from the database as a function of specified router attribute information, the query engine configured to, at least;

accept a query of the database which includes a specified attribute of network routers; and

return to the querier a list of network routers having the specified attribute; and

wherein the directory service is configured to, at least, issue to one of the returned network routers a message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router.

27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself comprises publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a network communications protocol used by the router.

28. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein each of the routers publishing router attribute information about itself comprises publishing from the network router a message including data representative of a router protocol used by the router.

29. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the router identity object is created at the time the router is set up.

30. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein publishing router attribute information occurs periodically.

31. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the router identity object further comprises a router role data field indicating a role of the network router.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein the role of the network router is selected from a group consisting of RAS server, Tunnel server, DDR server, LAN—

LAN server and NAT server.

33. In a network comprised of a plurality of sub-networks in communication with one another over a communications backbone, a method for maintaining network systems information comprising the steps of:

publishing over the communications backbone a message from a network router within one of the sub-networks including data representative of attributes of the network router, the data representative of attributes of the network router comprising;

a reachability object for the sub-network containing the network router; and

a router identity object, the router identity object comprising a filtering enabled data field indicating whether the network router has filtering turned on for at least one network protocol that the network router is running;

receiving at a directory service in communication with the backbone the message;

parsing the message to extract the data representative of the attributes of the network router;

storing the extracted data in a database associated with the directory service;

accepting a query of the database which includes a specified attribute of the network router;

returning to the querier a list of the network routers having the specified attribute; and

issuing to one of the returned network routers a message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router.

34. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the data representative of attributes of the network router further comprises information representative of a routing protocol used by the network router.

35. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the data representative of attributes of the network router further comprises information representative of a network communications protocol used by the network router.

36. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein the router identity object further comprises a router role data field indicating a role of the network router.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the role of the network router is selected from a group consisting of RAS server, Tunnel server, DDR server, LAN—

LAN server and NAT server.