Apparatus and method for automatic cluster network device address assignment

• US 6,917,626 B1
• Filed: 11/30/1999
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duvvury, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/452,284
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 370/466, 370/465, 370/469, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/352, 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 370/399, 370/475, 370/476, 370/471, 370/395.53, 370/338, 709/245, 709/229, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication

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 member devices. Each network 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 a public IP address. The cluster commander automatically assigns private IP addresses to the other devices in the cluster. Network devices in the cluster constantly monitor network traffic on all their ports to detect conflicts between the automatically assigned IP addresses and the IP addresses of network devices outside of the cluster. When a conflict is detected, the cluster commander assigns a different private IP address to the cluster network device that caused the conflict. The process of detecting and correcting IP address conflicts continues continuously to enable the cluster network devices to react automatically to network configuration changes.

Claims

1. A method for assigning private Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) addresses to network devices in a cluster, each of the network devices being capable of interconnecting at least two network segments and forwarding data frames from one network segment to another, said method comprising;

reading the Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) address of a first network device;

generating a private IP address as a function of said MAC address;

assigning said private IP address to said first network device;

communicating with said first network device using said private IP address; and

detecting, at the first network device, a conflict between the assigned private IP address and an IP address being used by a network device other than the first network device.

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

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said private IP address is automatically generated by adding the values of one or more bytes of said MAC address to a base private IP address.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said first network device is a LAN switch.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting includes:

monitoring a source IP address of input IP packets received by the first network device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting an address conflict detection message if the source IP address matches the private IP address of the first network device.

7. A cluster of network devices, comprising:

a commander network device having a public IP address; and

a member network device having a private IP address automatically assigned by said commander network device, the private IP address being created as a function of a MAC address of said member network device, each of the network devices being capable of interconnecting at least two network segments and forwarding data frames from one network segment to another, wherein said member network device comprises a conflict detection logic for detecting a conflict between the assigned private IP address and an IP address being used by a network device other said member network device.

8. The cluster of network devices according to claim 7, wherein said commander network device is a LAN switch.

9. The cluster of network devices according to claim 7, wherein said commander network device is a LAN switch and said member network device is a LAN switch.

10. The cluster of network devices according to claim 7, wherein said private IP address is automatically generated by adding the values of one or more bytes of the MAC address of said member network device to a base private IP address.

11. The cluster of network devices according to claim 10, wherein said commander network device is a LAN switch.

12. The cluster of network devices according to claim 10, wherein said commander network device is a LAN switch and said member network device is a LAN switch.

13. The cluster of network devices according to claim 7, wherein said conflict detection logic includes:

monitoring logic for monitoring a source IP address of input IP packets received by said member network device.

14. The cluster of network devices according to claim 13, wherein said monitoring logic generates an address conflict detection message if the source IP address matches the private IP address of said member network device.

15. The cluster of network devices according to claim 13, wherein said conflict detection logic further detects conflict between the public IP address of said commander network device and an IP address being used by a network device other than said commander network device.

16. The cluster of network devices according to claim 15, wherein said monitoring logic generates an address conflict detection message if the source IP address matches the public IP address of said commander network device.

17. A first network device capable of automatically assigning a private Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) address to a second network device, said first and second network devices being capable of interconnecting at least two network segments and forwarding data frames from one network segment to another, said first network device comprising;

means for reading the Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) address of said second network device;

means for generating a private IP address as a function of said MAC address;

means for assigning said private IP address to said second network device;

means for communicating with said second network device using said private IP address; and

means for receiving an address conflict detection message indicating a conflict between the assigned private IP address and an IP address being used by a network device other than said second network device.

18. The first network device according to claim 17, wherein said first network device is a LAN switch.

19. The first network device according to claim 17, wherein said first network device is a LAN switch and said second network device is a LAN switch.

20. Presented The first network device according to claim 17, wherein said means for generating the private IP address automatically generates the private IP address by adding the values of one or more bytes of said MAC address to a base private IP address.

21. The first network device according to claim 20, wherein said first network device is a LAN switch.

22. The first network device according to claim 20, wherein said first network device is a LAN switch and said second network device is a LAN switch.

23. The first network device according to claim 17, further comprising:

means for monitoring a source IP address of input IP packets received by said second network device.

24. The first network device according to claim 17, further comprising:

means for automatically correcting a new private IP address for the second network device in response to receiving the address conflict detection message from the second network device.

25. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for assigning private Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) addresses to network devices in a cluster, each of the network devices being capable of interconnecting at least two network segments and forwarding data frames from one network segment to another, the method comprising;

reading the Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) address of a first network device;

generating a private IP address as a function of said MAC address;

assigning said private IP address to said first network device;

communicating with said first network device using said private IP address; and

detecting, at the first network device, a conflict between the assigned private IP address and an IP address being used by a network device other than the first network device.