System and method for maintaining network system information
First Claim
Patent Images
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 subnetworks, 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 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.
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Accused Products
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.
11 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A system for maintaining network information, the system comprising:
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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 subnetworks, 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 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. 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:
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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 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; and storing the extracted data in a database associated with the directory service. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. 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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for maintaining network information, the system comprising:
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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 subnetworks, 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. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. 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:
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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; receiving the message at a directory service in communication with the backbone; 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; and issuing to one of the returned network routers a disparate message including data representative of a desired configuration update to be performed by the network router. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification