Automatically configuring switch ports with appropriate features

• US 7,411,915 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Issued: 08/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shuen, Pauline, Kumar, Shashi, Fisher, Glen Robert, Spain, Christopher, Bajaj, Ujjal
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elpenord; Candal
• Application Number:
  US10/896,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/241.1, 370/244, 370/247, 370/248, 370/252, 370/253, 370/255, 370/256, 370/257, 370/258, 709/223, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 370/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically configuring a physical port of a switch with features appropriate to a connection type snoops incoming packets to determine the connection type and executes a port configuration macro installed on the switch to apply appropriate features for the connection type.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a connection type of a device connected to a port of a switching platform, with the switching platform having a feature set including quality of service, which are available to be applied may be applied to the port on the switching platform using feature assignment commands;

retrieving a selected port configuration template for an identified connection type, with the selected port configuration template selected from a set of port configuration templates stored on the switching platform, with each port configuration template including a group of pretested feature assignment commands appropriate for an associated network role and an identified connection type;

and

applying the feature assignment commands included in the selected port configuration template to the port to automatically configure the port with features appropriate for the network role of the switching platform and the identified connection type.

2. The method of claim 1 where the set of port configuration templates comprises:

standard desktop and standard desktop with IP phone port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as access switching platforms; and

switch to switch and uplink switch to router port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as aggregation switching platforms.

3. The method of claim 1 where identifying a connection type of a device connected to a port of a switching platform comprises the steps of:

snooping packets from a device connected to the port to determine protocols utilized by the device; and

automatically applying the port configuration template to the port for the connection type indicated by the protocols used by the connected device.

4. A system comprising:

a memory on a switching platform storing a set of port configuration templates, with each port configuration template including a group of pretested feature assignment commands appropriate for an associated network role and an identified connection type, with the switching platform having a feature set including quality of service, which are available to be applied may be applied to a port on the switching platform using feature assignment commands; and

a processor configured to identify a connection type of a device connected to a port of the switching platform, to retrieve a selected port configuration template for the identified connection type, and to apply the feature assignment commands included in the selected port configuration template to the port to automatically configure the port for the network role of the switching platform and the identified connection type.

5. The system of claim 4 with the memory further storing standard desktop and standard desktop with IP phone port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as access switching platforms and switch to switch and uplink switch to router port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as aggregation switching platforms.

6. The system of claim 4 with the processor configured to:

snoop packets from a device connected to a port to determine protocols utilized by a connected device; and

automatically apply the port configuration template to the port for the connection type indicated by the protocols used by the connected device.

7. A system comprising:

means for identifying a connection type of a device connected to a port of a switching platform, with the switching platform having a feature set including quality of service, which are available to be applied may be applied to the port on the switching platform using feature assignment commands;

means for retrieving a selected port configuration template for an identified connection type, with the selected port configuration template selected from a set of port configuration templates stored on the switching platform, with each port configuration template including a group of pretested feature assignment commands appropriate for an associated network role and an identified connection type;

and

means for applying the feature assignment commands included in the selected port configuration template to the port to automatically configure the port with features appropriate for the network role of the switching platform and the identified connection type.

8. The system of claim 7 where the set of port configuration templates comprises:

standard desktop and standard desktop with IP phone port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as access switching platforms; and

switch to switch and uplink switch to router port configuration templates for use with switching platforms acting as aggregation switching platforms.

9. The system of claim 7 where the means for identifying further comprises:

means for snooping packets from a device connected to a port to determine protocols utilized by the device;

means for automatically applying the port configuration template to the port for the connection type indicated by the protocols used by the connected device.

10. A method comprising:

processing packets received from a device newly connected to a first physical port of a switching platform to determine the connection type for that device, with the switching platform having a feature set including quality of service, which are available to be applied may be applied to the port on the switching platform using feature assignment commands;

retrieving a selected port configuration macro for a determined connection type, with the selected from a plurality of port configuration macros stored on the switching platform, with each port configuration macro including a group of pretested feature assignment commands appropriate for an associated network role and a determined port connection type; and

executing the feature assignment commands included in the selected port configuration macro to automatically configure the first port with a feature set appropriate to the determined connection type.