System for automatically identifying the physical location of network end devices

• US 7,684,416 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2001
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RiT Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: RiT Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Cafif, Nitzan, Galin, Liam
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yuen; Kan
• Application Number:
  US10/433,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20050030955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,031 Days
• Field of Search: 370/227, 370/254, 370/255, 370/356, 370/389, 370/395.3, 370/395.31, 370/216, 370/218, 370/355, 370/338, 370/401, 709/223, 709/224, 714/4, 726/12
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/229 Wire identification arrangements; Number assignment determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/149 Wireguides in connector blocks

Abstract

Method and system for automatically identifying the physical location and/or end-to-end connectivity of end-devices, each of which having a unique ID and, normally, being connected to an access point of a network, each access point having a known physical location and being connected to a port of a Switch. Whenever required, the physical location of each end-device is updated.

Claims

1. A method for managing a physical layer of a local area data network having a switch at one end, access points connectable to end-devices at another end and one or more patch panels positioned in communication paths between the access points and the switch, the method comprising:

receiving a first set of data related to relations between unique identification data of the end-devices and corresponding ports of the switch;

automatically acquiring by a transceiver block a second set of data related to connectivity of physical dynamic connections associated with the one or more patch panels wherein each of said physical dynamic connections are part of a communication path between a particular access point and a particular port of the switch, and wherein said transceiver block is coupled to said one or more patch panels;

automatically generating by a computational device, based on the first and second sets of data, connectivity data that associate the unique identification data of said end-devices to physical location of said end-devices; and

storing the connectivity data in a connectivity table,

wherein each of the dynamic connections comprises a removable data cord connected to a first one of said one or more patch panels at one end and to a second one of said one or more patch panels or the switch at a second end to enable alternative communication paths between the end-devices and the switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connectivity table comprises connectivity data associating the unique identification data of a particular one of said end-devices and physical location data of said particular end-device based on a first datum associating the unique identification data of said particular end-device to a particular one of said ports of said switch and a second datum associating said particular port to a particular one of said access points.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising:

automatically identifying a change in the physical location of said particular end-device; and

updating said connectivity table.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first datum is stored in a bridge table of said switch and the method further comprising:

automatically updating said bridge table based on communications sent from said end-devices coupled to the network via a plurality of corresponding ports, said communications comprising unique identification data of the end-devices.

5. The method of claim 2 comprising:

automatically updating said second datum based on signals received from one or more contacts of said one or more patch panels.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first datum is stored in a bridge table of said switch and the method further comprising:

sending to said end-devices via a router coupled to said switch interrogation messages based on corresponding IP addresses of said end-devices; and

automatically updating said bridge table based on reply messages received from said end-devices.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining a complete path of end-to-end physical links between a particular one of said end-devices and a particular one of said ports.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

automatically identifying disconnection of a particular one of said end-devices from a particular one of said access points.

9. A system for managing a physical layer of a local area data network having a switch at one end and access points at another end, the system comprising:

one or more patch panels positioned in communication paths between the access points and the switch;

one or more removable data cords, each connected to a first one of said one or more patch panels at one end and to a second one of said one or more patch panels or the switch at a second end;

a transceiver block coupled to said one or more patch panels to automatically acquire data related to connectivity of physical dynamic connections associated with the one or more patch panels;

a computational device to receive a first set of data related to relations between unique identification data of end-devices coupled to the network and corresponding ports of the switch and a second set of data related to the dynamic connections acquired by the transceiver block and to automatically generate, based on the first and second sets of data, connectivity data that associate the unique identification data of said end-devices to physical location of said end-devices; and

a connectivity table to store the connectivity data,

wherein each of the dynamic connections comprises one of said one or more removable data cords to enable alternative communication paths between the end-devices and the switch.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said connectivity table contains the first set of data associating the unique identification data of said end-devices and the corresponding ports of said switch.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said switch comprises a bridge table to maintain data representing the relation between the unique identification data and the corresponding ports.

12. The system of claim 9 further comprising a router coupled to said switch, said router having a table containing data associating the unique identification data of said end-devices and IP addresses of said end devices.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said connectivity table is being updated based on changes of the first and second sets of data.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the unique identification data is a media access control (MAC) address.