Communicating network information using universal resource locators

• US 7,734,651 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haeri, Arsalan, Soneson, Eric D.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US10/121,550
• Time in Patent Office: 2,979 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 709/219, 704/43, 726/1
• US Class Current: 707/792
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for communicating network information among network devices using protocols based on Universal Resource Locators. In one embodiment, an apparatus for retrieving RADIUS, SNMP or video information in a network, or carrying out remote network access, comprises a first URL interface executed by a client; a second URL interface executed by a server having a plurality of stored values; and means distributed among the first URL interface and the second URL interface for creating and storing a URL that includes an identifier of one or more of the stored values, retrieving that value from the server based on the identifier, and transporting the value from the server to the client. In another embodiment, a method comprises creating and storing a URL that includes a request for the value; communicating the URL to the server; extracting the request from the URL; and communicating a responsive URL, which includes the value of the attribute and an identifier of the attribute, from the server to the requesting client.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, the method comprising:

generating a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that includes a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request for values of two or more MIB variables;

transmitting the URL to a managed device in a network; and

receiving a responsive URL, which includes the values of the two or more MIB variables and identifiers of the two or more MIB variables, from the managed device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said URL includes a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said URL includes a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device server at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing an SNMP request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said URL includes an operation value that identifies an SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

snmp payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an SNMP operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.

6. A method for processing a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, the method comprising:

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that comprises an SNMP request for two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device, the request including information identifying the two or more MIB variables and a type of SNMP processing to be carried out;

processing the request based on the type of SNMP processing specified in the URL; and

communicating values of the two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device in a responsive URL.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of processing the request comprises:

storing the values of the two or more MIB variables in the MIB of the managed device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said URL comprises a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said URL comprises a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing a SNMP request.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said URL comprises an operation value that identifies a SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

SNMP payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises an SNMP request that may include two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.

12. An apparatus for retrieving a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, comprising:

a client computer system, wherein said client computer system comprises a processor;

a computer-readable medium accessible to said processor and comprising one or more sequences for instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

generating a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that includes a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request for a values of two or more MIB variables;

transmitting the URL to a managed device in a network; and

receiving a responsive URL, which includes the values of the two or more MIB variables and identifiers of the two or more MIB variables, from the managed device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said URL includes a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said URL includes a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device server at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing an SNMP request.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said URL includes an operation value that identifies an SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

snmp payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an SNMP operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.

17. An apparatus for processing a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, comprising:

a managed device, said managed device comprising a processor;

a computer-readable medium accessible to said processor and comprising one or more sequences for instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that comprises an SNMP request for two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device, the request including information identifying the two or more MIB variables and a type of SNMP processing to be carried out;

processing the request based on the type of SNMP processing specified in the URL; and

communicating values of the two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device in a responsive URL.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the step of processing the request comprises:

storing the values of two or more the MIB variables in the MIB of the managed device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said URL comprises a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said URL comprises a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing a SNMP request.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said URL comprises an operation value that identifies a SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

SNMP payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises an SNMP request that may include two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for retrieving a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that includes a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request for values of two or more MIB variables;

transmitting the URL to a managed device in a network; and

receiving a responsive URL, which includes the values of the two or more MIB variables and identifiers of the two or more MIB variables, from the managed device.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said URL includes a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said URL includes a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device server at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing an SNMP request.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said URL includes an operation value that identifies an SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

snmp payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an SNMP operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for processing a value of a Management Information Base (MIB) variable, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that comprises an SNMP request for two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device, the request including information identifying the two or more MIB variables and a type of SNMP processing to be carried out;

processing the request based on the type of SNMP processing specified in the URL; and

communicating values of the two or more MIB variables associated with the managed device in a responsive URL.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the step of processing the request comprises:

storing the values of the two or more MIB variables in the MIB of the managed device.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein said URL comprises a device identifier value that uniquely identifies the managed device.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein said URL comprises a port identifier value that identifies a listening port of the managed device at which the managed device receives requests that comprise a URL containing a SNMP request.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein said URL comprises an operation value that identifies a SNMP operation to be carried out by the managed device in response to receiving the URL.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein said URL is in the form:

snmp[s];

//<

server-name>

;

<

port #>

/<

operation>

/<

SNMP payload>

wherein “

[s]”

identifies an optional parameter indicating that a secure connection is to be established, the value <

server-name>

identifies the managed device, the value <

port #>

identifies a listening port number for a URL-based SNMP process on the managed device, the value <

operation>

identifies an operation for the managed device to carry out, and the value <

SNMP payload>

comprises an SNMP request that may include two or more pairs of MIB variables and values.