System, method, and computer program product for platform-independent port discovery

• US 7,870,246 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Gallaty, Damon J., Davis, Michael Anthony, Haley, Steighton L.
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/215,386
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/227, 709/224, 709/220, 726/1, 726/3
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product are provided. Initially, platform-independent information relating to a network device is collected. Thereafter, a port on which the network device resides is determined based on the platform-independent information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;

determining a port on which the network device resides based on the platform-independent information; and

reporting data relating to the network device, the data including port information associated with the port;

wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;

wherein the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device is a simple network management protocol (SNMP)-enabled network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device includes a switch.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising identifying the network device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network device is identified utilizing a broadcast packet.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the network device is identified utilizing a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) packet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform-independent information is collected utilizing a simple network management protocol (SNMP).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the port is further determined by identifying whether there is a network device on the port, if a match is found.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the port is further determined by obtaining an IP address of the network device that is on the port.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the port information includes a type of the port.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the port information indicates whether the port is an uplink port.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein empty information is returned if a match of the MAC address is not found in the forwarding database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding database includes a plurality of entries, where each entry of the plurality of entries is associated with a network device and includes a MAC address, a port, a port type and a switch associated with the MAC address.

14. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;

computer code for determining a port on which the network device resides based on the platform-independent information; and

computer code for reporting data relating to the network device, the data including port information associated with the port;

wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used by the computer program product to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;

wherein the computer program product is operable such that the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.

15. A system, comprising:

agents for collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;

wherein a port on which the network device resides is determined based on the platform-independent information;

wherein data relating to the network device is reported, the data including port information associated with the port;

wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used by the system to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;

wherein the system is operable such that the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.