Method and system for detecting changes in a network using simple network management protocol polling

• US 7,991,865 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sankaran, Ganesh Chennimalai
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore; Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheney; Bobae K
• Application Number:
  US11/440,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

In an embodiment, methods and systems have been provided for detecting changes in a network using improved Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) polling that reduces network traffic. Examples of changes in the network include, but are not limited to, configuration and behavioral changes in a network device, and response of network device to a network change. A Network Management Station (NMS) periodically polls Management Information Base (MIB) groups instead of periodically polling individual MIB object instances. The NMS receives the Aggregate Change Identifiers (ACIs) of MIB groups in response to polling, from a SNMP agent. The changes in the received ACIs represent the changes in the MIB groups. A change in an MIB group represents changes in the MIB object instances of the MIB group. The ACIs can be checksum, timestamp, and a combination of number of MIB object instances in a group and checksum of the MIB group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

populating, at the network device, an MIB sub-group with identifiers corresponding to MIB object instances within the selected subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

determining whether changes are made to the MIB object instances for which corresponding identifiers are populated to the MIB sub-group;

computing, for the MIB sub-group, an aggregate change identifier (ACI) that is related to a state of object instances corresponding to identifiers within the MIB sub-group,

comparing the computed ACI against an ACI previously computed for the MIB sub-group;

determining whether change has occurred in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group; and

evaluating information within the MIB object instances corresponding to identifiers within the MIB sub-group based on whether a change has been determined to exist in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group, wherein the change in the ACI indicates a change in at least one MIB object instance in the MIB sub-group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ACI is computed based on at least one of a timestamp of the MIB sub-group, a checksum of the MIB sub-group, and a combination of the number of MIB object instances in an MIB sub-group and the checksum of the corresponding MIB sub-group.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the checksum is an incremental checksum.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the MIB object instances are polled using simple network management protocol (SNMP) polling for determining changes in the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising not grouping MIB object instances whose values often change during the operation of the network device.

6. A method comprising:

accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

populating, at the network device, plural management information base (MIB) sub-groups based on at least one characteristic respectively shared by constituent MIB object instances;

receiving a poll request corresponding to a MIB sub-group;

computing an aggregate change identifier (ACI) for the polled MIB sub-group, wherein the MIB sub-group is formed by grouping MIB object instances, wherein a given MIB object instance is included in the MIB sub-group if (1) at least one change in the MIB object instance is due to a configuration change in a network device associated with the MIB object instance, (2) the given MIB object instance does not change during operation of a network device; and

sending the computed ACI to a network management station (NMS) in response to a request for the MIB sub-group, wherein the request is made by the NMS.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the network device includes a multi-level hierarchy of MIB sub-groups.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the MIB object are grouped if the MIB object instances change due to at least one of:

configuration change of the network device, behavioral change of the network device, and response of the network device to a change in a network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the MIB sub-group is formed by grouping a predefined number of MIB object instances, the MIB object instances forming a tabular MIB object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ACIs of the tabular MIB object are defined on the basis of the predefined number.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the predefined number is a table compression factor.

12. A system comprising:

means for accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

means for selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

means for populating, at a network device, an MIB sub-group with identifiers corresponding to object instances within the selected subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

means for determining whether changes are made to object instances for which corresponding identifiers are populated to the MIB sub-group;

means for computing, for the MIB sub-group, an aggregate change identifier (ACI) that is related to a state of object instances corresponding to identifiers within the MIB sub-group;

means for comparing the computed ACI against an ACI previously computed for the MIB sub-group;

means for determining whether change has occurred in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group; and

means for evaluating information within the MIB object instances corresponding to identifiers within of the MIB sub-group based on whether a change has been determined to exist in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group, wherein the change in the ACI indicates a change in at least one MIB object instance in the MIB sub-group.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for not grouping MIB object instances whose values often change during the operation of the network device.

14. A system comprising:

means for accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

means for selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

means for populating, at the network device, plural management information base (MIB) sub-groups based on at least one characteristic respectively shared by constituent MIB object instances;

means for receiving a poll request corresponding to a MIB sub-group;

means for computing an aggregate change identifier (ACI) for the polled MIB sub-group, wherein the MIB sub-group is formed by grouping MIB object instances, wherein a given MIB object instance is included in the MIB sub-group if (1) at least one change in the MIB object instance does not depend on time, (2) the given MIB object instance does not change during operation of a network device; and

means for sending the computed ACI to a network management station (NMS) in response to a request for the MIB sub-group, wherein the request is made by the NMS.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations that include:

accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

populating, at the network device, an MIB sub-group with identifiers corresponding to object instances within the selected subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

determining whether changes are made to object instances for which corresponding identifiers are populated to the MIB sub-group;

computing, for the MIB sub-group, an aggregate change identifier (ACI) that is related to a state of object instances corresponding to identifiers within the MIB sub-group;

comparing the computed ACI against an ACI previously computed for the MIB sub- group;

determining whether change has occurred in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group; and

evaluating information within the MIB object instances corresponding to identifiers within of the MIB sub-group based on whether a change has been determined to exist in the ACIs computed for the MIB sub-group, wherein the change in the ACI indicates a change in at least one MIB object instance in the MIB sub-group.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising operations for not grouping MIB object instances whose values often change during the operation of the network device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions executable by a processor, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations that include:

accessing management information base (MIB) object instance update frequency information reflecting frequency of updates to values maintained for MIB object instances during operation of a network device;

selecting, based on at least the accessed MIB object instance update frequency information, a subset of less than all MIB object instances that are updated within the MIB during operation of the network device;

populating plural management information base (MIB) sub-groups based on at least one characteristic respectively shared by constituent MIB object instances;

receiving a poll request corresponding to a MIB sub-group;

computing an aggregate change identifier (ACI) for the polled MIB sub-group, wherein the MIB sub-group is formed by grouping MIB object instances, wherein a given MIB object instance is included in the MIB sub-group if (1) at least one change in the MIB object instance does not depend on time, (2) the given MIB object instance does not change during operation of a network device; and

sending the computed ACI to a network management station (NMS) in response to a request for the MIB sub-group, wherein the request is made by the NMS.