Virtual loop carrier system with automatic configuration of ATM endpoints

• US 8,085,787 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Monteiro, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASUR, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US11/156,085
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: 370/468, 370/100, 370/395.1, 370/389, 370/238.1, 370/238, 370/235, 370/464, 370/465, 370/351, 370/229, 370/254, 370/400, 370/401, 370/410, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 379/1.01, 379/32.01, 379/32.02, 379/32.03
• US Class Current: 370/395.52
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

In an ATM network having ATM endpoints connected to a central server over respective virtual circuits, ATM endpoints are configured for Internet Protocol (IP) over ATM communications by transmitting an unsolicited message from the server to the selected ATM endpoint at a first transmission interval over the associated virtual circuit, the unsolicited message including a server IP address and an ATM endpoint IP address; and receiving the unsolicited message at the selected ATM endpoint, including extracting the server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address from the unsolicited message and transmitting an SNMP TRAP message to the server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting an unsolicited message from a central server in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network to a selected one of a plurality of ATM endpoints connected to the central server via respective virtual circuits, the unsolicited message including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the central server and an IP address for the selected ATM endpoint;

receiving the unsolicited message at the selected ATM endpoint;

extracting the central server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address from the unsolicited message; and

transmitting an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) TRAP message to the central server indicating that the ATM endpoint is operational as a result of receiving the central server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the unsolicited message further comprises:

periodically transmitting the unsolicited message; and

ceasing the periodic transmission of the unsolicited message upon receiving the SNMP TRAP message at the central server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the SNMP TRAP message comprises periodically transmitting the SNMP TRAP message.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

detecting a failure to receive, at the central server, at least one of the periodic SNMP TRAP messages; and

retransmitting the unsolicited message from the central server to the selected ATM endpoint as a result of the failure to receive the at least one SNMP TRAP message.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein a time interval for the periodic transmission of the SNMP TRAP message is set based on an SNMP SET message sent from the central server to the ATM endpoint.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected ATM endpoint has multiple virtual circuits associated therewith, and wherein receiving the unsolicited message comprises:

listening on the multiple virtual circuits for the unsolicited message; and

recording the virtual circuit number of the particular virtual circuit on which the message was received.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the central server is configured to maintain an internal state for each ATM endpoint comprising a NOT-CONFIGURED state and a CONFIGURED state, further comprising:

when the central server receives the SNMP message from the selected ATM endpoint, determining that the ATM endpoint has an IP address; and

adjusting the internal state associated with the selected ATM endpoint from NOT-CONFIGURED to CONFIGURED.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each ATM endpoint has an C_IDLE state, C_LISTENING state and a C_CONFIGURED state, and wherein the unsolicited message is a BOOTP message, the method further comprising:

altering the state of the selected endpoint from C_LISTENING to C_CONFIGURED in response to receipt of the BOOTP message.

9. A method comprising:

transmitting an unsolicited message from a central server in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network to a selected one of a plurality of ATM endpoints connected to the central server via respective virtual circuits, wherein the unsolicited message includes Internet Protocol (IP) address for the central server and an IP address for the selected ATM endpoint; and

receiving from the selected ATM endpoint an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) TRAP message indicating that the selected ATM endpoint is operational.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein transmitting the unsolicited message further comprises:

periodically transmitting the unsolicited message; and

ceasing the periodic transmission of the unsolicited message upon receiving the SNMP TRAP message.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the SNMP TRAP message comprises periodically receiving the SNMP TRAP message.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

detecting a failure to receive at least one of the periodic SNMP TRAP messages; and

retransmitting the unsolicited message from the central server to the selected ATM endpoint as a result of the failure to receive the at least one SNMP TRAP message.

13. A comprising:

receiving, at a selected one of a plurality of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) endpoints in an ATM network, an unsolicited message from a central server in the ATM network connected to each of the plurality of ATM endpoints by a virtual circuit, wherein the unsolicited message comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the central server and an IP address for the selected ATM endpoint;

extracting the central server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address from the received message; and

transmitting to the central server an SNMP TRAP message indicating that the selected ATM endpoint is operational.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein transmitting the SNMP TRAP message comprises periodically transmitting the SNMP TRAP message.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the time period between the periodic transmission transmissions is set based on an SNMP SET message received from the central server.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the selected ATM endpoint has multiple virtual circuits associated therewith and wherein receiving the unsolicited message comprises:

listening on the multiple virtual circuits for the unsolicited message; and

recording the virtual circuit number of the particular virtual circuit on which the message was received.

17. A communications comprising:

a central server in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network; and

a plurality of ATM endpoints coupled to the central server over respective virtual circuits;

wherein the central server is configured to transmit, to a selected ATM endpoint, an unsolicited message including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the central server and an IP address for the selected ATM endpoint, and wherein upon receiving the unsolicited message, the selected ATM endpoint is configured to extract the central server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address from the unsolicited message and transmit an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) TRAP message indicating that the ATM endpoint is operational to the central server.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the central server is configured to periodically transmit the unsolicited message until receipt of the SNMP TRAP message.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected ATM endpoint is configured to periodically transmit the SNMP TRAP message.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the central server is configured to retransmit the unsolicited message upon failure to receive at least one of the periodic SNMP TRAP messages.

21. A server in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit an unsolicited message to a selected ATM endpoint over an associated virtual circuit, wherein the unsolicited message includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the server and an IP address for the ATM endpoint; and

a receiver configured to receive from the selected ATM endpoint an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) TRAP message indicating that the selected ATM endpoint is operational.

22. The server of claim 21 wherein the transmitter is configured to periodically transmit the unsolicited message until receipt of the SNMP TRAP message.

23. The server of claim 22 wherein the receiver is configured to periodically receive SNMP TRAP messages sent by the ATM endpoint.

24. The server of claim 23 wherein the transmitter is configured to retransmit the unsolicited message from the server to the selected ATM endpoint upon failure to receive at least one of the periodic SNMP TRAP messages.

25. An endpoint in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an unsolicited message from a central server in the network via an associated virtual circuit, the unsolicited message including an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the central server and an IP address for the ATM endpoint;

an extractor configured to extract which extracts the central server IP address and the ATM endpoint IP address from the received message; and

a transmitter configured to transmit an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) TRAP message indicating that the endpoint is operational to the central server.

26. The endpoint of claim 25 wherein the transmitter is configured to periodically transmits the SNMP message.

27. The endpoint of claim 26 wherein the time period between periodic transmissions is set based on an SNMP SET message received from the central server.

28. The endpoint of claim 25 wherein the endpoint has multiple virtual circuits associated therewith and wherein the receiver is configured to listen to the multiple virtual circuits for the unsolicited message and to record the virtual circuit number of the particular virtual circuit associated with the received message.