System and method for lost contact response

• US 8,191,107 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Enterasys Networks Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Graham, Richard W., Frattura, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US12/750,484
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/22, 709223-225, 709243-244, 719/318
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/24 using dedicated network management hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A lost contact policy response system and related method for adjusting the operation of one or more network infrastructure devices upon detection of a loss of contact with a policy server function. The response system includes a policy enforcement function (“PEF”), a policy manager function, and either or both of policy set(s) and policy enforcement rule (“PER”) set(s). The PEF implements stored or generated PER set(s). The policy manager function includes a monitoring function and an analysis function. The monitoring function monitors for continuing connectivity or signal exchange contact with a network policy server function. The analysis function selects a designated policy, policy set, PER or PER set, and instructs the PEF to implement the selected policy, PER or set. The policy and/or PER sets may be pre-installed, updated, re-installed, revised, or otherwise changed when and as desired. The related method includes corresponding steps for implementing the operations of the functions described.

Claims

1. A method for changing one or more policies and/or one or more policy enforcement rules of one or more of a plurality of packet forwarding devices of a network system including a plurality of network infrastructure devices, the method comprising the steps of:

a. pre-installing on one or more of the plurality of packet forwarding devices one or more policy sets, one or more policy enforcement rule (PER) sets, or a combination of policy and PER sets, associated with usage of the network system, wherein each of the one or more policy sets, PER sets or combination of policy and PER sets is associated with a unique identifier;

b. monitoring the network system for one or more lost contact triggers by monitoring for responses to one or more contact messages from at least one of;

     1) the plurality of network infrastructure devices; and

     2) one or more attached functions of the network system;

c. upon detection of one or more lost contact triggers, determining for which of the one or more packet forwarding devices to change one or more policy sets and/or PER sets deemed responsive to the detected one or more lost contact triggers;

d. selecting one or more policy sets and/or PER sets deemed responsive to the detected one or more lost contact triggers, wherein the selected one or more policy sets and/or PER sets may include one or more of the pre-installed policy sets and/or PER sets;

e. implementing on one or more of the determined one or more packet forwarding devices the selected one or more policy sets and/or PER sets deemed responsive; and

f. reporting the one or more lost contact triggers detected, the determined one or more packet forwarding devices and the policy sets and/or PER sets selected for implementation to a central repository.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of implementing involves sending to the determined one or more packet forwarding devices only the unique identifiers of the selected one or more pre-installed policy sets and/or PER sets.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of implementing involves sending to the determined one or more forwarding devices new one or more policy sets and/or PER sets not pre-installed on the packet forwarding devices.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of applying one or more of the identified one or more installed policy sets and/or PER sets incrementally as a function of the detection of the one or more lost contact triggers, and adjusting the application of the one or more installed policy sets and/or PER sets by adding, removing or changing the implementation of the one or more installed policy sets and/or PER sets upon further detection of a change of the one or more lost contact triggers detected.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of adjusting is dependent upon the particular one or more forwarding devices, the time of day, the length of time of lost contact, or the extent of connectivity to the network infrastructure.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more policy sets and/or PER sets is selected from the group consisting of rate limiting all traffic except control traffic, implementing bandwidth limiting leaf ports;

and disabling one or more signal exchange protocols.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of confirming whether one or more policy sets and/or PER sets were implemented by the one or more packet forwarding devices.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the monitoring step is performed by a policy server of the network system transmitting a hello message to one or more of the plurality of packet forwarding devices.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the lost contact trigger is a timed out delay in responding to the hello message.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hello message is only transmitted to one or more of the one or more of the plurality of packet forwarding devices directly connected to an attached function of the one or more attached functions associated with the lost contact trigger.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of implementing includes enabling implementation of the selected one or more policy sets and/or PER sets on one or more ports of the determined one or more packet forwarding devices.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring is performed by one or more of the packet forwarding devices transmitting a hello message to one or more other devices of the plurality of network infrastructure devices and one or more attached functions of the network system.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein one or more of the one more packet forwarding devices transmitting the hello message initiates the implementing step after a timed out delay in receiving a response to the hello message.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein one of the one or more other devices of the plurality of network infrastructure devices and one or more attached functions of the network system is a server.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the hello message is only transmitted to one or more of the plurality of packet forwarding devices directly connected to an attached function of the one or more attached functions associated with the lost contact trigger.

16. A system for changing one or more policies and/or one or more policy enforcement rules of one or more of a plurality of packet forwarding devices of a network system including a plurality of network infrastructure devices, the system comprising:

a. a packet forwarding device having pre-installed thereon one or more policy sets, one or more policy enforcement rule (PER) sets, or a combination of policy sets and PER sets wherein each of the one or more policy sets, PER sets or combination of policy and PER sets is associated with a unique identifier;

b. a monitor function to monitor the network system for one or more lost contact triggers by monitoring for responses to one or more contact messages from at least one of the plurality of infrastructure devices of the network system;

c. an analysis function for determining one or more policy sets and/or PER sets deemed responsive to the detected one or more lost contact triggers to implement on the packet forwarding device, wherein the selected one or more policy sets and/or PER sets may include one or more pre-installed policy sets and/or PER sets;

d. an implementation function for initiating implementation of the determined one or more policy set or PER set changes deemed responsive;

e. a policy enforcement function (PEF) for implementing on the packet forwarding device the determined one or more policy sets and/or PER sets deemed responsive; and

f. a communication function for reporting the one or more lost contact triggers detected and the policy sets and/or PER sets selected for implementation to a central repository.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the analysis function and the implementation function form part of a policy manager function.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the PEF and the policy manager function reside on the packet forwarding device.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the packet forwarding device is a network entry device.

20. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the policy manager function further includes a database of triggers, policies, and PERs.

21. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising a policy server of the network system configured to perform the monitoring by transmitting a hello message to one or more of the packet of forwarding devices.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21 wherein the lost contact information is a timed out delay in responding to the hello message.

23. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the one or more policy sets to be implemented are only pre-installed policy sets and/or PER sets and their implementation is initiated by reference to the associated unique identifiers.

24. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the one or more policy sets to be implemented are only policy sets and/or PER sets that have not been pre-installed on the packet forwarding device.