Network device proximity data import based on weighting factor

• US 8,239,337 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Madani, Habib
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Alan
• Application Number:
  US12/475,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,165 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with importing proximity data are provided. Device identification information and device location information associated with a device are received from a data source. An estimated proximity of the device to one or more network zones is determined based at least in part on the device location information. A device identifier and the estimated proximity of the device are stored in a proximity database that stores proximity data for devices relative to one or more network zones.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an import logic to receive device identification information and device location information associated with a device from a device location data source;

a weighting logic to (1) determine estimated proximities of the device to two or more network zones in a network, the estimated proximities being determined based at least in part on the device location information and locations of the two or more network zones, and to (2) apply a default incremental round-trip time to the two or more network zones to determine the estimated proximities for the device relative to the two or more network zones; and

an update logic to store the device identification information and the determined estimated proximities with respect to the two or more network zones in a proximity database that stores proximity data for devices relative to the two or more network zones.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the import logic is configured to parse an IP database entry for a given device to extract a device address and a country code.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a weighting matrix that maps a weighting factor to a combination of a network zone location and a device location and where the weighting logic determines a location for at least one of the two or more network zones and accesses the weighting matrix to select a weighting factor based on the location of the at least one of the two or more network zones and the device location information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, where the weighting logic determines a location for the two or more network zones and accesses the weighting matrix to select weights based at least in part on network zone location and the device location information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, where the weighting logic comprises a query engine to query a Direct Response Protocol Agent for the two or more network zones to return a location for the Direct Response Protocol Agent for the two or more network zones.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the weighting logic comprises a round-trip time logic that calculates an estimated round-trip time for the device with respect to the two or more network zones based at least in part on the device location information and a location of the two or more network zones.

7. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution, the logic being operable, when executed, to perform an encoded method, the encoded method comprising:

receiving device identification information and device location information associated with a device from a data source;

determining estimated proximities of the device to two or more network zones based at least in part on the device location information;

applying a default incremental round-trip time to the two or more network zones to determine the estimated proximities for the device relative to the two or more network zones;

storing a device identifier associated with the device identification information and the estimated proximities of the device in a proximity database that stores proximity data for devices relative to ene two or more network zones.

8. The logic of claim 7, where the receiving is performed by parsing an entry in a database that stores proximity information to extract an IP address and country information for a device.

9. The logic of claim 7, where the estimated proximity is determined by:

determining a device geographic location of the device from the location information;

determining a zone geographic location of at least one of the two or more network zones;

selecting a weight from a weighting matrix that maps a weight to a combination of device geographic location and zone geographic location;

determining an estimated proximity based at least in part on the selected weight.

10. The logic of claim 9, where the estimated proximity is determined by applying the weight to a default round-trip time between the device geographic location and the zone geographic location.

11. The logic of claim 9, where the encoded method comprises:

determining a zone geographic location for at least two network zones; and

selecting a weight from the weighting matrix for the zone geographic locations.

12. The logic of claim 9, where the encoded method comprises:

querying a network zone matrix to return a list of network zones; and

sorting the list of network zones based at least in part on weights associated with zone geographic locations for the network zones.

13. The logic of claim 9, where the encoded method comprises determining a zone geographic location of the returned network zones by querying a Direct Response Protocol Agent for the two or more network zones to return a location for the Direct Response Protocol Agent for the two or more network zones.

14. The logic of claim 7, where the encoded method comprises comparing the device identification information with an ignore list of device identification information corresponding to devices to be ignored and where a device identifier is not stored for any devices having identification information in the ignore list.

15. A system, comprising:

means for importing device identification and location information for a network device from a location data source;

means for determining zone geographic locations for two or more network zones;

means for determining estimated proximities for the network device based at least in part on the device location information and the zone geographic locations;

means for applying a default incremental round-trip time to the two or more network zones to determine the estimated proximities for the device relative to the two or more network zones; and

means for storing a device identifier and a corresponding estimated proximity of said estimated proximities in a proximity database.