Self-configuring network

• US 8,279,874 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Koganty, Raju, Desur, Govind raj, Ramamurthy, Suresh, Khan, Yasar, Tripathi, Prabhat, Marks, Allison, Yu, Sandra, Ronne, Jeff, Lochner, Wolfgang M., Villait, Anil, Nagarajan, Raj, Suizo, Nick, Lu, Zihong
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsiung, Hai-Chang
• Application Number:
  US11/772,031
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 370394-396, 370/395.2
• US Class Current: 370/395.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A self-configuring network comprises network devices that are automatically provisioned with appropriate network resources upon the occurrence of a network event. A profile containing one or more commands to provision a network device with appropriate network resources is deployed to selected connecting devices. The selected connecting devices are targeted for deployment based on the network device and/or port groups to which they belong as determined from a network management system. The profile is bound to the selected connecting devices and affected ports as well as the network events that will trigger execution of the profile on the devices where they are deployed. A graphical user interface and profile information database may be used to facilitate managing the profiles, targeted devices/ports and associated network events.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for building a self-configuring network, the method comprising:

generating a command to provision connecting devices in a network with a network resource;

associating the command with a management event in advance of the occurrence of the management event, the management event not detected in the connecting device, the management event occurring in a network management system for managing policy for the network and indicating that a network management policy represented in the command is to be deployed from the network management system to the network;

generating a deployment target to which the command can be deployed from the network management system to the network, the deployment target comprising connecting devices in a pre-defined group based on at least one criteria, the at least one criteria including connecting devices that support Internet Protocol (IP) telephony services in the network, or connecting devices that support a Virtual Local Area Network, the connecting devices being selectable through a network management system;

deploying the command from the network management system to a selected deployment target upon the occurrence in the network management system for managing policy for the network of the management event with which the command was previously associated;

setting a network event in the selected deployment target to match the management event for which the command was deployed, and associating the deployed command with the network event, the network event being detectable in the connecting device in the selected deployment target; and

automatically provisioning the connecting device with the network resource upon the occurrence of the network event with which the command is associated, the connecting device being in the pre-defined group to which the command has been deployed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network event is related to an endpoint device connected to the network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network event indicates when an endpoint device connects to or disconnects from the network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the endpoint device is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone and the network resource is a device or service that supports IP telephony.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network event is related to a user connected to the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the network event indicates whether a user is authenticated or not authenticated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the command to provision connecting devices with the network resource is a command to configure a port on the connecting devices in the pre-defined group to enable or disable access to the network resource.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a port on the connecting devices in the pre-defined group, the selected port having a configuration that is changed in accordance with the command when the command is issued.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource comprises a device accessible on the network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource comprises a service accessible on the network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the service is an IP telephony service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

the network resource is a connecting device;

the network event indicates when the connecting device is installed in the network; and

the command to provision connecting devices with the network resource is a command to configure the connecting device after the connecting device is installed in the network.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable non-transitory storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a machine, cause the machine to;

generate a command to provision connecting devices in a network with a network resource;

associate the command with a management event in advance of the occurrence of the management event, the management event not detected in the connecting devices, the management event occurring in a network management system for managing policy for the network and indicating that a network management policy as represented in the command is to be deployed from the network management system to the network;

generate a deployment target to which the command can be deployed from the network management system to the network, the deployment target comprising a pre-defined group of the connecting devices based on certain criteria, the pre-defined group of the connecting devices being selectable through a network management system;

deploy the command from the network management system to the deployment target upon the occurrence in the network management system for managing policy for the network of the management event;

set a network event on each of the connecting devices in the deployment target to match the management event for which the command was deployed, and associate the deployed command with the network event, the network event being detectable in the connecting devices in the deployment target; and

automatically provision the connecting device with the network resource upon the occurrence in the connecting device of the network event with which the command is associated, the connecting device being in the pre-defined group of the connected devices in the deployment target.