Equipment in a data network and methods for monitoring, configuring and/or managing the equipment

• US 8,340,095 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Original Assignee: Media Patents S.L.
• Inventors: Fernandez Gutierrez, Alvaro
• Primary Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US12/876,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 370/390, 709/220, 709/223
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• 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 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers

Abstract

A router having one or more downstream interfaces and situated in a data network system between sources that send multicast data packets to at least one multicast group address and multiple hosts that request data from the multicast group address and sources. In one implementation the router has a management system agent and an associated management system agent database and stores for each network interface, each multicast group address and each host information in the management system agent database derived from one or more data requests made by the hosts. In one implementation the router stores for a downstream network interface and multicast group address at least one INCLUDE source record containing information about include source lists derived by data requests made by the one or more hosts and at least one EXCLUDE source record containing information about exclude source lists derived by data requests made by the one or more hosts in the management system agent database, the router using a host-router multicast routing protocol based on the IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) or the MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery) protocol to communicate with the one or more hosts, the router using a different protocol to communicate with a management system control station information stored in the management system database.

Claims

1. A router, situated in a data network between sources that send multicast data packets to at least one multicast group address and multiple hosts that request data from the multicast group address and the sources, the router comprising:

a) one or more downstream interfaces;

b) a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent; and

c) an SNMP database;

d) the router configured to store in the SNMP database, for each network interface, each multicast group address and each host information derived from one or more multicast data requests made by the hosts.

2. The router according to claim 1, wherein the information comprises multicast group address and source address information.

3. The router according to claim 1, wherein the router is further configured to communicate with the hosts via a communications protocol based on a version of the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) or the Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) protocol.

4. The router according to claim 1, wherein the router is further configured to use a version of the Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) protocol to request the multicast data sent by the sources.

5. The router according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the router is further configured to communicate with the hosts via a communications protocol based on the IGMP or the MLD protocol; and

b) the router is further configured to use a version of the PIM protocol to request the multicast data sent by the sources.

6. The router according to claim 1, wherein the data request of a host separately comprises INCLUDE filter mode source lists of a multicast group address, indicating that a host wishes to receive data sent by the INCLUDE sources, and EXCLUDE filter mode source lists of a multicast group address, indicating that the host wishes to receive data sent by all the sources of the multicast group except the EXCLUDE sources.

7. The router according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the router further comprises a first memory not associated with SNMP agent; and

b) the router is further configured to store a record in the first memory for each network interface, each multicast group address, and each host, the record derived from the one or more data requests made by the hosts which comprises multicast group address and source address information.

8. The router according to claim 7, wherein the SNMP agent is configured to communicate with an SNMP control station using the SNMP protocol.

9. The router according to claim 8, wherein the SNMP agent is further configured:

a) to store in the SNMP database information about multicast groups and multicast channels requested by each host; and

b) to transmit the stored information to the SNMP control station.

10. The router according to claim 1, wherein the SNMP database is a Management Information Base (MIB) database.

11. The router according to claim 9, wherein the SNMP database is a Management Information Base (MIB) database.