Value-adoption and value-translation for automatic provisioning of port parameters

• US 8,351,348 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mack-Crane, T. Benjamin, Dunbar, Linda, Yong, Lucy, Sultan, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, MARCUS
• Application Number:
  US12/252,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a message comprising a node'"'"'s data value from the node, determining whether a local data value has been assigned, and adopting the node'"'"'s data value as the local data value when the local data value has not been assigned. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a plurality of ports each configured to couple to a node via a link, a memory configured to store a port data value associated with at least some of the ports, and a processor coupled to the memory and the ports, wherein the processor is configured to access a node'"'"'s data value in a message and adopt the node'"'"'s data value as the port data value.

Claims

1. A network component comprising:

a plurality of ports;

a memory configured to store a first port'"'"'s management identifier associated with a first one of the plurality of ports, wherein the first port is coupled to a neighboring node; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive an Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layer 2 message comprising a neighboring node'"'"'s management identifier, wherein the neighboring node'"'"'s management identifier is provisioned to the neighboring node but is not provisioned to the network component, wherein the neighboring node is provisioned to a virtual network identified by the neighboring node'"'"'s management identifier; and

adopt the neighboring node'"'"'s management identifier as the first port'"'"'s management identifier if a value has not been locally assigned to the first port'"'"'s management identifier at the time the message is received,

wherein the first port'"'"'s management identifier has not been locally assigned when the first port'"'"'s management identifier is a null value, and

wherein the null value for the first port'"'"'s management identifier indicates the first port has not been assigned to a second virtual network.

2. The network component of claim 1, wherein the memory is configured to store a local data value for the network component, and wherein the processor is further configured to translate between the local data value and the first port'"'"'s management identifier when the local data value and the first port'"'"'s management identifier have different values.

3. The network component of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a second OSI layer 2 message comprising the first port'"'"'s management identifier on the first port, and wherein translating between the local data value and the first port'"'"'s management identifier comprises converting from the local data value to the first port'"'"'s management identifier upon transmitting the second OSI layer 2 message.

4. The network component of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a second OSI layer 2 message comprising the first port'"'"'s management identifier on the first port, and wherein translating between the local data value and the first port'"'"'s management identifier comprises converting from the first port'"'"'s management identifier to the local data value upon receiving the second OSI layer 2 message.

5. The network component of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit a second OSI layer 2 message comprising the first port'"'"'s management identifier on the first port; and

receive a third OSI layer 2 message comprising the first port'"'"'s management identifier on the first port, wherein translating between the local data value and the first port'"'"'s management identifier comprises;

converting from the local data value to the first port'"'"'s management identifier upon transmitting the second OSI layer 2 message; and

converting from the first port'"'"'s management identifier to the local data value upon receiving the third OSI layer 2 message.

6. The network component of claim 5, wherein the network component is designated as a translating node.

7. The network component of claim 2, wherein the first port'"'"'s management identifier is a data communications network (DCN) virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (VID).

8. A network comprising:

a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs);

a first node communicating with a Network Management System (NMS) using a management VLAN identified by a management VLAN identifier (VID), wherein the first node is provisioned to the management VLAN indicated by the management VID; and

a second node coupled to the first node,

wherein the first node transmits an Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layer 2 messages comprising the management VID to the second node, and

wherein the second node adopts the management VID in the OSI layer 2 messages as the second node'"'"'s management VID when second node'"'"'s management VID is a null value, and

wherein having the null value as the second node'"'"'s management VID indicates the second node has not been provisioned to any VLANs.

9. The network of claim 8, wherein the nodes are configured to invoke a security challenge prior to adopting the management VID, and wherein the management VID is a data communications network (DCN) VID, and wherein the OSI layer 2 messages is a type-length-value (TLV) information string.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein the OSI layer 2 messages are exchanged using the Link Layer Discovery Protocol, and wherein the plurality of nodes are able to support instances of traffic-engineered paths.

11. A method for reducing provisioning activities in a data communications network (DCN), the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layer 2 message on a port of a first node in the DCN, wherein the broadcast OSI layer 2 message comprises a DCN virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (VID) that is assigned to a second node in the DCN, but not to the first node, wherein the second node is provisioned to the DCN network identified by the DCN VID; and

adopting the DCN VID as a port'"'"'s management VID when the port'"'"'s management VID is a null value at the time the message is received,

wherein having the null value as the port'"'"'s management VID indicates the port is not associated to the DCN.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a management entity provisions the DCN VID to a port of the second node, and wherein the broadcast OSI layer 2 message is broadcast by the second node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the broadcast OSI layer 2 message does not originate from the management entity.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

invoking a security challenge by the first node prior to adopting the DCN VID.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast OSI layer 2 message is a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) message.

16. A network component comprising:

at least one processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions that cause the processor to;

receive an Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) layer 2 message comprising a network identifier via a port from an adjacent node, wherein the adjacent node is coupled to the network component;

determine whether a local network identifier for the network component is a null value, wherein the null value for the local network identifier indicates the network component needs to be assigned a network identifier;

adopt the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message as the local network identifier when the local network identifier is the null value;

determine whether the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is valid, wherein the network identifier is valid when the network identifier comprises a valid data value;

determine whether the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is the null value; and

raise an alarm when the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is not valid and not the null value.

17. The network component in claim 16, wherein the adjacent node and network component are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1Qay complaint devices, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is reserved for some other purpose; and

raise an alarm when the local network identifier has not been assigned and the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is not allocated for management services.

18. The network component in claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether a management network identifier value is assigned to the port, wherein the management network identifier value identifies the virtual network that provides communication to a Network Management System (NMS);

determine whether the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is reserved for some other purpose on the port; and

raise an alarm when the local network identifier has been assigned, no management network identifier value is assigned to the port, and the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is not allocated to the NMS on the port.

19. The network component of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to assign the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message as the management network identifier for the port when the local network identifier has been assigned, the management network identifier value has not been assigned, and the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is not reserved for some other purpose on the port.

20. The network component of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether the port'"'"'s management network identifier value is identical to the local network identifier; and

configure a translation on the port when the port management network identifier is not identical to the local network identifier, wherein the translation provisions a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (VID) translation table that maps the port management network identifier to the local network identifier value as specified in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1ad.

21. The network component of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether a management network identifier value is assigned to the port, wherein the management network identifier value identifies the virtual network that provides communication to the NMS;

determine whether the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is identical to the port'"'"'s management network identifier value; and

clear any alarms when the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is assigned to the port and is identical to the port'"'"'s management network identifier value.

22. The network component of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to raise an alarm when the port'"'"'s management network identifier value is not null and the network identifier in the OSI layer 2 message is not identical to the port'"'"'s management network identifier value.

23. The network component of claim 16, wherein the network identifier from the adjacent node is a data communications network (DCN) VID.