Scalable reusable scanning of application networks/systems

• US 9,077,609 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Tyree, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US12/632,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,038 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A device schedules a scan of a group of devices associated with an application network/system, and receives, at a scheduled time, scan information from the group of devices, where the scan information is provided in different formats. The device also converts the scan information, in the different formats, into a single normalized format, and processes the normalized scan information to produce enriched, normalized scan information.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method comprising:

scheduling, by the computing device, a scanning device to perform a scan of one or more devices;

receiving, by the computing device and at a scheduled time, scan information from the scan, by the scanning device, of the one or more devices,

the scan information being received in two or more different formats;

converting, by the computing device and using information regarding a single normalized format and information regarding how to map the two or more different formats into normalized scan information, the scan information, received in the two or more different formats, into the single normalized format to form the normalized scan information,

converting the scan information including;

mapping operating system information and application information associated with the scan information to a common set of identifiers; and

using the common set of identifiers to convert the two or more different formats of the scan information into the single normalized format; and

processing, by the computing device, the normalized scan information to produce enriched, normalized scan information,

the processing of the normalized scan information including;

receiving device metadata including information associated with the one or more devices being scanned,

generating unique identifiers for the one or more devices,

iteratively identifying, based on the unique identifiers, at least one of the one or more devices associated with the normalized scan information, and

associating, for the identified at least one of the one or more devices, the device metadata with the normalized scan information to produce the enriched, normalized scan information.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the enriched, normalized scan information; and

providing the stored enriched, normalized scan information to an application management system associated with the one or more devices.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the single normalized format comprises a common result format.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where scheduling the scanning device to perform the scan of the one or more devices comprises:

generating configuration information for the scan;

generating time information for the scan;

generating Internet protocol (IP) information associated with the one or more devices to be scanned; and

scheduling the scan of the one or more devices based on the generated configuration information, the generated time information, and the generated IP information.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where processing the normalized scan information further comprises:

receiving rules associated with the one or more devices;

applying the rules to the normalized scan information to produce rules metadata for the one or more devices; and

associating, for the identified at least one of the one or more devices, the rules metadata with the normalized scan information to produce the enriched, normalized scan information.

6. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the unique identifiers comprise unique hashes to identify the one or more devices.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 6, where at least one of the one or more devices utilizes a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), and

where generating unique identifiers for the one or more devices includes:

identifying aspects of the one of the one or more devices that do not change based on the DHCP, and

assigning the unique hashes to the one or more devices based on the identified aspects.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the computing device comprises a scanning server.

17. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the device metadata includes information associated with one or more of:

a manufacturer associated with a particular device, of the one or more devices,

a model associated with the particular device, or

a functional feature associated with the particular device.

9. A device comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

schedule one or more scanning devices to perform a scan of one or more devices,

receive, from the one or more scanning devices, scan information associated with the scan of the one or more devices,

the received scan information being provided in two or more different formats,

receive device metadata associated with the one or more devices being scanned,

convert, using information regarding a single normalized format and information regarding how to map the two or more different formats into normalized scan information, the received scan information, in the two or more different formats, into the single normalized format to form the normalized scan information,

the processor, when converting the scan information, being further to;

map operating system information and application information associated with the scan information to a common set of identifiers, and

use the common set of identifiers to convert the two or more different formats of the scan information into the single normalized format, and

process the normalized scan information to produce enriched, normalized scan information,

the processor, when processing the normalized scan information, being to;

identify unique identifiers for the one or more devices,

iteratively identify, based on the unique identifiers, at least one of the one or more devices associated with the normalized scan information, and

associate, for the identified at least one of the one or more devices, the device metadata with the normalized scan information to produce enriched, normalized scan information.

10. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further to at least one of:

store the enriched, normalized scan information in the memory, or

provide the enriched, normalized scan information to an application management system associated with the one or more devices.

11. The device of claim 9, where the single normalized format comprises a common result format.

12. The device of claim 9, where, when scheduling the one or more scanning devices to perform the scan of the one or more devices, the processor is further to:

generate configuration information for the scan,

generate time information for the scan,

generate Internet protocol (IP) information associated with the one or more devices to be scanned, and

schedule the scan of the one or more devices based on the generated configuration information, the generated time information, and the generated IP information.

13. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further to:

generate the unique identifiers.

14. The device of claim 9, where, when associating the device metadata with the normalized scan information, the processor is further to:

receive rules associated with the one or more devices,

apply the rules to the normalized scan information to produce rules metadata for the one or more devices, and

associate the rules metadata with the normalized scan information to produce the enriched, normalized scan information.

15. The device of claim 9, where the unique identifiers comprise unique hashes to identify the one or more devices.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable memory device that stores instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to schedule a scanning device to perform a scan of one or more devices;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive scan information from the scan of the one or more devices,

the scan information being received in two or more different formats;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to convert, using information regarding a single normalized format and information regarding how to map the two or more different formats into normalized scan information, the scan information, received in the two or more different formats, into the single normalized format to form the normalized scan information,

the one or more instructions to convert the scan information including;

one or more instructions to map operating system information and application information associated with the scan information to a common set of identifiers, and

one or more instructions to use the common set of identifiers to convert the two or more different formats of the scan information into the single normalized format; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to enrich the normalized scan information to produce enriched, normalized scan information,

the one or more instructions to cause the processor to enrich the normalized scan information including;

one or more instructions to receive device metadata including information associated with the one or more devices,

one or more instructions to receive rules associated with the one or more devices,

one or more instructions to apply the rules to the normalized scan information to produce rules metadata for the one or more devices, and

one or more instructions to associate the device metadata and the rules metadata with the normalized scan information to produce the enriched, normalized scan information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory device of claim 16, where the instructions further include at least one of:

one or more instructions to store the enriched, normalized scan information in a memory;

or

one or more instructions to provide the enriched, normalized scan information to an application management system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory device of claim 16, where the one or more instructions to schedule the scanning device to perform the scan of the one or more devices further include:

one or more instructions to generate configuration information for the scan;

one or more instructions to generate time information for the scan;

one or more instructions to generate Internet protocol (IP) information associated with the one or more devices to be scanned; and

one or more instructions to schedule the scan of the one or more devices based on the generated configuration information, the generated time information, and the generated IP information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory device of claim 16, where the single normalized format comprises a common result format.