Network location service

• US 9,166,884 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Lochner, Wolfgang, Suizo, Nick G., Nagarajan, Raj, Villait, Anil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belani, Kishin G
• Application Number:
  US11/932,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,911 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 379/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A method is provided for a network location service in which one or more packet forwarding devices in the network collect and maintain location data for the devices/users currently connected to a network. The data is maintained locally in each packet forwarding device and may be provided on demand to a network/business application, such as emergency 911 services or a location-based security or personalization system. The location data is provided in real-time or near real-time using an in-band channel communication and/or over the Internet using a standard transport protocol, such as HTTP/S and SOAP web services.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a network location service comprising performing on a hardware processor:

receiving a current physical location to assign to a port on a packet forwarding device in a network in accordance with a network management system policy database;

configuring the port on the packet forwarding device with the assigned current physical location;

detecting a connection of an end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device in the network, the end user device having a unique identifier, the connection being initiated in accordance with a communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device;

associating the configured assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device directly with the connected end user device when establishing the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device, wherein associating enables the configured assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device to be dynamically accessible by the unique identifier of the connected end user device;

storing, for the duration of the connection, the associated configured assigned current physical location, the unique identifier and information about the connected end user device in a repository on the same packet forwarding device on which the port resides, wherein the associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device are directly accessible by the unique identifier;

receiving, over an in-band channel communication between a plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, requests for a physical location of an end user device connected to the network, the requests specifying the unique identifier of the end user device; and

relaying, from one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, over the in-band channel communication, the stored associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device to an application on the network by the unique identifier, the application dynamically locating connected end user devices by their respective unique identifiers.

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

capturing attributes of the connected end user device when establishing the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device;

storing for the duration of the connection the captured attributes in the repository on the packet forwarding device, the captured attributes comprising the information about the connected end user device; and

relaying the stored captured attributes of the connected end user device to the application on the network by the unique identifier.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device is performed in accordance with the communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the communication protocol is at least one of a Link Layer Data Protocol, a .1x snooping protocol, a network login protocol, an address resolution protocol, and a dynamic host control protocol.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein relaying to the application on the network by the unique identifier the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device is performed over the Internet using a standard transport protocol.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing on the hardware processor is further comprising:

receiving in the packet forwarding device a request for a physical location of a device connected to the network, the request specifying a unique identifier of the device;

determining that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request matches the unique identifier of the connected end user device that is connected to one of the ports on the one of the packet forwarding devices among the plurality of packet forwarding devices; and

relaying, in response to the request, the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device from the determined one of the packet forwarding devices to the application by the unique identifier.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein performing on the hardware processor is further comprising:

determining that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request does not match any of the unique identifiers of end user devices connected to ports on one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices; and

relaying the request for the physical location of the device connected to the network to another one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network to whose ports the device having the unique identifier specified in the request may be connected.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is an Internet Protocol address or Media Access Control address.

9. A system for a locating end user devices connected to a network, the system comprising:

a packet forwarding device in a network having a plurality of packet forward devices, the packet forwarding device having a processor for locating devices connected to the network through ports on the packet forwarding device, wherein the processor;

receives a current physical location to assign to a port on the packet forwarding device in accordance with a network management system policy database communicatively coupled to the network of the packet forwarding device;

configures the assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device;

detects a connection of an end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device, the end user device having a unique identifier, the connection being initiated in accordance with a communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device;

associates the configured assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device directly with the connected end user device when establishing the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device, wherein to associate enables the configured assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device to be dynamically accessible by the unique identifier of the connected end user device;

stores, for the duration of the connection, the associated configured assigned current physical location, the unique identifier and information about the connected end user device in a repository on the same packet forwarding device on which the port resides, wherein the associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device are directly accessible by the unique identifier;

receives in one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices over an in-band channel communication between the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, a request to locate the connected end user device in the network, the request specifying the unique identifier of the connected end user device; and

relays, from the receiving one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, over the in-band channel communication, the stored associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device to an application on the network by the unique identifier responsive to receiving the request, the application dynamically locating connected end user devices by their respective unique identifiers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor further:

captures attributes of the connected end user device responsive to initiation of the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device;

stores for the duration of the connection the captured attributes in the repository on the packet forwarding device, the captured attributes comprising the information about the connected end user device; and

relays the stored captured attributes of the connected end user device to the application on the network by the unique identifier responsive to receiving the request.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor detects the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device in accordance with the communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication protocol is at least one of a Link Layer Data Protocol, a .1x snooping protocol, a network login protocol, an address resolution protocol, and a dynamic host control protocol.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor of the packet forwarding device relays the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device to the application on the network by the unique identifier over the Internet using a standard transport protocol.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor of the packet forwarding device further:

determines that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request does not match any of the unique identifiers of end user devices connected to ports on the receiving one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices; and

relays, over the in-band channel communication, the request to locate the connected end user device to another one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier is an Internet Protocol address or Media Access Control address.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor of the packet forwarding device further:

determines that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request matches the unique identifier of the connected end user device that is connected to one of the ports on the receiving one of the plurality packet forwarding devices; and

relays, over the in-band channel communication, the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device from the receiving one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices to the application by the unique identifier.

17. An article of manufacture comprising:

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

receive a current physical location to assign to a port on a packet forwarding device in accordance with a network management policy database;

configure the assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device, detect a connection of an end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device in a network, the end user device having a unique identifier, the connection being initiated in accordance with a communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device;

associate the configured assigned current physical location of the port with the connected end user device to enable the configured assigned current physical location of the port on the packet forwarding device to be dynamically accessible by the unique identifier of the connected end user device;

store, for the duration of the connection, the associated configured assigned current physical location, the unique identifier and information about the connected end user device in a repository on the same packet forwarding device, wherein the associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device are directly accessible by the unique identifier;

receiving, over an in-band channel communication between a plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, requests for a physical location of an end user device connected to the network, the requests specifying the unique identifier of the end user device; and

relay, from one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network, the stored associated configured assigned current physical location and information about the connected end user device to an application on the network by the unique identifier, the application dynamically locating connected end user devices by their respective unique identifiers.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

capture attributes of the connected end user device when establishing the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device;

store for the duration of the connection the captured attributes in the repository on the packet forwarding device, the captured attributes comprising the information about the connected end user device; and

relay the stored captured attributes of the connected end user device to the application on the network by the unique identifier.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

detect the connection of the connected end user device to the port on the packet forwarding device in accordance with the communication protocol implemented on the packet forwarding device.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the communication protocol is at least one of a Link Layer Data Protocol, a .1x snooping protocol, a network login protocol, an address resolution protocol, and a dynamic host control protocol.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to relay the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device to an application on the network by the unique identifier, using an in-band communication channel communicatively coupled to the packet forwarding device.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to relay the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device to an application on the network by the unique identifier and over the Internet using a standard transport protocol.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive, in the packet forwarding device, a request for a physical location of a device connected to the network, the request specifying a unique identifier of the device;

determine that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request matches the unique identifier of the connected end user device connected to one of the ports on the one of the packet forwarding devices among the plurality of packet forwarding devices; and

relay, in response to the request, the stored associated location and information about the connected end user device from the determined one of the packet forwarding devices to the application by the unique identifier.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine that the unique identifier of the device specified in the request does not match any of the unique identifiers of end user devices connected to ports on one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices; and

relay the request for the physical location of the device connected to the network to another one of the plurality of packet forwarding devices in the network to whose ports the device having the unique identifier specified in the request may be connected.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the unique identifier is an Internet Protocol address or Media Access Control address.