Hierarchical schema to provide an aggregated view of device capabilities in a network

• US 9,253,021 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Tolle, Gilman, Rangwala, Sumit, Buonadonna, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US13/407,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20130227114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data

Abstract

In one embodiment, an aggregation device within a computer network domain receives one or more capability messages from one or more devices in the computer network domain. The aggregation device may then aggregate device capabilities from the capability messages, and provides the aggregated device capabilities to a management device located outside of the computer network domain.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a root node acting as an aggregation device for a management device, one or more capability messages and network statistics from each device of a plurality of devices making up the computer network domain;

aggregating, by a processor on the aggregation device, device capabilities included in the capability messages into an aggregation report at the aggregation device, the aggregate report creating an aggregate view of the device capabilities of the plurality of devices in the computer network domain, the aggregate view organized according to each of type of device capability of the device capabilities associated with each device of the plurality of devices;

aggregating, by the processor on the aggregation device, the network statistics;

providing, by the processor on the aggregation device, the aggregation report to the management device located outside of the computer network domain;

providing, by the processor on the aggregation device, aggregated network statistics from the aggregation device to the management device;

updating the aggregated device capabilities and network statistics of the one or more devices at the management device by only sending incremental changes to the management device in order to limit control traffic sent to the management device;

determining that network traffic within the computer network domain is below a configured threshold; and

triggering a capability rediscovery within the computer network domain in response to the network traffic being below the configured threshold.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

providing a particular aggregated network statistic in response to the particular aggregated network statistic crossing a configured threshold.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein aggregating comprises:

indicating that at least one device within the computer network domain has a particular capability.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein aggregating comprises:

indicating a number of devices within the computer network domain that have a particular capability.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein aggregating comprises:

indicating mapped coordinates of coverage for a particular capability within the computer network domain.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein aggregating comprises:

indicating a coverage area for a particular capability and a coverage percentage within that coverage area.

7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

distributing an address of one or more aggregation devices within the computer network domain.

8. The method as in claim 7, further comprising:

including the address of the one or more aggregation devices within a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) response.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the device capabilities include one or more of model;

serial number;

geographic location;

hardware description;

network interface description;

sensing interface description;

or sensing data coverage area.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the aggregation device is an edge device for the computer network domain.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more capability messages are destined for the management device, and wherein receiving the one or more capability devices comprises intercepting the one or more capability messages by the aggregation device on their way toward the management device.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the one or more capability messages are based on a constrained application protocol (CoAP).

13. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate within a computer network domain and with a management device outside of the computer network domain;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

receive one or more capability messages and network statistics from a device of a plurality of devices making up the computer network domain, wherein the apparatus is a root device of the device of a plurality of devices in the computer network domain, the root device acting as an aggregation device for a management device;

aggregate device capabilities included in the capability messages into an aggregation report that creates an aggregate view of the device capabilities of the plurality of devices in the computer network domain, the aggregate view organized according to each of type of device capability of the device capabilities associated with each device of the plurality of devices;

aggregating the network statistics;

provide the aggregation report to the management device located outside of the computer network domain;

provide aggregated network statistics to the management device;

update the aggregated device capabilities and network statistics of the one or more devices at the management device by only sending incremental changes to the management device to limit control traffic sent to the management device;

determine that network traffic within the computer network domain is below a configured threshold; and

trigger a capability rediscovery within the computer network domain in response to the network traffic being below the configured threshold.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the process when executed to aggregate is further operable to:

indicate that at least one device within the computer network domain has a particular capability.

15. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the process when executed to aggregate is further operable to:

indicate mapped coordinates of coverage for a particular capability within the computer network domain.

16. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the apparatus is an edge device for the computer network domain.

17. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the one or more capability messages are destined for the management device, and wherein the process when executed to receive the one or more capability devices is further operable to:

intercept the one or more capability messages on their way toward the management device.

18. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software, when executed by a processor on root node in a computer network domain acting as an aggregation device for a management device, operable to:

receive one or more capability messages and network statistics from each device of a plurality of devices making up the computer network domain;

aggregate device capabilities included in the capability messages into an aggregation report that creates an aggregate view of the device capabilities of the plurality of devices in the computer network domain, the aggregate view organized according to each of type of device capability of the device capabilities associated with each device of the plurality of devices;

aggregating the network statistics;

provide the aggregation report to the management device located outside of the computer network domain;

provide aggregated network statistics to the management device;

update the aggregated device capabilities and network statistics of the one or more devices at the management device by only sending incremental changes to the management device in order to limit control traffic sent to the management device;

determine that network traffic within the computer network domain is below a configured threshold; and

trigger a capability rediscovery within the computer network domain in response to the network traffic being below the configured threshold.