Systems and methods of discovering and controlling devices without explicit addressing

• US 9,503,328 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Accedian Networks Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robitaille, Claude, Bouffard, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/044,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/220, 709/222, 709/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A method of discovering a device in a communication network having multiple interconnected nodes includes continuously monitoring, by a device to be discovered, any IP packets sent by a discoverer. The method further includes transmitting, by the discoverer, an IP packet destined for a downstream device and receiving, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet. The method further includes determining, by the device to be discovered, whether the IP packet is intended for the device to be discovered. If the IP packet is not intended for the device to be discovered, retransmitting, by the device to be discovered, the IP packet to the downstream device via an egress port of the device to be discovered.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a management device in a communication network, the management device comprising an upstream port and a downstream port, the method comprising:

continuously monitoring IP packets received at the upstream port;

receiving at the upstream port an IP packet transmitted by a discoverer, the IP packet destined for a downstream device accessible by the management device through the downstream port, the IP packet comprising an identifier;

examining the identifier and determining that the IP packet is intended for the management device; and

transmitting through the upstream port an advertisement packet to the discoverer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the IP packet further comprises a discover ID.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the downstream device has an IP address and the management device borrows the IP address of the downstream device;

and

the advertisement packet has a source address of the IP address of the downstream device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the downstream device has a MAC address and the management device borrows the MAC address of the downstream device;

and

the advertisement packet has a source address of the MAC address of the downstream device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the management device changing from an undiscovered state to a discovered state.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving at the upstream port a management reply from the discoverer, the management including the discoverer ID.

7. A method of configuring a management device in a communication network, the management device comprising an upstream port and a downstream port, the method comprising:

continuously monitoring IP packets received at the upstream port, the management device storing a first discoverer ID;

receiving at the upstream port an IP packet transmitted by a discoverer, the IP packet destined for a downstream device accessible by the management device through the downstream port, the IP packet comprising an identifier and a second discoverer ID;

examining the identifier and determining that the first discoverer ID is different from the second discoverer ID, and that the IP packet is intended for the management device; and

transmitting through the upstream port an advertisement packet to the discoverer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the downstream device has an IP address and the management device borrows the IP address of the downstream device;

and

the advertisement packet has a source address of the IP address of the downstream device.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the downstream device has a MAC address and the management device borrows the MAC address of the downstream device;

and

the advertisement packet has a source address of the MAC address of the downstream device.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving at the upstream port a management reply from the discoverer, the management including the discoverer ID.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the management device updating the first discoverer ID with the second discoverer ID after transmitting the advertisement packet to the discoverer.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving at the upstream port a management reply from the discoverer, the management including the second discover ID.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the management device is initially in a discovered state.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the management device remaining in the discovered state after transmitting the advertisement packet to the discoverer.