METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING AUTOMATIC CONNECTION ANNOUNCEMENT FROM A MODULAR NETWORK DEVICE TO A NETWORK MANAGEMENT POINT

• US 20100042708A1
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arnold Stamler, Ikramullah Mohammad
• Original Assignee: Arnold Stamler, Ikramullah Mohammad
• Inventors: Stamler, Arnold, Mohammad, Ikramullah
• Granted Patent: US 8,289,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method of provisioning modular network devices is described. A generic configuration is placed on a device; the configuration comprises commands for configuring interfaces associated the device. At the device, each interface associated with the device is configured with at least one command associated with the configuration. The device then attempts to connect with a management point through the current interface. If the current interface can connect to the management point, then an inventory of all interfaces associated with the device is self-initiated and automatically communicated by the device to the management point. In other embodiments, based on the inventory information, a configuration template containing relative interface references may be resolved into a permanent device configuration that includes absolute interface references. As a result, modular network devices in which interfaces of various types are installed at different slot locations may acquire a permanent configuration automatically from a remote management station.

Claims

1. An apparatus for provisioning modular network devices, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

a communication interface configured to receive an inventory that describes absolute interface references for interfaces associated with a device;

a configuration server configured to locate a template that describes relative interface references for the interfaces associated with the device and to create a configuration for the device by resolving the relative interface references with the absolute interface references;

wherein the communication interface communicates the configuration to the device.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the communication interface is configured to receive a unique hardware identifier of the device; and

the configuration server is configured to locate the template by using the unique hardware identifier of the device.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the unique hardware identifier of the device is a chassis serial number for the chassis of the device.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the communication interface is configured to receive a unique hardware identifier of the device; and

the configuration server is configured to use the unique hardware identifier to locate a main device object associated with the device.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the communication interface is configured to receive unique module identifiers for modules associated with the device;

the configuration server is configured to use the unique module identifiers to locate device sub objects for the modules associated with the device.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration server is configured to customize commands associated with the configuration using information associated with device objects for the device.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the template comprises one or more interface identifiers that specify (a) an interface type and (b) an interface name in the form of a substitution string.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the template comprises one or more interface substitution strings of the form % <

Type of interface>

<

logical port number>

%, wherein “

%”

comprises any delimiter character, <

Type of interface>

specifies an interface type, and <

logical port number>

specifies a logical port number.

10. An apparatus for provisioning modular network devices, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors;

means for receiving an inventory that describes absolute interface references for interfaces associated with a device;

means for locating a template that describes relative interface references for the interfaces associated with the device;

means for creating a configuration for the device by resolving the relative interface references with the absolute interface references;

means for communicating the configuration to the device.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving a unique hardware identifier of the device;

wherein the means for locating further comprises means for using the unique hardware identifier of the device to locate the template.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the unique hardware identifier of the device is a chassis serial number for the chassis of the device.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving a unique hardware identifier of the device;

means for using the unique hardware identifier to locate a main device object associated with the device.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving unique module identifiers for modules associated with the device;

means for using the unique module identifiers to locate device sub objects for the modules associated with the device.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the means for creating the configuration further comprises means for customizing commands associated with the configuration with information associated with device objects for the device.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the template comprises one or more interface identifiers that specify (a) an interface type and (b) an interface name in the form of a substitution string.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the template comprises one or more interface substitution strings of the form % <

Type of interface>

<

logical port number>

%, wherein “

%”

comprises any delimiter character, <

Type of interface>

specifies an interface type, and <

logical port number>

specifies a logical port number.

19. A computer-implemented method of provisioning modular network devices, comprising:

receiving an inventory that describes absolute interface references for interfaces associated with a device;

locating a template that describes relative interface references for the interfaces associated with the device;

creating a configuration for the device by resolving the relative interface references with the absolute interface references;

communicating the configuration to the device;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a unique hardware identifier of the device;

wherein the step of locating further comprises the step of using the unique hardware identifier of the device to locate the template.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the template comprises one or more interface identifiers that specify (a) an interface type and (b) an interface name in the form of a substitution string.

23. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of the method recited in claim 19.

24. A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for automatically provisioning a modular network device, the computer-readable storage medium further storing a template having (1) one or more interface identifiers that specify (a) an interface type and (b) an interface name in the form of a substitution string, wherein each substitution string is resolvable into an absolute interface name by a management point based on device inventory information that is received at the management point from the device, and (2) one or more device interface configuration commands associated with each of the interface identifiers.

25. A computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein each of the interface identifiers comprises one or more interface substitution strings of the form % <

Type of interface>

<

logical port number>

%, wherein “

%”

comprises any delimiter character, <

Type of interface>

specifies an interface type, and <

logical port number>

specifies a logical port number.