PROVISIONING AND REDUNDANCY FOR RFID MIDDLEWARE SERVERS

• US 20110004781A1
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howarth, Arthur G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

The present invention provides for the provisioning and redundancy of RFID middleware servers. Middleware servers can be automatically provisioned and RFID device/middleware server associations can be automatically updated. Some implementations of the invention provide for automatic detection of middleware server malfunctions. Some such implementations provide for automated provisioning and automated updating of RFID device/middleware server associations, whether a middleware server is automatically brought online or is manually replaced. Changes and reassignments of the RFID device populations may be accommodated.

Claims

1. A network management method, comprising:

determining a failure of a first radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) middleware server;

disabling a first switch port of a switch in communication with the first RFID middleware server;

allocating RFID devices formerly associated with the first RFID middleware server to a second RFID middleware server;

enabling a second switch port in communication with the second RFID middleware server; and

automatically provisioning the second RFID middleware server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the determining, disabling, allocating and enabling steps are performed automatically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises at least one of receiving a change-of-state message from the switch and a failure determination by a monitor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the change-of-state message comprises at least one of an SNMP trap and an indication of a lack of heartbeat.

5. A central server, comprising:

at least one memory for storing middleware server configuration, ID and location information, and for storing associations of middleware servers and RFID devices;

a port configured for communication with an RFID network, the RFID network comprising an active middleware server in communication with a switch via a first switch port, a standby middleware server in communication with the switch via a second switch port and a plurality of RFID devices associated with and in communication with the active middleware server; and

at least one logic device configured to;

determine a failure of the first middleware server;

instruct the switch to disable the first port;

re-assign at least a portion of the plurality of RFID devices to the standby middleware server;

instruct the switch to enable the second port; and

provision the standby middleware server.

6. A network management method, comprising:

inspecting a DHCPDISCOVER request of a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) device;

provisioning the RFID device based, at least in part, upon location information in the DHCPDISCOVER request; and

determining whether a middleware server associated with the RFID device supports DHCP ForceRenew.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein provisioning the RFID device is further based, at least in part, on a personality configuration of the RFID device.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein provisioning the RFID device is performed by providing provisioning data in one or more DHCP options of the DHCPDISCOVER request.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the provisioning data includes a network configuration.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the provisioning data includes a personality configuration of the RFID device

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the location information is provided in one or more DHCP options.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of reprovisioning the middleware server via DHCP ForceRenew when it is determined that the middleware server supports DHCP ForceRenew.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of reprovisioning the middleware server during a next DHCP lease renewal when it is determined that the middleware server does not support DHCP ForceRenew.

14. A network device, comprising:

means for inspecting a DHCPDISCOVER request of a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) device;

means for provisioning the RFID device based, at least in part, upon location information in the DHCPDISCOVER request; and

means for determining whether a middleware server associated with the RFID device supports DHCP ForceRenew.

15. The network device of claim 14, further comprising means for reprovisioning the middleware server via DHCP ForceRenew when the determining means determines that the middleware server supports DHCP ForceRenew.

16. The network device of claim 14, wherein the means for provisioning the RFID device is further based, at least in part, on a personality configuration of the RFID device.

17. The network device of claim 14, wherein the means for provisioning the RFID device is performed by providing provisioning data in one or more DHCP options of the DHCPDISCOVER request.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the provisioning data includes a network configuration.

19. The network device as recited in claim 17, wherein the provisioning data includes a personality configuration of the RFID device

20. The network device as recited in claim 17, wherein the location information is provided in one or more DHCP options.