Method and apparatus providing automatic connection announcement from a modular network device to a network management point

• US 7,631,055 B1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stamler, Arnold, Mohammad, Ikramullah
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gillis; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US10/422,227
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222
• US Class Current: 709/220
• 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. A method of provisioning modular network devices, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving a configuration at a modular network device on a data network, wherein the modular network device comprises a plurality of slots into which one or more modules is plugged, and wherein the configuration comprises commands for configuring a plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device;

at the modular network device, performing the steps of;

setting one interface of the plurality of network interfaces as a current interface;

configuring the current interface with at least one command associated with the configuration;

attempting to connect with a management point over the data network through the current interface;

determining whether the current interface can connect to the management point;

in response to determining that the current interface cannot connect to the management point;

setting a next interface of the plurality of network interfaces as the current interface, and

repeating the step of configuring and the step of attempting to connect for the current interface; and

in response to determining that the current interface can connect to the management point, the modular network device automatically communicating, to the management point, an inventory of each interface of the plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the inventory further comprises information identifying one or more slots in the modular network device that contain no modules or interfaces.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a first subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a first type of module, and a second subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a second type of module, and

wherein the step of configuring further comprises the steps of using the first subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the first type, and if no interfaces of the first type can connect to the management point, then

using the second subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the second type;

attempting to connect to the management point using the interfaces of the second type.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising attempting to connect to the management point from each interface of the second type only after attempting to connect to the management point from a last interface of the first type.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the type of modules with which the interfaces are associated is selected from a group consisting of serial, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Packet-over-SONET/SDH (POS).

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating an inventory describing absolute interface references for the interfaces on the modular network device; and

if the configured interface can be used to connect to the management point, then communicating the inventory to the management point.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the step of communicating the inventory to the management point further comprises the step of communicating the inventory in the form of an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modular network device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

9. A computer-readable medium, which is a volatile or a non-volatile memory storing one or more sequences of instructions for provisioning modular network devices, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving a configuration at a modular network device on a data network, wherein the modular network device comprises a plurality of slots into which one or more modules is plugged, and wherein the configuration comprises commands for configuring a plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device;

at the modular network device, performing the steps of;

setting one interface of the plurality of network interfaces as a current interface;

configuring a current interface with at least one command associated with the configuration;

attempting to connect with a management point over the data network through the current interface;

determining whether the current interface can connect to the management point;

in response to determining that the current interface cannot connect to the management point;

setting a next interface of the plurality of network interfaces as the current interface, and

repeating the step of configuring and the step of attempting to connect for the current interface; and

in response to determining that the current interface can connect to the management point, the modular network device automatically communicating, to the management point, an inventory of each interface of the plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device.

10. A computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the inventory further comprises information identifying one or more slots in the modular network device that contain no modules or interfaces.

11. A computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, wherein a first subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a first type of module, and a second subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a second type of module, and

wherein the step of configuring further comprises the steps of using the first subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the first type, and if no interfaces of the first type can connect to the management point, then

using the second subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the second type;

attempting to connect to the management point using the interfaces of the second type.

12. A computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of attempting to connect to the management point from each interface of the second type only after attempting to connect to the management point from a last interface of the first type.

13. A computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the type of modules with which the interfaces are associated is selected from a group consisting of serial, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Packet-over-SONET/SDH (POS).

14. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

creating an inventory describing absolute interface references for the interfaces on the modular network device; and

if the configured interface can be used to connect to the management point, then communicating the inventory to the management point.

15. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of communicating the inventory to the management point further comprises the step of communicating the inventory in the form of an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document.

16. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the modular network device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

17. An apparatus for provisioning modular network devices, comprising:

a processor;

means for receiving a configuration at a modular network device on a data network, wherein the modular network device comprises a plurality of slots into which one or more modules is plugged, and wherein the configuration comprises commands for configuring a plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device;

means for performing at the modular network device, the steps of;

setting one interface of the plurality of network interfaces as a current interface;

configuring a current interface with at least one command associated with the configuration;

attempting to connect with a management point over the data network through the current interface;

determining whether the current interface can connect to the management point;

in response to determining that the current interface cannot connect to the management point;

setting a next interface of the plurality of network interfaces as the current interface, and

repeating the step of configuring and the step of attempting to connect for the current interface; and

in response to determining that the current interface can connect to the management point, the modular network device automatically communicating, to the management point, an inventory of each interface of the plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the inventory further comprises information identifying one or more slots in the modular network device that contain no modules or interfaces.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein a first subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a first type of module, and a second subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a second type of module, and

wherein the means for configuring further comprises:

means for using the first subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the first type;

means for using the second subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the second type if no interfaces of the first type can connect to the management point; and

means for attempting to connect to the management point using the interfaces of the second type if no interfaces of the first type can connect to the management point.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, further comprising means for attempting to connect to the management point from each interface of the second type only after attempting to connect to the management point from a last interface of the first type.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the type of modules with which the interfaces are associated is selected from a group consisting of serial, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Packet-over-SONET/SDH (POS).

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

means for creating an inventory describing absolute interface references for the interfaces on the modular network device; and

means for communicating the inventory to the management point if the configured interface can be used to connect to the management point.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein the means for communicating the inventory to the management point further comprises the step of communicating the inventory in the form of an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the modular network device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.

25. An apparatus for provisioning modular network devices comprising:

a network interface that is coupled to a data network for receiving one or more packet flows therefrom;

a processor;

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving a configuration at a modular network device on a data network, wherein the modular network device comprises a plurality of slots into which one or more modules is plugged, and wherein the configuration comprises commands for configuring a plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device;

at the modular network device, performing the steps of;

setting one interface of the plurality of network interfaces as a current interface;

configuring a current interface with at least one command associated with the configuration;

attempting to connect with a management point over the data network through the current interface;

determining whether the current interface can connect to the management point;

in response to determining that the current interface cannot connect to the management point;

setting a next interface of the plurality of network interfaces as the current interface, and

repeating the step of configuring and the step of attempting to connect for the current interface; and

in response to determining that the current interface can connect to the management point, the modular network device automatically communicating, to the management point, an inventory of each interface of the plurality of network interfaces associated with the modular network device.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein the inventory further comprises information identifying one or more slots in the modular network device that contain no modules or interfaces.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein a first subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a first type of module, and a second subset of the commands associated with the configuration are for configuring interfaces for a second type of module, and

wherein the step of configuring further comprises the steps of using the first subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the first type, and if no interfaces of the first type can connect to the management point, then

using the second subset of commands to configure the interfaces of the second type;

attempting to connect to the management point using the interfaces of the second type.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein the stored sequences of instructions further cause the processor to carry out the step of attempting to connect to the management point from each interface of the second type only after attempting to connect to the management point from a last interface of the first type.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein the type of modules with which the interfaces are associated is selected from a group consisting of serial, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and Packet-over-SONET/SDH (POS).

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein the stored sequences of instructions further cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

creating an inventory describing absolute interface references for the interfaces on the modular network device; and

if the configured interface can be used to connect to the management point, then communicating the inventory to the management point.

31. The apparatus as recited in claim 30, wherein the step of communicating the inventory to the management point further comprises the step of communicating the inventory in the form of an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document.

32. The apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein the modular network device comprises pluggable modules and the interfaces are interfaces associated with the pluggable modules.