Intelligent automatic reconfiguration method and apparatus for network system

• US 7,864,704 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cameo Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cameo Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Pei Chuan, Lee, Shih Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAU, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US11/798,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20080130517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for intelligent automatic reconfiguration of a network system basically implements an automatic reconfiguration apparatus to acquire the configuration of every network device and generates a topology of the network devices. Afterward, the automatic reconfiguration apparatus can detect the status of the network devices. When some network device is replaced by a new network device due to a breakdown or other factors, the automatic reconfiguration apparatus can detect the changed status and check the hardware version as well as the corresponding location in the topology of the former network device. If the hardware version of the new network device is identical to the hardware version of the corresponding former network device in the topology, the disclosed apparatus can automatically load the stored prime configuration into the new network device for performing automatic configuration to the network device.

Claims

1. A method for intelligent automatic reconfiguration of network system, said method being executed by an automatic reconfiguration apparatus and comprising the steps of:

acquiring configuration of at least one network device connected to said network system and storing the configuration acquired from said at least one network device in a database;

generating a topology of said at least one network device according to the acquired configuration for determining connections among all of the at least one network device;

wherein, said topology contains at least a MAC address of each network device and a port information according to the connections among all of the at least one network device;

detecting a status of one of the at least one network device;

wherein detecting the status of one of the at least one network device is to detect whether a checksum of the detected network device is changed or not, wherein if the checksum is changed, it is indicated that the status of the detected network device is changed;

and determining whether to transmit the configuration stored in the database to the detected network device for implementing automatic reconfiguration therein according to a result derived from detecting said status of the detected network device;

wherein, the step of determining whether to transmit the configuration stored in the database to the detected network device includes following steps;

when a result of the detecting reveals that said status of the detected network device is changed, checking whether the status-changed network device is a replacement of any network device contained in the topology by means of the port information;

and if the status-changed network device is a replacement, checking whether a hardware version of the status-changed network device is identical to a hardware version in the configuration stored in the database corresponding a corresponding position in the topology corresponding to the status-changed network device;

if the hardware version is identical, then transmitting the acquired configuration stored in the database to the status-changed network device for performing automatic configuration;

if the status-changed network device is not a replacement or the hardware version is not identical, then the acquired configuration will not be transmitted to the status-changed network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method for acquiring configuration of at least one network device is performed under Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein either if the status-changed network device is not a replacement or if the hardware version is not identical, manual configuration is required.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network system is an Ethernet system and is selected from one of the following:

WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network) and WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device is selected from one of the following:

a hub, a switch, a router, a broadband router, a NMS (Network Management Server), an AP (Access Point), a Wireless Dongle and a network card.

6. A method for intelligent automatic reconfiguration of network system, said method being executed by an automatic reconfiguration apparatus and comprising the steps of:

acquiring configuration of at least one network device connected to said network system and storing the configuration acquired from said at least one network device in a database;

generating a topology of said at least one network device according to the acquired configuration for determining connections among all of the at least one network device;

wherein, said topology contains at least a MAC address of each network device and a port information according to the connections among all of the at least one network device;

detecting a status of one of the at least one network device;

and determining whether to transmit the configuration stored in the database to the detected network device for implementing automatic reconfiguration therein according to a result derived from detecting said status of the detected network device;

wherein, the step of determining whether to transmit the configuration stored in the database to the detected network device includes following steps;

when a result of the detecting reveals that said status of the detected network device is changed, checking whether the status-changed network device is a replacement of any network device contained in the topology by means of the port information;

and if the status-changed network device is a replacement, checking whether a hardware version of the status-changed network device is identical to a hardware version in the configuration stored in the database corresponding a corresponding position in the topology corresponding to the status-changed network device;

if the hardware version is identical, then transmitting the acquired configuration stored in the database to the status-changed network device for performing automatic configuration;

if the status-changed network device is not a replacement or the hardware version is not identical, then the acquired configuration will not be transmitted to the status-changed network device;

if the status-changed network device is not a replacement, it is indicated that the status-changed network device is a new addition to the network system, and thus the automatic reconfiguration apparatus will acquire the configuration of the status-changed network device and its port information;

and if the status-changed network device is a replacement but the hardware version is not identical, then a default configuration pre-stored in the database of the automatic reconfiguration apparatus will be transmitted to the status-changed network device for performing configuration manually.