SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM FOR DETERMINING A LAYER 2 PATH TRACE IN A HETEROGENEOUS NETWORK SYSTEM

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable for performing network system diagnostics is provided.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a network system in which an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented for identifying a layer 2 path trace between target devices;

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic representation of a computer system that may be configured as a management station adapted to perform diagnostics operations in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein;

FIG. 2B is a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of a software configuration of the computer system depicted in FIG. 2A that facilitates performing diagnostic operations;

FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic representation of a port forwarding database that maps IP addresses of devices to MAC addresses;

FIG. 3B is a diagrammatic representation of a VLAN table;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting processing steps of an embodiment of a target device selection module that may be performed by a layer 2 diagnostics application to facilitate a layer 2 trace between two target devices;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a port forwarding database population module of a diagnostics application that may be invoked after supply of target device and network configuration data by a user;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a path trace action module of a diagnostics application that may be invoked to facilitate identification of a layer 2 path trace;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a layer 2 switch evaluation module of a diagnostics application that facilitates determination of whether a layer 2 switch is located in a path between two target devices;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart that depicts an embodiment of a switch ordering module of a diagnostics application;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart that depicts an embodiment of a switch ordering module for designating a layer 2 switch as excluded from a path trace;

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a flowchart that depicts an embodiment of a layer 2 path assembly module;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of an embodiment of an exemplary display output of a path trace; and

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic illustration of an embodiment of an exemplary display output of a path trace that includes an unordered node.

Claims

1. A method of performing network system diagnostics, comprising: obtaining a respective identification of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;iteratively querying neighbor devices of at least one node in a communications path between the first and second target devices, wherein the neighbor devices and the first and second target device may comprise heterogeneous network nodes; andgenerating a layer 2 path trace that comprises identification of network devices interconnected on a physical path between the first and second target devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the layer 2 path trace comprises identifying at least one node as an ordered node in the path trace.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the layer 2 path trace comprises identifying at least one node as an unordered node in the path trace.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a graphical representation of the path trace that comprises a respective object for each of the first and second target devices and any nodes identified as included in the physical path.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying further comprises displaying a node identified as unordered distinctly from the path trace to visually indicate identification of the node as unordered.

6. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processing system, the computer-executable instructions for performing diagnostics in a network system, comprising: instructions that obtain a respective identification of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;instructions that iteratively query neighbor devices of at least one node in a communications path between the first and second target devices, wherein the neighbor devices and the first and second target device may comprise heterogeneous network nodes; andinstructions that generate a layer 2 path trace that comprises network devices interconnected on a physical path between the first and second target devices.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions that generate the layer 2 path trace identify at least one node as an ordered node in the path trace.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions that generate the layer 2 path trace identify at least one node as an unordered node in the path trace.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising instructions that display a graphical representation of the path trace that comprises a respective object for each of the first and second target devices and any nodes identified as included in the physical path.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions that display further display a node identified as unordered distinctly from the path trace to visually indicate identification of the node as unordered.

11. A network diagnostics system, comprising: means for obtaining a respective identification of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;means for iteratively querying neighbor devices of at least one node in a communications path between the first and second target devices, wherein the neighbor devices and the first and second target device may comprise heterogeneous network nodes; andmeans for generating a layer 2 path trace that comprises network devices interconnected on a physical path between the first and second target devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the layer 2 path trace comprise means for identifying at least one node as an ordered node in the path trace.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for generating the layer 2 path trace comprise means for identifying at least one node as an unordered node in the path trace.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for displaying a graphical representation of the path trace that comprises a respective object for each of the first and second target devices and any nodes identified as included in the physical path.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the means for displaying further comprise means for displaying a node identified as unordered distinctly from the path trace to visually indicate identification of the node as unordered.

16. A system for performing network diagnostics, comprising: first and second nodes interconnected within a network system; anda data processing system including a processor device for executing a diagnostics engine implemented as a set of computer-executable instructions, the data processing system adapted to obtain a respective identification of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network, query neighbor devices comprising at least one node in a communications path between the first and second target devices, and generate a layer 2 path trace that comprises identifications of network devices interconnected on a physical path between the first and second target devices, wherein the neighbor devices and the first and second target device may comprise heterogeneous network nodes.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a display apparatus connected with the data processing system, wherein the path trace is visually output on the display apparatus.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the data processing system generates the layer 2 path trace including an identity of at least one node as an ordered node in the path trace.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the data processing system generates the layer 2 path trace that comprises an identity of at least one node as an unordered node in the path trace.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the data processing system displays a node identified as unordered distinctly from the path trace to visually indicate identification of the node as unordered.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the diagnostics engine comprises a CLIPS-based Expert System.

22. A method of performing network system diagnostics, comprising: receiving a respective identity of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;populating a respective port forwarding database on one or more layer 2 devices located between the first target device and the second target device;querying the respective port forwarding database;designating one or more of the layer 2 devices as included in a layer 2 path trace between the first and second target devices or excluded from the layer 2 path trace based, at least in part, on the respective port forwarding database;evaluating a port forwarding database of a layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;attempting to determine node ordering information specifying direct connectivity between the layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace and at last one neighbor device thereof;iteratively repeating the steps of evaluating and attempting with other layer 2 devices designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;assembling the node ordering information into a layer 2 path trace; andgenerating a graphical representation of the assembled node ordering information.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for execution by a processing system, the computer-executable instructions for performing diagnostics in a network system, comprising: instructions that receive a respective identity of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;instructions that populate a respective port forwarding database on one or more layer 2 devices located between the first target device and the second target device;instructions that query the respective port forwarding database;instructions that designate one or more of the layer 2 devices as included in a layer 2 path trace between the first and second target devices or excluded from the layer 2 path trace based, at least in part, on the respective port forwarding database;instructions that evaluate a port forwarding database of a layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;instructions that attempt to determine node ordering information specifying direct connectivity between the layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace and at last one neighbor device thereof;instructions that iteratively repeat the steps of evaluating and attempting with other layer 2 devices designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;instructions that assemble the node ordering information into a layer 2 path trace; andinstructions that generate a graphical representation of the assembled node ordering information.

24. A system for performing network diagnostics, comprising: first and second nodes interconnected within a network system; anda data processing system including a processor device for executing a diagnostics engine implemented as a set of computer-executable instructions, the data processing system adapted to receive a respective identity of the first node and the second node, populate a respective port forwarding database on one or more layer 2 devices located between the first and second nodes, query the respective port forwarding database, designate one or more of the layer 2 devices as included in a layer 2 path trace or excluded from the layer 2 path trace based, at least in part, on the respective port forwarding database, evaluate a port forwarding database of a layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace, attempt to determine node ordering information specifying direct connectivity between the layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace and at last one neighbor device thereof, iteratively repeat the steps of evaluating and attempting with other layer 2 devices designated as included in the layer 2 path trace, assemble the node ordering information into a layer 2 path trace, and generate a graphical representation of the assembled node ordering information.

25. A network diagnostics system, comprising: means for receiving a respective identity of a first target device and a second target device deployed in a network;means for populating a respective port forwarding database on one or more layer 2 devices located between the first target device and the second target device;means for querying the respective port forwarding database;means for designating one or more of the layer 2 devices as included in a layer 2 path trace between the first and second target devices or excluded from the layer 2 path trace based, at least in part, on the respective port forwarding database;means for evaluating a port forwarding database of a layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;means for attempting to determine node ordering information specifying direct connectivity between the layer 2 device designated as included in the layer 2 path trace and at last one neighbor device thereof;means for iteratively repeating the steps of evaluating and attempting with other layer 2 devices designated as included in the layer 2 path trace;means for assembling the node ordering information into a layer 2 path trace; andmeans for generating a graphical representation of the assembled node ordering information.