Network topology discovery systems and methods
US8543681B2 · kind B2 · utility
28Cited by
134References
45Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 15, 2002 |
| Grant date | Sep 24, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 16, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L41/509
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system discovers the topology of devices in a network, such as all of the layer-2 and layer-3 devices, including routers and switches. The devices are mapped, as well as the links that join them. The devices are polled using SNMP requests. Route tables are derived from each router to determine addresses of the devices. A spanning tree process is used to discover layer-2 devices. Connections between layers are then discovered. Where information is incomplete, an undiscovered router cloud is recognized.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.