International Business Machines Corporation

Christopher J Baggott

Matthew Edward Duggan

Daniel Joseph Martin

David R Franklin

Embodiments include methods of topology discovery in a virtual environment. Aspects include tracking change events, responsive to a change event, rediscovering dependencies between devices in the virtual environment and maintaining a dependency mapping between the devices. Aspects also include, responsive to a fault event, building a first topology model of the virtual environment and generating a first set of the devices which the first topology model is dependent on. Aspects also include, responsive to a resolution event, building a second topology model and generating a second set of the devices which the second topology model is dependent on. Aspects further include generating a fault device set by combining the first set and the second set, deleting any duplicate devices, and utilizing the generated fault device set to determine which of the devices are more likely to be associated with future fault events.

Topology discovery for fault finding in virtual computing environments

A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for suppressing managed endpoint (MEP) child events in a network. A MEP multicast message is broadcast by an originating MEP. Responses received from peer MEPs within a selected time interval are processed to determine their respective IP address, MAC address, and VLAN. If this information is not currently stored in a table of peer MEP device information associated with the originating MEP, then it is added. The responding MEP is then marked in the peer MEP device table as having responded. Peer MEP devices that have responded to previous multicast messages, but have now failed to respond within the selected time interval, are determined. A MEP network event is generated, comprising the IP address of the device containing the MEP, the MAC address for inward-facing MEPs, the MAC address of the associated bridge, the port addresses for outward-facing MEPs, and associated VLAN information. If another MEP network event occurs, the MAC address of the MEP and its VLAN information is determined. If the VLAN associated with the current MEP network event contains a MAC address associated with a prior MEP network event, then the MEP network event is designated as a child MEP network event and suppressed. Otherwise, the MEP network event is designated as a parent MEP network.

Growing community of inventors

Chester, United Kingdom

Christopher J Baggott