Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Mark Christopher Stratton

Michael Sean McGee

Darda Chang

Mark Richard Enstone

Christopher L Hughes

Jeffrey D Allen

James Randall Walker

Michael Sean McIntyre

Gregory Thomas Howard

Matthew S Reeves

Michel Sean McGee

Network administration systems and methods are disclosed. In an exemplary implementation, a method of administering a computer network may include listening to inter-switch communication at a server computer in the computer network. The method may also include parsing the inter-switch communication. The method may also include extracting data about the network from the inter-switch communication for display to a user at the server computer.

Network administration systems and methods

A computer system teams its network resource ports on a per virtual network basis. The system configures one or more virtual networks. For each of the one or more configured virtual networks, the system establishes a team comprising two or more of the network resource ports. The system selects a layer2 address that is uniquely associated with one of the ports of the team. The system assigns the selected unique layer2 address to be the primary layer2 address for the team.

Network resource teaming on a per virtual network basis

A plurality of peer network devices are configured to load-balance data transmitted between them on a point-by-point basis. Each peer device has a team of network resources coupling it to a local area network. A peer device transmitting data to one of the other peer devices load-balances the data over the team of resources of the receiving one of the peer devices. Each peer device multicasts to the other peer devices a data frame from that includes peer data defining attributes of the team of the multicasting peer device. The multicast data frame is updated with new peer data whenever one or more of the attributes of the team of the multicasting peer device are changed.

Automated configuration of point-to-point load balancing between teamed network resources of peer devices

A method and system of implementing virtual local area networks (VLANs) with teamed communication ports. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising teaming a plurality of communication ports to form a single virtual communication port (the single virtual port comprising a first set of ports and a second set of ports), sending messages belonging to a first virtual local area network (VLAN) exclusively over the first set of ports from a first device to a second device, and sending messages belonging to a second VLAN exclusively over the second set of ports from the first device to the second device.

Method and system of implementing virtual local area networks (VLANS) with teamed communication ports

A method comprises on a first port, receiving a frame from a network device and determining whether the received frame includes a system identifier (ID) that matches a system ID corresponding to a second port. If the received frame's system ID matches the second port's system ID, the method further comprises discontinuing an aggregation protocol that otherwise enables multiple ports to be operated together as a virtual port.

Discontinuing the implementation of an aggregation protocol

A method and system of distributing multicast group join requests in computer systems operating with teamed communication ports. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are computer-readable media storing a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to intercept multicast group join requests sent from a network layer program executed by the processor, and distribute the multicast join requests across a plurality of communication ports operating as a single virtual port.

Method and system of distributing multicast group join request in computer systems operating with teamed communication ports

A method and system of assigning media access control (MAC) addresses across teamed communication ports. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising teaming a plurality of communication ports in a computer system to appear as a single virtual port to an application program (each communication port transmits message packets with any of a number M possible MAC addresses, wherein the number communication ports is greater than M), assigning a set of size M of MAC addresses to each of the plurality communication ports such that each MAC address appears in the set for a communication port for which the MAC address is the primary address (and such that each MAC address appears in M&#x2212;1 other sets for other communication ports), and receiving a message packet from a client device across a network, the message packet directed to a primary MAC address of the first of the plurality communication ports.

Method and system of assigning media access control (MAC) addresses across teamed communication ports

A system comprising a computer including a plurality of network interface controllers (NICs), the plurality of NICs associated with an address. The system further comprises a switching apparatus coupled to the computer and an echo device coupled to the switching apparatus. The echo device is adapted to send a packet to the switching apparatus to verify connectivity with the plurality of NICs. The packet comprises the address. The switching apparatus compares the address with a data structure to locate a matching address. If no matching address is located, the switching apparatus sends copies of the packet to each of the plurality of NICs coupled to the switching apparatus.

Verifying network connectivity

A method and system of network communication receive load balancing. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising determining communication path cost information by a computer system (the computer system coupled to plurality of clients over a network), configuring communications from the plurality of clients to the computer system such that the communications are distributed across a plurality of teamed communication ports (the distribution proportional to communication path cost information associated with each communication port), and receiving message packets distributed across the plurality of teamed communication ports.

Method and system of network communication receive load balancing

A method for monitoring network connectivity. The method may include the act of transmitting a respective request packet from a network interface card (NIC) of a plurality of NICs in a NIC team to an external network device. The method may also include the act of receiving a respective response packet from the external network device at each respective NIC from which a respective request packet was received by the external network device.

Method and system for monitoring network connectivity

Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with network load balancing are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes a load balancing logic configured to cause different portions of network traffic to be transmitted from a transmitting node to different network adapters in a receiving node to cause the network traffic to be receive load balanced.

Receive load balancing on multiple network adapters

A network controller system comprising a plurality of network ports and a driver system that operates the plurality of network ports. The driver system determines which of the network ports can be combined together to form a team. Each network port in the team is associated with a different network interface card (NIC). The NICs are associated with a common network address to be used by external network logic.

Growing community of inventors

Georgetown, TX, United States of America

Mark Christopher Stratton