Cisco Technology, Inc.

Ralph Droms

Roland Arthur Saville

John M Schnizlein

Vikas Butaney

Rajiv Asati

Madhu Sudan

Arthur Gerald Howarth

Lawrence Rolfe Kreeger

Rajiv Singhal

Christopher Wiborg

Gary Dennis Vogel, Jr

William Mark Townsley

Wojciech Dec

Timothy Patrick Donahue

Anthony Lee Hain

Pascal Thubert

John T Chapman

David R Oran

James P Rivers

Richard Mandfred Pruss

Krishna Sundaresan

Ole Troan

Richard A Johnson

Hemant Singh

Anand Brahmanad Agarwal

Mark Stapp

William Beebee

Anshul Tanwar

Indrajanti Sukiman

Raman Shankara Krishnan

Sean Convery

Vijay Bollapragada

Sanjeev Hemantkumar Desai

David Delano Ward

Jonathan W Hui

Daniel George Wing

Wei Hong

Petre Dini

Joshua B Littlefield

Mark Ammar Rayes

Vitali Vinokour

Vincent Mammoliti

Richard Manfred Pruss

Matthew Lawrence King

Ciprian Pompiliu Popoviciu

Michael Cheung

Erik De Kegel, Iii

Paul Bernard Duffy

Salman Asadullah

Avneet Singh Chhabra

Adeel Ahmed

Brian P Shorey

Arthur G Howarth

Roland Saville

Gary Dennis Vogel

Anand Agarwal

Richard Johnson

Techniques are provided for performing dynamic DNS-SD. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more databases, one or more transceivers to receive a first Domain Name System (DNS) query from a first computing device, the first DNS query defining a first service discovery name space, and one or more processors in communication with each of the one or more databases and the one or more transceivers. The one or more processors generate and append a first metadata associated with the first computing device to the first DNS query. The one or more transceivers transmit the first DNS query and the first metadata to a Domain Name System (DNS) server computer, receive, from the DNS server computer, a first response responsive to the first DNS query, and relay, to the first computing device, the first response.

Dynamic DNS-based service discovery

In one embodiment, a device in a network determines that one or more network nodes should use a stateful address configuration protocol to obtain network addresses. The device causes the one or more network nodes to use the stateful address configuration protocol, in response to determining that the one or more nodes should use the stateful address configuration protocol to obtain network addresses. The device determines that the one or more network nodes should use a stateless address configuration protocol to obtain network addresses. The device causes the one or more network nodes to use the stateless address configuration protocol, in response to determining that the one or more nodes should use the stateless address configuration protocol to obtain network address.

Optimizing global IPv6 address assignments

Techniques are provided for performing domain name system (DNS) service discovery based on policy evaluations. In an embodiment, policy data is represented as DNS-SD records and is used to control visibility of services for service requesting devices. The policy data may describe policies for a particular type of a service or a particular service delivery unit. The visibility of service delivery units is determined through evaluations of the policies in policy data. In some embodiments, additional metadata may be retrieved to be used in the policy evaluations. In certain embodiments, based on the policy evaluations service data about only a subset of service delivery units available is returned to a service requesting device in response to a DNS-SD query.

Visibility control for domain name system service discovery

Techniques are disclosed for dynamically determining or learning hostnames. According to embodiments described herein, a solicitation message is received at a first network device. Based on the solicitation message, a hostname is determined for a second network device that sent the solicitation message. A first network address is also determined for the second network device that sent the solicitation message. A mapping between the hostname and the first network address is stored at the first network device.

Stateless autoconfiguration of hostnames of network devices

In one embodiment, an edge router of a local computer network snoops client-server protocol configuration information of a customer-premises equipment (CPE) device. From the snooping, the edge router may identify an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) transition option in place at the CPE device along with associated configuration parameters for the IPv6 transition option. As such, the edge router may then advertise the IPv6 transition option along with associated configuration parameters to one or more border/relay routers of the local computer network to cause the one or more border/relay routers to provision themselves with the IPv6 transition option and associated configuration parameters.

Dynamic discovery of IPV6 transition parameters by border/relay routers

In an embodiment, an electronic digital data packet router performs receiving a DHCP initiation message on a particular interface among a plurality of network interfaces; modifying the DHCP initiation message by adding a particular DHCP option that signals a DHCP server to provide router configuration data, resulting in a modified DHCP initiation message; relaying the modified DHCP initiation message to the DHCP server; receiving, from the DHCP server, a DHCPOFFER message that comprises the particular DHCP option containing configuration data; configuring the router using the configuration data; relaying the DHCPOFFER message without the particular DHCP option on the particular interface toward another data packet router.

Automated network device provisioning using dynamic host configuration protocol

Dynamically determining hostnames of network devices

In an embodiment, an electronic digital data packet router performs receiving a DHCP initiation message on a particular interface among a plurality of network interfaces,; modifying the DHCP initiation message by adding a particular DHCP option that signals a DHCP server to provide router configuration data, resulting in a modified DHCP initiation message; relaying the modified DHCP initiation message to the DHCP server; receiving, from the DHCP server, a DHCPOFFER message that comprises the particular DHCP option containing configuration data; configuring the router using the configuration data; relaying the DHCPOFFER message without the particular DHCP option on the particular interface toward another data packet router.

Techniques for automatically identifying an edge-facing router in a network are provided. In one technique, a DHCP message is obtained at a router of a subscriber network. An options field of the DHCP message is identified. The options field of the DHCP message is analyzed to determine whether data in the options field indicates that first router is SP-facing. If it is determined that the router is an SP-facing router, then identification data that identifies the router as an SP-facing router is stored.

Automatically identifying an edge-facing router

In one embodiment, a method comprises detecting, by a router, a first router advertisement message from an attachment router that provides an attachment link used by the router, the first router advertisement message specifying a first IPv6 address prefix owned by the attachment router and usable for address autoconfiguration on the attachment link. The router detects an unsolicited delegated IPv6 address prefix from the attachment router and that is available for use by the router. The router claims a second IPv6 address prefix from at least a portion of the delegated IPv6 address prefix, for use on at least one ingress link of the router.

Extensions to IPv6 neighbor discovery protocol for automated prefix delegation

An apparatus may include a port to receive a ranging request from a cable modem and a processor in communication with the port. The processor may assign a service identifier to the cable modem, match the service identifier with a link layer address of the cable modem, receive a router advertisement and comparing the source link layer address from the router advertisement to the link layer address of the cable modem, and determine if the link layer address of the cable modem is the same as the source link layer address.

Use of IPv6 in access networks

A technique for automatically terminating a session between a client and server in a communication network where the client fails to explicitly terminate the session. A client associated with the session is monitored to determine if a condition exists that warrants terminating the session between the client and the server. If a condition exists that warrants terminating the session, a check is performed to determine if the client has notified the server that the session is to be terminated. If not, the server is automatically notified that the session is to be terminated.

Termination of a communication session between a client and a server

Methods and devices are provided for identifying end devices and automatically configuring associated network settings. Preferred implementations of the invention do not require users to manually identify connection types (e.g., RFID, IPphone, manufacturing device, etc.) or to manually configure the network device. Accordingly, such implementations allow automatic switch configuration, even for devices that use inconsistent protocols and/or protocols that are not well known. Some methods of the invention employ DHCP options combined with traffic snooping to identify devices and automatically apply appropriate switch port configuration.

Automated configuration of network device ports

Techniques for automatically identifying an edge-facing router in a network are provided. In one technique, data is obtained at a first router of a subscriber network. The data may be included in a DHCP message or a NDP RA message. The first router determines, based on the data, whether the first router is a service provider (SP)-facing router, which is a router that is coupled to a SP router and no other router in the subscriber network is logically between the SP-facing router and the SP router. If it is determined that the first router is an SP-facing router, then the first router stores identification data that identifies the first router as an SP-facing router. Otherwise, the first router stores identification data that identifies the first router as a non-SP-facing router.

Growing community of inventors

Westford, MA, United States of America

Ralph Droms