System, method, and computer program product for platform-independent port discovery
A system, method, and computer program product are provided. Initially, platform-independent information relating to a network device is collected. Thereafter, a port on which the network device resides is determined based on the platform-independent information.
1. A method, comprising:
collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;
determining a port on which the network device resides based on the platform-independent information; and
reporting data relating to the network device, the data including port information associated with the port;
wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;
wherein the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device is a simple network management protocol (SNMP)-enabled network device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device includes a switch.
4. The method of claim 1 , and further comprising identifying the network device.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the network device is identified utilizing a broadcast packet.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the network device is identified utilizing a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) packet.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the platform-independent information is collected utilizing a simple network management protocol (SNMP).
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the port is further determined by identifying whether there is a network device on the port, if a match is found.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the port is further determined by obtaining an IP address of the network device that is on the port.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the port information includes a type of the port.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the port information indicates whether the port is an uplink port.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein empty information is returned if a match of the MAC address is not found in the forwarding database.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forwarding database includes a plurality of entries, where each entry of the plurality of entries is associated with a network device and includes a MAC address, a port, a port type and a switch associated with the MAC address.
14. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:
computer code for collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;
computer code for determining a port on which the network device resides based on the platform-independent information; and
computer code for reporting data relating to the network device, the data including port information associated with the port;
wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used by the computer program product to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;
wherein the computer program product is operable such that the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.
15. A system, comprising:
agents for collecting platform-independent information relating to a network device;
wherein a port on which the network device resides is determined based on the platform-independent information;
wherein data relating to the network device is reported, the data including port information associated with the port;
wherein the data includes an interface of the port, and is used by the system to manage a policy associated with the network device and to quarantine the port;
wherein the system is operable such that the port is determined by matching a media access control (MAC) address with a MAC address in a forwarding database.