Automatic discovery
Some examples provide a system to automatically discover network devices. The system enables a network device discovery protocol with a transmit mode and a receive mode on a network device. The system enables an auxiliary communication protocol on the network device. The system broadcasts the network device discovery protocol records from the network device including local neighbors and connectivity information. The system engine processes topological information using the auxiliary communication protocol and timing cycles to update age of a set of topology information records.
1. A method comprising:
initiating discovery of a network device by:
enabling an attached local area network device discovery protocol including enabling of a transmit mode and a receive mode for a network device, and
enabling an auxiliary communication protocol that allows devices not directly connected to exchange information on the network device;
obtaining a set of network device discovery protocol records from the network device including local neighbors and connectivity information; and
processing topological information about remote neighbors including, correlating and combining connectivity and node (network devices) information, marking inventory and age of a set of topology information records using the auxiliary communication protocol and timing cycles to update age of the set of topology information records.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network device discovery protocol is a link level discovery protocol.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary communication protocol is a simple service discovery protocol.
4. The method of claim 1 , comprising sending a notification via the auxiliary communication protocol to indicate when the network device is being shut down.
5. The method of claim 1 , comprising repeating the steps of initiating, obtaining, and processing at timed intervals.
6. A memory resource storing instructions that when executed cause a processing resource to implement a system to automatically discover network devices, the instructions comprising:
a discovery module that collects a set of network device discovery protocol results about network devices and insert the network device discovery protocol results into a database;
a record module that sends and receives a discovery notification to and from other nodes using an auxiliary communications protocol, capable of reaching non-directly connected devices; and
a topology module that coalesces and maintains a set of records related to a network device list, a neighbor information list, an interface information list, and direct connections among the devices with respect to their interfaces.
7. The memory resource of claim 6 , wherein the topological module maintains a local copy of a network fabric and the set of topological information records for the network device.
8. The memory resource of claim 6 , wherein the instructions are repeated at timed intervals.
9. The memory resource of claim 6 , wherein the network device discovery protocol is a link level discovery protocol.
10. The memory resource of claim 6 , wherein the auxiliary communication protocol is a simple service discovery protocol.
11. A system comprising:
a discovery engine that enables a network device discovery protocol with a transmit mode and a receive mode on a network device, and enable an auxiliary communication protocol on the network device;
a record engine that broadcasts the network device discovery protocol records from the network device including local neighbors and connectivity information; and
a topological engine that processes topological information using the auxiliary communication protocol and timing cycles to update age of a set of topology information records.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the discovery engine determines if an address is allocated for a management interface on the network device.
13. The system of claim 11 , comprising an initiation engine to determine if the network device is provisioned.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein the topological engine marks inventory and topological information regarding the age of stored records.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the topological engine determines that no renewing information is received from each network device on a network during a first period of time and marks the network device with a first marker.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first marker comprises a stale identifier.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the topological engine determines that no renewing information is received from a network device on a network during a second period of time and marks the network device with a second marker.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the second marker comprises an obsolete identifier and the network device will be disregarded in all active operations and current topology representations.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the network device discovery protocol is a link level discovery protocol.
20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the auxiliary communication protocol s a simple service discovery protocol.