Providing configuration data to a connected network switch

1. A computer program product comprising a non-volatile computer readable medium and non-transitory program instructions embodied therein, the program instructions being configured to be executable by a processor of a first network switch to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first neighbor network switch connection of a first neighbor network switch to a first port of the first network switch;

accessing first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored by the first network switch in association with the first port; and

providing the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

causing the first neighbor network switch to be configured with the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is provided by the first network switch to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

obtaining the first neighbor network switch configuration data from a second neighbor network switch that was connected to the first port of the first network switch and subsequently disconnected from the first port prior to the connection of the first neighbor network switch to the first port; and

storing the obtained first neighbor network switch configuration data in association with the first port of the first network switch.

4. The computer program product of claim 3 , the operations further comprising:

sending a request for the first neighbor network switch configuration data of the second neighbor network switch over the first port to the second neighbor network switch, wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data is obtained from the second neighbor network switch in response to the request.

5. The computer program product of claim 3 , wherein the first neighbor network switch is a replacement for the second neighbor network switch.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data is stored in a non-volatile memory device within the first network switch.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

accessing first network switch configuration data describing a configuration of the first network switch; and

providing the first network switch configuration data to the first neighbor network switch.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 , the operations further comprising:

causing the first neighbor network switch to store the first network switch configuration data in association with a port of the first neighbor network switch that is connected to the first port of the first network switch.

9. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

detecting a second neighbor network switch connection of a second neighbor network switch to a second port of the first network switch;

accessing second neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored by the first network switch in association with the second port; and

providing the second neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the second port to the second neighbor network switch over the connection to the second port.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

causing the second neighbor network switch to be configured with the second neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the second port.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein a configuration file stores both the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch and the second neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the second port of the first network switch.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch and the second neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the second port of the first network switch are stored in the first network switch prior to installation of the first network switch.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , the operations further comprising:

obtaining the first neighbor network switch configuration data from a third neighbor network switch that was connected to the first port of the first network switch and subsequently disconnected from the first port prior to the connection of the first neighbor network switch to the first port;

storing the obtained first neighbor network switch configuration data in association with the first port of the first network switch;

obtaining the second neighbor network switch configuration data from a fourth neighbor network switch that was connected to the second port of the first network switch and subsequently disconnected from the second port prior to the connection of the second neighbor network switch to the first port; and

storing the obtained second neighbor network switch configuration data in association with the second port of the first network switch.

14. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

detecting a new neighbor network switch connection of a new neighbor network switch to a third port of the first network switch; and

determining that the first network switch does not have network switch configuration data stored in association with the third port, wherein no network switch configuration data is provided to the new neighbor network switch.

15. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the first network switch provides the first neighbor network switch configuration data to the first neighbor network switch using a sideband channel.

16. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data includes one or more configuration setting selected from a virtual local area network (VLAN) setting, a link characteristic, a channel setting and a quality of service (QoS) setting.

17. The computer program product of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

receiving first neighbor network switch identifying information from the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port; and

attempting to authenticate the first neighbor network switch using the first neighbor network switch identifying information, wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch is provided to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port only in response to a positive authentication of the first neighbor network switch.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the first neighbor network switch identifying information is selected from vital product data and a media access control address.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-volatile computer readable medium and non-transitory program instructions embodied therein, the program instructions being configured to be executable by a processor of a first network switch to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first neighbor network switch connection of a first neighbor network switch to a first port of the first network switch;

accessing first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored by the first network switch in association with the first port;

providing the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port;

receiving first neighbor network switch identifying information from the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port, wherein the first neighbor network switch identifying information includes vital product data; and

using the vital product data from the first neighbor network switch to determine that the first neighbor network switch is compatible with the first neighbor network switch configuration data, wherein the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch is provided to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port only in response to a positive authentication of the first neighbor network switch.

20. A network switch, comprising:

a plurality of network ports including a first network port and a second network port;

a non-volatile storage device storing program instructions; and

a processor for processing the program instructions, wherein the program instructions are configured to, when processed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first neighbor network switch connection to a first port of the first network switch;

accessing first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored by the first network switch in association with the first port; and

providing the first neighbor network switch configuration data that is stored in association with the first port of the first network switch to the first neighbor network switch over the first neighbor network switch connection to the first port.