System and method for resolving hubs and like devices in network topology
The present system and method for resolving hubs and other forms of relay devices in a subnet preferably comprises the steps of acquiring the adjacency table of each of the plurality of nodes, searching the adjacency table data for indications that a port is indirectly coupled to a plurality of other nodes through a hub, introducing an icon for each of the hubs in addition to icons for each of the plurality of nodes enabled with an adjacency-detection protocol, and logically coupling each hub to the associated nodes. Illustrations of the network topology generated using the preferred embodiment are therefore highly representative of the actual physical topology.
1. A method of resolving a connectivity multiplier operably coupled to three or more adjacency-detection enabled (ADE) nodes, wherein each of the three or more ADE nodes is associated with an ADE node icon, the method comprising the steps of: (a) acquiring adjacency information from each of the three or more ADE nodes, wherein said adjacency information is at least partially derived from said three or more ADE nodes each responding to a respective adjacency request during a current discovery occurrence, wherein the connectivity multiplier forwards said adjacency requests without responding to any one of said adjacency requests during the current discovery occurrence such that the connectivity multiplier is not an ADE device during the current discovery occurrence and wherein the connectivity multiplier is an ADE node that responds to adjacency requests during a different discovery occurrence; (b) identifying a pseudo-link set from the adjacency information, each unique pseudo-link set comprising at least one pseudo-link associating a pair of ADE nodes; (c) coupling all of said three or more ADE node icons directly and only to a single connectivity multiplier icon; and (d) providing a viewable graphic display representing a subnet topology including said three or more ADE nodes, wherein the viewable graphic display includes the single connectivity multiplier icon, the ADE icon associated with each one of said ADE nodes, and all of said ADE node icons directly and only connected to the connectivity multiplier icon by a respective single link icon, wherein the respective single link icon directly connected between the connectivity multiplier icon and each one of said ADE node icons is derived from the pseudo-link set, wherein the connectivity multiplier icon is a graphical representation of the connectivity multiplier, and wherein the connectivity multiplier in combination with said link icons visually depict ADE node connectivity functionality provided by the connectivity multiplier and said pseudo-link set.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjacency information from each of the three or more ADE nodes comprises a plurality of entries, each entry associating a local port of a current ADE node with an adjacent ADE node.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein identifying step further includes the step of searching the adjacency information for a first port of a first ADE node of the three or more ADE nodes that is associated with two or more adjacent ADE nodes.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first port is characterized by a local port number, and each of the ADE nodes adjacent to the first ADE node are characterized by a media access control (MAC) address and a remote port number.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity multiplier icon is one of a plurality of graphical icon in a graphical user interface (GUI) representing a topology of the network.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity multiplier is a hub.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity multiplier is a router enabled with an adjacency detection protocol incompatible with the three or more ADE nodes.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity multiplier is a third-party network device.
9. An apparatus from which computer-readable instructions for resolving a connectivity multiplier operably coupled to three or more adjacency-detection enabled (ADE) nodes are accessible by a computer, wherein each of the three or more ADE nodes is associated with an ADE node icon, the instructions comprising the steps of: (a) acquiring adjacency information from each of the three or more ADE nodes, wherein said adjacency information is at least partially derived from said three or more ADE nodes each responding to a respective adjacency request during a current discovery occurrence, wherein the connectivity multiplier forwards said adjacency requests without responding to any one of said adjacency requests during the current discovery occurrence such that the connectivity multiplier is not an ADE device during the current discovery occurrence and wherein the connectivity multiplier is an ADE node that responds to adjacency requests during a different discovery occurrence; (b) identifying a pseudo-link set from the adjacency information, each unique pseudo-link set comprising at least one pseudo-link associating a pair of ADE nodes; (c) coupling all of said-three or more ADE node icons directly and only to a single connectivity multiplier icon; and (d) providing a viewable graphic display representing a subnet topology including said three or more ADE nodes, wherein the viewable graphic display includes the single connectivity multiplier icon, the ADE icon associated with each one of said ADE nodes, and all of said ADE node icons directly and only connected to the connectivity multiplier icon by a respective single link icon, wherein the respective single link icon directly connected between the connectivity multiplier icon and each one of said ADE node icons is derived from the pseudo-link set, wherein the connectivity multiplier icon is a graphical representation of the connectivity multiplier, and wherein the connectivity multiplier in combination with said link icons visually depict ADE node connectivity functionality provided by the connectivity multiplier and said pseudo-link set.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the connectivity multiplier is selected from the group consisting of: hub, router, and third-party device.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein identifying step further includes the step of searching the adjacency information for a first port of a first ADE node of the three or more ADE nodes that is associated with two or more adjacent ADE nodes.
12. A system for resolving a connectivity multiplier operably coupled to three or more adjacency-detection enabled (ADE) nodes, wherein each of the three or more ADE nodes is associated with an ADE node icon, the system adapted to: (a) acquire adjacency information from each of the three or more ADE nodes, wherein said adjacency information is at least partially derived from said three or more ADE nodes each responding to a respective adjacency request during a current discovery occurrence, wherein the connectivity multiplier forwards said adjacency requests without responding to any one of said adjacency requests during the current discovery occurrence such that the connectivity multiplier is not an ADE device during the current discovery occurrence and wherein the connectivity multiplier is an ADE node that responds to adjacency requests during a different discovery occurrence; (b) identify a pseudo-link set from the adjacency information, each unique pseudo-link set comprising at least one pseudo-link associating a pair of ADE nodes; (c) couple all of said-three or more ADE node icons directly and only to a single connectivity multiplier icon; and (d) provide a viewable graphic display representing a subnet topology including said three or more ADE nodes, wherein the viewable graphic display includes the single connectivity multiplier icon, the ADE icon associated with each one of said ADE nodes, and all of said ADE node icons directly and only connected to the connectivity multiplier icon by a respective single link icon, wherein the respective single link icon directly connected between the connectivity multiplier icon and each one of said ADE node icons is derived from the pseudo-link set, wherein the connectivity multiplier icon is a graphical representation of the connectivity multiplier, and wherein the connectivity multiplier in combination with said link icons visually depict ADE node connectivity functionality provided by the connectivity multiplier and said pseudo-link set.
13. A method for improving a graphical representation to a network manager of a topology of a network comprising a plurality of adjacency-detection enabled (ADE) nodes operably coupled via a connectivity multiplier, the method comprising the steps of: (a) acquiring adjacency information from a first ADE node of the network, wherein said adjacency information is at least partially derived from the plurality of ADE nodes each responding to a respective adjacency request during a current discovery occurrence, wherein the connectivity multiplier forwards said adjacency requests without responding to any one of said adjacency requests during the current discovery occurrence such that the connectivity multiplier is not an ADE device during the current discovery occurrence and wherein the connectivity multiplier is an ADE node that responds to adjacency requests during a different discovery occurrence; (b) identifying a pseudo-link set from the adjacency information, the pseudo-link set comprising a first pseudo-link between a port on the first ADE node and a second ADE node and a second pseudo-link between the port and a third ADE node, wherein said identifying includes identifying in two associated adjacency tables a repeat entry for a given local port identifier; and (c) graphically linking the first ADE node linked with the second ADE node and third ADE nodes via a single connectivity multiplier icon, wherein graphically linking said ADE nodes includes providing a viewable graphic display representing a subnet topology including said three or more ADE nodes, wherein the viewable graphic display includes the single connectivity multiplier icon, an ADE icon associated with each one of said ADE nodes, and all of said ADE node icons directly and only connected to the connectivity multiplier icon by a respective single link icon, wherein the respective single link icon directly connected between the connectivity multiplier icon and each one of said ADE node icons is derived from the pseudo-link set, wherein the connectivity multiplier icon is a graphical representation of the connectivity multiplier, and wherein the connectivity multiplier in combination with said link icons visually depict ADE node connectivity functionality provided by the connectivity multiplier and said pseudo-link set.