Method for configuring a network device without IP reachability

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a network, in which at least two network devices are connected to each other via a data line and exchange data via the data line, each network device is fixedly distributed with an independent MAC address; furthermore, the network management station controls the configuration and / or operation of the network, in which a request is sent by the network management station to the network device by means of a language-independent data format in a multicast manner in order to query configuration parameters of the network device and / or to configure the requested network device by means of the language-independent data format.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a network, in which at least two network devices are connected to each other by means of a data line and exchange data via the data line; each network device is fixedly assigned an individual MAC address; in addition, a network management station controls the configuration and / or operation of the network. BACKGROUND

[0002] Networks are known in which two or, as a rule, more network devices (also referred to as network infrastructure devices) are arranged in a ring or linear topology and exchange data between one another. The data exchange takes place via data lines, via which the network devices are connected to one another. These data lines can be cables, but can also be wireless connections, for example radio connections.

[0003] In practice, the problem arises that either a new network consisting of a plurality of network devices has to be configured or that the entire configuration or its configuration has to be partially changed or updated in an existing network, for example when a network device is replaced. This is achieved by means of a network management station, which is connected in a suitable manner to all network devices. The network management station can query or obtain the respective MAC addresses of the network devices via the data lines, which are transmitted by the network devices. Thereby, the network management station initially knows substantially which network devices are present in the network, but its configuration has not yet been carried out or is incomplete or even contains errors.

[0004] A method for operating a network is known from DE 102 018 111 065 A1, in which at least two network devices are connected to each other by means of a data line and exchange data via the data line; each network device is fixedly assigned an individual MAC address; in addition, a network management station controls the configuration and / or operation of the network and sends requests to the network devices by means of the SNMP protocol in a multicast manner by the network management station in order to query configuration parameters of the network devices and / or to configure the requested network devices via SNMP. This method has been substantially verified in practice.

[0005] US 2019 / 0319836 A1 describes a method for obtaining a configuration file with filtering rules for a process bus network switch of an intelligent electronic device (IED) from a substation specification according to the IEC 61850 standard, which comprises the following steps:

[0006] - calculating a substation specification description file and a substation communication demand flow file from a substation topology file and a control function library file and a substation field library file, which comprises a subscription file for a GOOSE message configuration file and a subscription file for a message configuration file with sample values;

[0007] - generating target MAC addresses;

[0008] - simulating a process bus communication network in case of using a topology of a process bus communication network using substation communication requirement files and process bus communication networks, wherein the topology comprises process bus network switches, corresponding connections and intelligent electronic device (IED) connections;

[0009] - calculating a shortest path between each publisher IED and each subscriber IED; and

[0010] - calculating for each switch output port a switch multicast filtering rule file comprising multicast MAC address filtering rules enabling the calculated shortest paths.

[0011] In this document no communication between network devices or between network devices and a network management station by means of a language-independent data format is addressed. Furthermore, in this prior art the target MAC addresses are generated and the network is simulated by the methods described therein. No language-independent data format is mentioned. SUMMARY

[0012] It is the task of the present invention to improve the known method for operating a network in terms of commissioning and / or operation of the network. In particular, all network devices present in the network should be identified. To this end, first of all all network devices which have not yet been configured (i.e. new network devices before commissioning or new network devices after replacement of a faulty network device) and possibly incorrectly configured network devices should be identified and addressed. Furthermore, the user friendliness should be improved in practice.

[0013] This task is achieved by the features of claim 1.

[0014] According to the invention it is provided that a request is sent by the network management station to a network device (to one predetermined network device, to a plurality of predetermined network devices or to one or more groups of network devices) by means of a language-independent data exchange format by multicast in order to query configuration parameters of the network device and / or to configure the requested network device by means of the language-independent data exchange format. In this connection "language-independent" means that the data exchange format is not necessarily based on a specific data modeling language or on a specific programming language.

[0015] According to the present invention, the data exchange format is used to transmit data between a network management station and at least one network device and a web application. It is a text-based, human-readable format used to represent simple data structures and associative arrays (called objects). It is language-independent, easy to understand, and used for structured data storage. Therefore, the initial configuration of network devices, as well as the replacement of faulty network devices, the replacement of new network devices, and their configuration can be performed very quickly, simply, and easily.

[0016] In one improved version of the invention, JSON is used as a language-independent data format.

[0017] JSON (short for JavaScript Object Notation) is a well-known, compact data format used for exchanging data between applications in easy-to-read text form, independent of programming languages. Parsers and generators exist in all commonly used languages. JSON uses a parser, which is a computer program (software) that breaks down the input and transforms it into a format more suitable for subsequent processing.

[0018] Therefore, JSON is a simple data exchange format used to transmit configuration data between a network management station and at least one network device (typically multiple network devices). It is a viable text-based, human-readable format for representing simple data structures. JSON is easy to understand and used for structured data storage. It is also used to exchange data between different programming languages. JSON is a completely independent data format, not dependent on JavaScript or other programming languages. Furthermore, it offers the following advantages in applications: it can not only transmit (configuration) data but also display that data when necessary or required.

[0019] The requested network device is thus included in the transmitted configuration via JSON. Furthermore, the queried network device can unicast its configuration parameters back to the network management station via JSON.

[0020] The method is based on the understanding that JSON can also replace Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for monitoring and controlling network devices (e.g., computers, printers, routers, servers, switches, etc.) by a central network management station. For this purpose, the network devices are equipped with the necessary JSON parsers. This data exchange format then regulates communication between the monitored network devices and the network management station. This communication specifically includes the initial configuration (reconfiguration) of the network devices and / or the acquisition of data from the network devices and the exchange of information with the network management station. JSON is now widely adopted and can be used for data exchange, especially configuration data exchange, between network management workstations and corresponding network devices. Here, the "get-request" command is used to request management datasets ("discovery" or "read"), and the "set-request" command is used for configuration to change one or more datasets of the network device. If the network management station queries the network device, this is done via the "request" command, and the network device's response to the query is given via the "response" command. Based on this, the present invention also utilizes the understanding that: not only are management datasets requested via multicast using a "get-request" command, but the queried device also responds via unicast using a "get-response" command. Multicast in a network involves messages in which data packets originate from a node (network management station) and are not transmitted to all network devices, but only to predetermined network devices. The present invention advantageously utilizes the understanding that multicast packets do not reach all network devices in the network, and therefore only interface with specific network devices, especially those that should be reconfigured or reconfigured.

[0021] In one improved embodiment of the invention, not only the network management station's request but also the loopback from the requested network device is performed at Layer 3. This has the advantage that even an unconfigured network device can make a request based on its known MAC address, since it has not yet been assigned an IP address.

[0022] In an improved embodiment of the invention, even if the configuration parameters sent by the network management station to the network device are inconsistent with the actual configuration parameters of the requested network device, the actual configuration parameters of the requested network device are still sent back. This is done while taking into account the MAC address of the requested network device, so that the network management station can query multiple network devices, preferably all of them, and the queried network device will still respond to transmit its configuration data to the network management station in this way. Therefore, the network management station requests the corresponding network device via multicast using the JSON data exchange format, and the requested network device responds via unicast, also sending its configuration parameters back to the network management station using JSON.

[0023] In one improved embodiment of the invention, when the actual configuration parameters of a network device are inconsistent with the target configuration parameters required for the network device to operate as intended, the target configuration parameters are transmitted to the network device via another request from the network management station. These target configuration parameters are then accepted by the requested network device. Thus, when the network device's memory does not store any configuration parameters or stores incorrect configuration parameters, the network device can be reconfigured correctly, especially during initial use. The same applies to replacing faulty network devices, allowing for quick and problem-free configuration. This enables the network management station to transmit the target configuration parameters required for the network device's operation, allowing the network device to store these parameters and thus initiate operation.

[0024] In one improved embodiment of the invention, the network device correctly receives the target configuration parameters and sends this information back to the network management station. Thus, the network management station obtains information that the changed or new configuration of the requested network device has been successfully implemented.

[0025] In one improved embodiment of the invention, the method is performed on unconfigured and / or misconfigured network devices. Therefore, the present invention provides a simple and quick method for initially putting a network into service, or for replacing and configuring network devices in an already operational network.

[0026] In an improved embodiment of the invention, the returned configuration parameters of the requested network device are independent of the IP address set by the network device at that moment. Thus, using the method according to the invention, the network management station can permanently or temporarily assign an IP address to the corresponding requested network device, which is then unicasted back to the network management station via JSON as a confirmation or affirmative feedback.

[0027] In one improved embodiment of the invention, network devices are connected using a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) within the JSON packet. If the transmitted UUID does not match the UUID stored in the network device, the configuration parameters are discarded, i.e., not accepted. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The method according to the invention is described with reference to three accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0029] exist Figure 1 The diagram illustrates how a network management station queries data, particularly configuration data, from a network device (agent 1). This method is initiated by the network management station (JSON requester) and collaborates with the network device (agent 1: JSON responder) to execute the query as described above. This method can be performed not only for a single network device but also for multiple network devices. To illustrate this, Figure 1 The diagram shows at least one other network device (agent 2: JSON responder). Therefore, multiple network devices (agent N, where N is greater than 2) can be connected, and all network devices respond to queries and return data via JSON.

[0030] exist Figure 2 In principle, it can be seen that... Figure 1 The process is the same as shown, but with the difference that the UUID is sent along with the JSON-enabled request to the selected network device (agent 1 in this example), but not to all other network devices (agent 2 in this example, and other network devices if necessary). This results in only the selected network device responding to the JSON-enabled request, while the other network devices, although also requested, ignore the request (see 2.1: Ignoring Messages) and do not return any response.

[0031] exist Figure 3 The method according to the invention is illustrated in cases of replacing network devices, changing existing configurations, etc. Here, the method is also initiated by the network management station (JSON requester IP) and collaborates with the network device (agent 1: JSON command responder) to execute in the manner described above. Similar to the initial configuration method, it is not limited to a single network device but can be executed on multiple network devices, particularly on all network devices in the network. Figure 3 The example again illustrates two network devices (Agent 1 and Agent 2). However, in practice, there are usually more than two network devices in a network (Agent 1, Agent 2, Agent N, where N is greater than 2).

[0032] Although the language-independent data exchange format JSON is mentioned in connection with the general description of the invention and the description of the embodiments, other similar formats may also be used alternatively.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network, wherein, In the network, at least two network devices are interconnected via a data line and exchange data through the data line; each network device is assigned a fixed independent MAC address; furthermore, a network management station controls the configuration and / or operation of the network, characterized in that the network management station sends requests to the network devices via multicast using a language-independent data format to query the configuration parameters of the network devices and / or configure the requested network devices using the language-independent data format.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Use JSON as a language-independent data format.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The corresponding network device being queried sends its configuration parameters back to the network management station via unicast using the language-independent data format, preferably JSON.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Not only the request from the network management station, but also the response from the requested network device is performed at Layer 3.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Even if the configuration parameters sent to the network device by the network management station are inconsistent with the actual configuration parameters of the requested network device, the actual configuration parameters of the requested network device will still be sent back.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the actual configuration parameters of a network device are inconsistent with the target configuration parameters required for the network device to operate as specified, the target configuration parameters are transmitted to the network device through another request from the network management station, and the target configuration parameters are subsequently accepted by the requested network device.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The network device is responsible for correctly receiving the target configuration parameters requested from the network management station.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, This method is implemented for unconfigured and / or misconfigured network devices.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The returned configuration parameters of the requested network device are independent of the IP address set by that network device at that moment.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Network devices are connected using a universally unique identifier (UUID) within a JSON packet.

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