Locating a network cable connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10277467-B2
Application number	US-201414553068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Nov 29, 2013
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A method of locating endpoint connectors of a network cable comprises: capturing an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier from an echo request instruction; determining whether the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and in response to determining that the incoming packet received carries therein the specific identifier, triggering an indicating device indicative of locations of endpoint connectors of a network cable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of locating endpoint connectors of a network cable, wherein the network cable includes a first endpoint connector and a second endpoint connector, the method comprising:
capturing, by one or more processors, an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier from an echo request instruction, wherein the specific identifier is a specific bit string that has been predefined to trigger an activation of one or more indicating devices located on one or more endpoint connectors on the network cable;
determining, by one or more processors, that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and
in response to determining that the incoming packet received carries therein the specific identifier, triggering, by one or more processors, an activation of a first indicating device indicative of a location of the first endpoint connector and a second indicating device indicative of a location of the second endpoint connector of the network cable.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
redirecting, by one or more processors, an alert message descriptive of a status of the incoming packet to a source sending end of the incoming packet, wherein said redirecting the alert message causes the source sending end to collect data pertaining to linkage and distribution statuses of locations of endpoint connectors of all computer devices and network appliances disposed on a route taken by the incoming packet bound for a target receiving end.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incoming packet is created and based on Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and sent from a source sending end by the echo request instruction.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specific bit string is a multiple bit string.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the endpoint connectors of the network cable by a visual signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the endpoint connectors of the network cable by an aural signal.

7. A computer program product for locating endpoint connectors of a network cable, wherein the network cable includes a first endpoint connector and a second endpoint connector, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and wherein the program code is readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
capturing an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier from an echo request instruction, wherein the specific identifier is a multiple bit string in the incoming packet;
determining whether the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and
in response to determining that the incoming packet received carries therein the specific identifier, triggering a first indicating device indicative of a location of the first endpoint connector and a second indicating device indicative of a location of the second endpoint connector of the network cable.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
redirecting an alert message descriptive of a status of the incoming packet to a source sending end of the incoming packet, wherein said redirecting the alert message causes the source sending end to collect data pertaining to linkage and distribution statuses of locations of endpoint connectors of all computer devices and network appliances disposed on a route taken by the incoming packet bound for a target receiving end.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises: wherein the incoming packet is created and based on Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and sent from a source sending end by the echo request instruction.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises: wherein the specific identifier is a predetermined specific bit string.

11. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises: wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of endpoint connectors of the network cable by a visual signal.

12. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises: wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of endpoint connectors of the network cable by an aural signal.

13. A hardware device for locating endpoint connectors of a network cable, wherein the network cable includes a first endpoint connector and a second endpoint connector, the hardware device comprising:
a packet capturing hardware device, wherein the packet capturing hardware device captures an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier from an echo request instruction, wherein the specific identifier is a multiple bit string in the incoming packet;
a packet examination logic for determining whether the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier;
a first indicating device for, in response to determining that the incoming packet received carries therein the specific identifier, indicating a physical location of the first endpoint connector of the network cable; and
a second indicating device for, in response to determining that the incoming packet received carries therein the specific identifier, indicating a physical location of the second endpoint connector of the network cable.

14. The hardware device of claim 13 , further comprising:
an alert message redirecting hardware device for redirecting an alert message descriptive of a status of the incoming packet to a source sending end of the incoming packet, wherein said redirecting the alert message causes the source sending end to collect data pertaining to linkage and distribution statuses of locations of endpoint connectors of all computer devices and network appliances disposed on a route taken by the incoming packet bound for a target receiving end.

15. The hardware device of claim 13 , wherein the hardware device is a System-on-Card (SoC) that is integrated within the network cable.

16. The hardware device of claim 13 , wherein the specific identifier is a predetermined specific bit string.

17. The hardware device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of endpoint connectors of the network cable by a visual signal.

18. The hardware device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of endpoint connectors of the network cable by an aural signal.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incoming packet traverses from a sending source server to a receiving target server via multiple intermediate routers that are interconnected by multiple cables, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to determining that the incoming packet received by each of the multiple intermediate routers carries therein the specific identifier, triggering indicating devices on endpoints of each of the multiple cables that interconnect the multiple intermediate routers.

20. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the incoming packet traverses from a sending source server to a receiving target server via multiple intermediate routers that are interconnected by multiple cables, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to determining that the incoming packet received by each of the multiple intermediate routers carries therein the specific identifier

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Chang Chun-Fei
• Ho Ming Da
• Hsueh Ming-Pin
• Tsai Ya Hsuan

Classifications

• H04L41/12 Primary

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04L43/10

  Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route · CPC title

• G06Q30/0223 Primary

  based on inventory · CPC title