Locating a network cable connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10891646-B2
Application number	US-201916263120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2019
Priority date	Nov 29, 2013
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

A method of locating one or more endpoint connectors of a network cable wherein the network cable includes a first endpoint connector and a second endpoint connector comprises: one or more processors capturing an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier, 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 that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, triggering an activation of a first indicating device indicative of a location of the first endpoint connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of locating one or more 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, 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 the one or more processors, that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and
in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, triggering, by the one or more processors, an activation of a first indicating device indicative of a location of the first endpoint connector.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, triggering, by the one or more processors, an activation of a second indicating device indicative of a location of the second endpoint connector.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the one or more endpoint connectors of the network cable by a visual signal.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the one or more endpoint connectors of the network cable by an aural signal.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
redirecting, by the 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.

6. 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 an echo request instruction.

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

8. 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.

9. A computer program product for locating one or more 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, 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 that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and
in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, triggering an activation of a first indicating device indicative of a location of the first endpoint connector.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, triggering an activation of a second indicating device indicative of a location of the second endpoint connector.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the one or more endpoint connectors of the network cable by a visual signal.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the first and second indicating devices indicate locations of the one or more endpoint connectors of the network cable by an aural signal.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , 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.

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

15. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the specific bit string is a multiple bit string.

16. The computer program product of claim 9 , 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.

17. A hardware device for locating one or more 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 configured to capture an incoming packet carrying therein a specific identifier, wherein the specific identifier is a multiple bit string in the incoming packet;
a packet examination logic configured to determine whether the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier; and
a first indicating device configured to indicate, in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, a physical location of the first endpoint connector of the network cable.

18. The hardware device of claim 17 , further comprising:
a second indicating device configured to indicate, in response to determining that the incoming packet carries therein the specific identifier, a physical location of the second endpoint connector.

19. The hardware device of claim 17 , further comprising:
an alert message redirecting hardware device configured to redirect an alert message descriptive of a status of the incoming packet to a source sending end of the incoming packet, wherein 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.

20. The hardware device of claim 17 , wherein the hardware device is a System-on-Card (SoC) that is integrated within

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04L41/12

  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