Systems and methods for supporting a SNMP request over a cluster

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9015304-B2
Application number	US-201213525042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2012
Priority date	Jun 15, 2012
Publication date	Apr 21, 2015
Grant date	Apr 21, 2015

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed towards systems and methods for supporting Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request operations over clustered networking devices. The system includes a cluster that includes a plurality of intermediary devices and an SNMP agent executing on a first intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices. The SNMP agent receives an SNMP GETNEXT request for an entity. Responsive to receipt of the SNMP GETNEXT request, the SNMP agent requests a next entity from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices of the cluster. To respond to the SNMP request, the SNMP agent selects a lexicographically minimum entity. The SNMP agent may select the lexicographically minimum entity from a plurality of next entities received via responses from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of responding to a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request by a cluster of intermediary devices, the method comprising:
(a) receiving, by a Simple Network Protocol (SNMP) agent executing on a first intermediary device of a cluster comprising a plurality of intermediary devices, an SNMP GETNEXT request for an entity;
(b) transmitting, by the SNMP agent responsive to receipt of the SNMP GETNEXT request, SNMP GETNEXT requests to each SNMP agent executing on a corresponding intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices to request a next entity from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices of the cluster; and
(c) selecting, by the SNMP agent to respond to the SNMP request, a lexicographically minimum entity from a plurality of next entities received via responses from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises receiving, by the SNMP agent from an SNMP manager, the SNMP GETNEXT request for the entity and a variable representing one of a statistical or configuration information of the entity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises forwarding, by the SNMP agent, the SNMP GETNEXT request to an aggregator.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising transmitting, by the aggregator, the request for the next entity to each intermediary device of the cluster.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) further comprises selecting, by the SNMP agent, the lexicographically minimum entity from a plurality of different object identifiers of next entities received via the response from each of the intermediary devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) further comprises selecting, by the SNMP agent, the lexicographically minimum entity comprising the next entity having an object identifier lexicographically closest to a lexicographic identifier of the entity.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aggregating, by the first intermediary device, values for a variable identified via the SNMP GETNEXT request and received for the selected next entity from one or more of the intermediary devices of the cluster.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating, by the SNMP agent, a response to an SNMP manager, the response comprising an aggregation of values received from one or more intermediary devices of the cluster for the selected next entity.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the SNMP agent to an SNMP manager, the response comprising the selected next entity as the next entity.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first intermediary device is a different type of device than a second intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices of the cluster.

11. A system for responding to a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) request by a cluster of intermediary devices, the system comprising:
a cluster comprising a plurality of intermediary devices;
a Simple Network Protocol (SNMP) agent executing on a first intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices, receiving an SNMP GETNEXT request for an entity and responsive to receipt of the SNMP GETNEXT request, transmitting SNMP GETNEXT requests to each SNMP agent executing on a corresponding intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices to request from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices of the cluster, a next entity; and
wherein the SNMP agent selects, to respond to the SNMP request, a lexicographically minimum entity from a plurality of next entities received via responses from each intermediary device of the plurality of intermediary devices.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent receives from an SNMP manager, the SNMP GETNEXT request for the entity and a variable representing one of a statistical or configuration information of the entity.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent forwards the SNMP GETNEXT request to an aggregator.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the aggregator transmits the request for the next entity to each intermediary device of the cluster.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent selects the lexicographically minimum entity from a plurality of different object identifiers of next entities received via the response from each of the intermediary devices.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent selects the lexicographically minimum entity comprising the next entity having an object identifier lexicographically closest to a lexicographic identifier of the entity.

17. The system of claim 11 , further the first intermediary device aggregates values for a variable identified via the SNMP GETNEXT request and received for the selected next entity from one or more of the intermediary devices of the cluster.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent generates a response to an SNMP manager, the response comprising an aggregation of values received from one or more intermediary devices of the cluster for the selected next entity.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SNMP agent transmits to an SNMP manager the response comprising the selected next entity as the next entity.

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of intermediary devices comprises a plurality of heterogeneous intermediary devices.

Assignees

• Annamalaisami Saravana
• Holla Raveendra
• Jain Nishant Kumar
• Mithyantha Sharvari
• Gedam Dhiraj
• Citrix Systems Inc

Inventors

• Annamalaisami Saravana
• Holla Raveendra
• Jain Nishant Kumar
• Mithyantha Sharvari
• Gedam Dhiraj

Classifications

• H04L41/046

  comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor · CPC title

• H04L41/042

  comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L67/288

  Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level · CPC title

• H04L41/0213 Primary

  Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP] · CPC title