LAN/SAN network security management
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsTara Astigarraga, Christopher V. DeRobertis, Louie A. Dickens, Daniel J. Winarski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for managing network security includes an inventory module, a survey module, an observation module, and a security module. The inventory module identifies each node of a network. The survey module gathers information for each node of the network. The security module generates notifications to one or more users in response to the observation module detecting one or more irregularities.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- an inventory module that discovers different types of nodes in a virtual network by:
- broadcasting a plurality of activation requests through the virtual network, wherein each of the plurality of activation requests includes a different networking protocol of a plurality of networking protocols and is transmitted serially through the virtual network,
- receiving a response from each node in the virtual network, wherein the response from each respective node in the virtual network is transmitted to the inventory module in response to each respective node receiving an activation request that includes a networking protocol corresponding to a particular type of networking protocol supported by each respective node, and
- identifying each node in the virtual network based on its respective response;
- a survey module that gathers configuration information for the virtual network based on the response received from each node;
- and
- an observation module that analyzes the virtual network to detect one or more changes in the virtual network based on the configuration information,
- wherein at least a portion of each of said modules comprise one or more of a set of hardware circuits, a set of programmable hardware devices, and executable code stored on a set of non-transitory computer-readable storage media.
A method for managing network security comprising:
- discovering, by a processor, different types of nodes in a virtual network by:
- broadcasting a plurality of activation requests through the virtual network, wherein each of the plurality of activation requests includes a different networking protocol of a plurality of networking protocols and is transmitted serially through the virtual network,
- receiving a response from each node in the virtual network, wherein the response from each respective node in the virtual network is transmitted in response to each respective node receiving an activation request that includes a networking protocol corresponding to a particular type of networking protocol supported by each respective node, and
- identifying each node in the virtual network based on its respective response;
- gathering configuration information for the virtual network based on the response received from each node;
- and
- analyzing the virtual network to detect one or more changes in the virtual network based on the configuration information.
A computer program product for managing network security, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable/executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
- discover, by the processor, different types of nodes in a virtual network by:
- broadcasting a plurality of activation requests through the virtual network, wherein each of the plurality of activation requests includes a different networking protocol of a plurality of networking protocols and is transmitted serially through the virtual network,
- receiving a response from each node in the virtual network, wherein the response from each respective node in the virtual network is transmitted in response to each respective node receiving an activation request that includes a networking protocol corresponding to a particular type of networking protocol supported by each respective node, and
- identifying each node in the virtual network based on its respective response;
- gather, by the processor, configuration information for the virtual network based on the response received from each node;
- and
- analyze, by the processor, the virtual network to detect one or more changes in the virtual network based on the configuration information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.