Methods for exchanging network management messages using udp over http protocol

A network access device, comprising:

• a user datagram protocol (UDP) module to receive a UDP packet from a client to be transmitted to a management server over Internet, the UDP packet including a management message to be sent to the management server, wherein the network access device is one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the Internet, wherein each of the network access devices represents one of a router, an access point, and a switch, wherein each of the network access devices is associated with a local area network (LAN) and provides access to the LAN for its client devices;
• a UDP monitoring module coupled to the UDP module to determine whether the management server is reachable using a UDP protocol, wherein the UDP module is configured to transmit the UDP packet to the management server using the UDP protocol over the Internet if it is determined that the management server is reachable using the UDP protocol;
• and
• a UDP-hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) module (UDP/HTTP) coupled to the UDP monitoring module and the UDP module, if the management server is unreachable using the UDP protocol, configured to
• extract a UDP payload from the UDP packet,
• encapsulate the UDP payload within a HTTP POST request, the HTTP POST request including a predetermined universal resource locator (URL) associated with the management server, and
• transmit the HTTP POST request having the UDP payload encapsulated therein to the management server using a HTTP protocol over the Internet.

A computer-implemented method for exchanging network management messages between a network access device and a management server, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a management server, a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) POST request from a network access device over the Internet, the network access device being one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the Internet, and wherein each of the network access devices represents one of a router, an access point, and a switch, wherein each of the network access devices is associated with a local area network (LAN) and provides access to the LAN for its client devices;
• extracting a user datagram protocol (UDP) payload from the first HTTP POST request, the UDP payload containing at least one network management message the network access device intends to send to the management server;
• forwarding the UDP payload to a UDP processing module running within the management server for UDP processing;
• determining whether a second HTTP POST request is still pending at the management server, wherein the second HTTP POST request was received from the network access device prior to the first HTTP POST request;
• returning to the network access device over the Internet a HTTP POST response corresponding to the second HTTP POST request if the second HTTP POST request is still pending;
• and
• retaining within the management server the first HTTP POST request as a pending HTTP POST request without responding if there is no previously received HTTP POST request pending.

A data processing system operating a management server, comprising:

• a user datagram protocol (UDP)-hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) module (UDP/HTTP) to receive a HTTP POST request from a network access device over Internet, the network access device being one of a plurality of network access devices managed by the management server over the Internet, and wherein each of the network access devices represents one of a router, an access point, and a switch, wherein each of the network access devices is associated with a local area network (LAN) and provides access to the LAN for its client devices, wherein the UDP/HTTP module is to extract a user datagram protocol (UDP) payload from the first HTTP POST request, the UDP payload containing at least one network management message the network access device intends to send to the management server, wherein the UDP/HTTP module is configured to determine whether a second HTTP POST request is still pending, wherein the second HTTP POST request was received from the network access device prior to the first HTTP POST request, to return to the network access device over the Internet a HTTP POST response corresponding to the second HTTP POST request if the second HTTP POST request is still pending, and to retain within the management server the first HTTP POST request as a pending HTTP POST request without responding if there is no previously received HTTP POST request pending;
• and
• a UDP processing module coupled to the UDP/HTTP module to receive from the UDP/HTTP module and to process the UDP payload.