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US 2017/0366437 A1Published application
Extended ping protocol for determining status for remote interfaces without requiring network reachability
AssigneeJuniper Networks, Inc.
InventorsRonald P. Bonica, Reji Thomas
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Abstract
An extend ping protocol is described that allow connectivity tests to be performed for individual network interfaces of a target device without requiring network reachability between the testing device and the remote interface whose status is being queried. Moreover, the extend ping protocol supports a plurality of different probe types that allow an administrator to control how identification information within an extended ping echo request is resolved to the unreachable interfaces.
Claims17
A method comprising:
- executing an extended ping software utility on a source network device;
- presenting, with the extended ping software utility, a user interface to receive input from a user, wherein the input identifies a network address of a reachable network interface of a target device, identification information for an unreachable network interface of the target device, and a probe type that specifies one of a plurality of probe types by which the identification information identifies the unreachable network interface;
- and
- outputting, from the source network device with the software utility, a ping echo request packet to test the status of the unreachable network interface of the target device,
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes a header having a destination address of the network address of the reachable network interface of the target device,
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes an identification information object specifying the identification information, and
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes a probe type field specifying the probe type by which the identification information identifies the unreachable network interface of the target device.
4 more elements
A source network device comprising:
- a hardware-based programmable processor;
- and
- an extended ping software utility executing on the processor of source network device that presents a user interface to receive input from a user,
- wherein the input identifies a network address of a reachable network interface of a target device, identification information for an unreachable network interface, and a probe type that specifies one of a plurality of probe types by which the identification information identifies the unreachable network interface,
- wherein the software utility outputs a ping echo request packet to test the status of the unreachable network interface of the target device,
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes a header having a destination address of the network address of the reachable network interface of the target device,
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes an identification information object specifying the identification information, and
- wherein the ping echo request packet includes a probe type field specifying the probe type by which the identification information identifies the unreachable network interface of the target device.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving, from a source device and via a reachable network interface on a target device, a ping echo request packet to test the status of an unreachable network interface on the target device, wherein the ping echo request packet includes a header having a destination address of the reachable network interface of the target device, wherein the ping echo request packet includes an identification information object specifying identification information for the unreachable network interface of the target device and a probe type field specifying a probe type by which the identification information identifies the unreachable network interface of the target device;
- processing the probe type specified within the probe type field to select a mode for comparing the identification information to configuration data of the target device;
- based on the selected mode, comparing the identification information to parameters within the configuration data of the target device to resolve the identification information to the unreachable network interface of target device;
- and
- outputting, to the source device and via the reachable network interface, a reply packet indicating a status of the unreachable network interface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.