# US 2019/0356597 A1 · Policy based automatic flow collection discovery > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0356597 A1 - Document ID: US20190356597A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/047,729 - Filed: 2018-07-27 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Earliest claimed: 2018-05-16 - Assignees: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Brocade Communications Systems LLC - Inventors: Santhoshkumar Kolathur; George Levchenko - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190356597A1 ## CPC - H04L 43/026: using flow identification - H04L 41/069: using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications - H04L 41/0894: Policy-based network configuration management - H04L 43/20: the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV - H04L 47/20: Traffic policing - H04L 47/2441: relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ] - H04L 47/2483: involving identification of individual flows - H04L 41/40: using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities - Y02D 30/50: in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract In some aspects, the disclosure is directed to methods and systems for automatically identifying a set of communications flows in a network environment, and grouping the identified set into a flow collection for management and monitoring. The system may dynamically maintaining the group membership, without requiring manual analysis and grouping. As a result, manual grouping of flows may be avoided, avoiding this complex, tedious, and error prone task, and allowing easier and more efficient administration and management. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for management of communications flows, comprising: identifying, by a management device from a plurality of devices, a first subset of devices associated with a given criteria; determining, by the management device via monitoring of a first plurality of communications flows between the first subset of devices and one or more initiator endpoints, a subset of initiator endpoints that communicate with the identified first subset of devices; adding, by the management device, each flow between the subset of initiator endpoints and the first subset of devices to a flow classification group; identifying, by the management device via monitoring of a second plurality of communications flows between the subset of initiator endpoints and the plurality of devices, a second subset of devices that are targets of the communications flows from the initiator endpoints; adding, by the management device, each flow between the subset of initiator endpoints and the second subset of devices to the flow classification group; and applying, by the management device, a processing policy to each flow of the flow classification group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of devices and second subset of devices comprise storage devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein applying the processing policy further comprises providing the processing policy to a network device deployed as an intermediary between a first initiator endpoint of the subset of initiator endpoints and a device of the first or second subset of devices. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria comprises an application name, a logical unit number (LUN), a server name, or a zone name. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the criteria, by the management device, via a user interface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the criteria comprises a search expression received via the user interface; and further comprising identifying devices matching the search expression, by the management device, from criteria of devices identified in a database of the management device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: subsequently identifying a new flow between one of the subset of initiator endpoints and one of the first subset of devices or second subset of devices; and responsive to the identification of the new flow, adding the new flow to the flow classification group. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: subsequently determining that a flow between one of the subset of initiator endpoints and one of the first subset of devices or second subset of devices has terminated; and responsive to the determination that the flow has been terminated, removing the terminated flow from the flow classification group. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the subset of initiator endpoints that communicate with the identified first subset of devices further comprises extracting, from a log generated by the management device via monitoring of the first plurality of communications flows, a subset of flows having the first subset of devices as endpoints, the log identifying each endpoint of a flow. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein monitoring of the first plurality of communications flows and generation of the log are performed prior to identifying the first subset of devices associated with the given criteria. ### Claim 11 A system for management of communications flows, comprising: a management device in communication with a plurality of devices, the management device comprising a processor configured to: identifying, from the plurality of devices, a first subset of devices associated with a given criteria, determine, via monitoring of a first plurality of communications flows between the first subset of devices and one or more initiator endpoints, a subset of initiator endpoints that communicate with the identified first subset of devices, add each flow between the subset of initiator endpoints and the first subset of devices to a flow classification group, identify, via monitoring of a second plurality of communications flows between the subset of initiator endpoints and the plurality of devices, a second subset of devices that are targets of the communications flows from the initiator endpoints, add each flow between the subset of initiator endpoints and the second subset of devices to the flow classification group, and apply a processing policy to each flow of the flow classification group. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the first subset of devices and second subset of devices comprise storage devices. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the management device is further configured to provide the processing policy to a network device deployed as an intermediary between a first initiator endpoint of the subset of initiator endpoints and a device of the first or second subset of devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the criteria comprises an application name, a logical unit number (LUN), a server name, or a zone name. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the management device is further configured to receive the criteria via a user interface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the criteria comprises a search expression received via the user interface and wherein the management device is further configured to identify devices matching the search expression, by the management device, from criteria of devices identified in a database of the management device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the management device is further configured to: subsequently identify a new flow between one of the subset of initiator endpoints and one of the first subset of devices or second subset of devices; and responsive to the identification of the new flow, add the new flow to the flow classification group. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the management device is further configured to: subsequently determine that a flow between one of the subset of initiator endpoints and one of the first subset of devices or second subset of devices has terminated; and responsive to the determination that the flow has been terminated, remove the terminated flow from the flow classification group. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the management device is further configured to extract, from a log generated by the management device via monitoring of the first plurality of communications flows, a subset of flows having the first subset of devices as endpoints, the log identifying each endpoint of a flow. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein monitoring of the first plurality of communications flows and generation of the log are performed prior to identifying the first subset of devices associated with the given criteria.