# US 2021/0243070 A1 · Switch port protection mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0243070 A1 - Document ID: US20210243070A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/778,113 - Filed: 2020-01-31 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-31 - Assignees: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP - Applicants: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP - Inventors: David Kasperson; Robert Teisberg; Alexander Kramer; Charles Greenidge; Frederick Kuhns; Neil Gierman; Adriano Gonella - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243070A1 ## CPC - H04L 41/0659: by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities - H04L 41/0604: using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time - H04L 41/0654: using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A system to facilitate identification of intermediate switches within a network switching fabric is described. The system includes a processor and a machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to detect a neighbor change event at a switch port of a network switch, determine whether a switch port neighbor device coupled to the switch port is trusted, set a status of the switch port as failed upon a determination that the switch port is untrusted, block network traffic through the switch port and generate an alert indicating that untrusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system to facilitate protection of a switch port, comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: detect a neighbor change event at a switch port of a network switch, determine whether a switch port neighbor device coupled to the switch port is trusted, set a status of the switch port as failed upon a determination that the switch port is untrusted, block network traffic through the switch port, and generate an alert indicating that untrusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the determination that the switch port is untrusted comprises the processor to execute instructions to determine that a profile connection associated with the switch port neighbor device does not match profile connection information associated with the switch port. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the switch port remains blocked until a trusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further to clear the alert. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the the alert is manually cleared via a user interface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the the alert is automatically cleared upon a detection of a trusted switch port neighbor coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the processor sets the status of the switch port as deployed upon a determination that the switch port is trusted and permits network traffic through the switch port via the switch port neighbor device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein determining that the switch port is trusted comprises the processor to execute instructions to determine that a profile connection associated with the switch port neighbor device matches profile connection information associated with the switch port. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the neighbor change event comprises detecting a cable attached to the switch port. ### Claim 10 A method to facilitate protection of a switch port, comprising: detecting a neighbor change event at a switch port of a network switch; determining whether a switch port neighbor device coupled to the switch port is trusted; setting a status of the switch port as failed upon a determination that the switch port is untrusted; blocking network traffic through the switch port in response to the status that was set; and generating an alert indicating that untrusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the determination that the switch port is untrusted comprises determining that a profile connection associated with the switch port neighbor device does not match profile connection information associated with the switch port. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising blocking the switch port until a trusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising clearing the alert, wherein the the alert is automatically cleared upon a detection of a trusted switch port neighbor coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: detecting a second neighbor change event at a second switch port; determining whether a second switch port neighbor device coupled to the second switch port is trusted; setting a status of the second switch port as deployed upon a determination that the second switch port is trusted; and permitting network traffic through the second switch port via the second switch port neighbor device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the second switch port is trusted comprises determining that a profile connection associated with the second switch port neighbor device matches profile connection information associated with the second switch port. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: detect a neighbor change event at a switch port of a network switch; determine whether a switch port neighbor device coupled to the switch port is trusted; set a status of the switch port as failed upon a determination that the switch port is untrusted, block network traffic through the switch port; and generate an alert indicating that untrusted switch port neighbor device is coupled to the switch port. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the determination that the switch port is untrusted comprises determining that a profile connection associated with the switch port neighbor device does not match profile connection information associated with the switch port. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining that the switch port is trusted comprises determining that the switch port neighbor hardware has been added to a switching fabric and a profile connection associated with the switch port neighbor device matches profile connection information associated with the switch port. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein a discovery protocol exchange is performed to determine connectivity between the switch port and the switch port neighbor hardware. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the discovery protocol exchange comprises data including information identifying the port and a device identifier to identify the switch port neighbor hardware.