Method and apparatus to determine the exact topological features of the network

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of accurately determining topology features of a computer network.;SOLUTION: A monitoring system (switches A and B) for determining topology features of a network includes methods for creating a topology map of the network by: obtaining a list of managed network devices; identifying trunk ports, link channel ports, and trunk channel ports; identifying link port (2) and node ports; determining connections between the ports (1-8); storing the information; and displaying the network topology. The system also includes methods for obtaining information regarding the devices and machines connected to the network, including VLAN (a-h) and backplane information, router ARP table information, device interface information, and physical address information. Also, port and/or devices are logically grouped so as to provide more accurate topology information.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT