US 2010.0005190A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2010/0005190 A1 Shah et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jan. 7, 2010 (54) METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A NETWORK Publication Classification CONTROLLER BASED PASS-THROUGH (51) Int. Cl COMMUNICATION MECHANISM BETWEEN Go,F i 5/173 (2006.01) LOCAL, HOST AND MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................ 709/235 (57) ABSTRACT (76) Inventors: Hemal Shah, Trabuco Canyon, CA A network controller in a communication device may be (US); David Christensen, Foothill operable to route local host-management traffic between a Ranch, CA (US); Scott McDaniel, local host and a management controller within the commu Villa Park, CA (US) nication device, wherein the local host may be operable to utilize its network processing resources and function during Correspondence Address: communication of the local host-management traffic. A dedi MCANDREWS HELD & MALLOY, LTD cated management port may be configured in the network 500 WEST MADISON STREET, SUITE 3400 controller to enable receiving and/or transmitting local host CHICAGO, IL 60661 management traffic communicated from and/or to the local host separate from the local host's network traffic communi cated via the network controller. The host-management traffic (21) Appl. No.: 12/496,103 is communicated between the network controller and the management controller via NC-SI interface. The manage (22) Filed: Jul. 1, 2009 ment controller may be assigned Internet protocol (IP) based addressing information for use during routing of local host management traffic. The IP addressing information may be Related U.S. Application Data preset statically, assigned automatically from a list of avail (60) Provisional application No. 61/077.333, filed on Jul. 1, able addresses, or configured dynamically via a DHCP server 2008. function. S. remote management --- agent (108) . (110) : : sa.-- W. C. is 5 5 Processor 9 ! 9. EE: Processor 112 ; : 106) 116 --- - - - Management device - (102) Network device - (104) Patent Application Publication Jan. 7, 2010 Sheet 1 of 5 US 2010/0005190 A1 | | | | | | | | | | e3e Jeu XOWeN - Teoeleu loweN JOSS3OOud ZI? Patent Application Publication Jan. 7, 2010 Sheet 2 of 5 US 2010/0005190 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 7, 2010 Sheet 3 of 5 US 2010/0005190 A1 IS-ON pueuuuuooK)-- quoddnS /ÅHd OVW Patent Application Publication US 2010/0005190 A1 Patent Application Publication Jan. 7, 2010 Sheet 5 of 5 US 2010/0005190 A1 US 2010/0005190 A1 Jan. 7, 2010 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A NETWORK trated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood CONTROLLER BASED PASS-THROUGH from the following description and drawings. COMMUNICATION MECHANISM BETWEEN LOCAL, HOST AND MANAGEMENT BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF CONTROLLER THE DRAWINGS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED 0010 FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an exem APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY plary communication setup between a management device REFERENCE and a network device, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 0001. This patent application makes reference to, claims 0011 FIG. 2A is a block diagram that illustrates an exem priority to and claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Applica plary system that comprises a network controller and a man tion Ser. No. 61/077,333 filed on Jul. 1, 2008. agement controller, which may be utilized to enable process 0002 The above stated application is hereby incorporated ing of network and management traffic, in accordance with an herein by reference in its entirety. embodiment of the invention. 0012 FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating host-man FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHOR agement controller traffic processing and/or filtering in a DEVELOPMENT device via an exemplary system that comprises a network controller and a management controller, which may be uti 0003) Not Applicable. lized to enable Supporting dedicated local host-management traffic, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. MICROFICHEACOPYRIGHT REFERENCE 0013 FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates exemplary 0004) Not Applicable. messaging during management discovery between a local host and a management controller, in accordance with an FIELD OF THE INVENTION embodiment of the invention. 0014 FIG. 4 is a flow chart that illustrates exemplary use 0005 Certain embodiments of the invention relate to of dedicated local host-management communication routing device management. More specifically, certain embodiments via network controller in a system, in accordance with an of the invention relate to a method and system for a network embodiment of the invention. controller based pass-through communication mechanism between local host and management controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0015 Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and system for a network controller based pass 0006 Information Technology (IT) management may through communication mechanism between a local host and require performing remote management operations of remote a management controller. In various embodiments of the systems to perform inventory, monitor, control, and/or verify invention, a network controller in a communication device whether remote systems are up-to-date. For example, man may be operable to route local host-management traffic agement devices and/or consoles may perform Such opera between a local host and a management controller within the tions as discovering and/or navigating management resources communication device. The local host may be operable to in a network, manipulating and/or administrating manage utilize its network processing resources and functions during ment resources, requesting and/or controlling Subscribing communication of the local host-management traffic via the and/or unsubscribing operations, and executing and/or spe network controller. A dedicated management port may be cific management methods and/or procedures. Management configured in a host interface in the network controller to devices and/or consoles may communicate with devices in a enable receiving and/or transmitting local host-management network to ensure availability of remote systems, to monitor traffic communicated from and/or to the local host while a and/or control the remote systems, to validate that the remote separate networking port in the host interface is utilized to systems may be up-to-date, and/or to perform any security enable communicate the local host's network traffic via the patch updates that may be necessary. network controller. The host-management traffic is commu 0007 Further limitations and disadvantages of conven nicated between the network controller and the management tional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one controller via a NC-SI interface, which is otherwise utilized of skill in the art, through comparison of Such systems with to communicate management traffic communicated between Some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the the management controller and external entities via the net remainder of the present application with reference to the work controller. The network controller may be operable to drawings. utilize packet filtering to enable routing the local host-man agement traffic. The packet filtering may be performed on all BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION received inbound packets and/or on outbound packets com municated via the management controller. The management 0008. A system and/or method is provided for a network controller may be assigned Internet protocol (IP) based controller based pass-through communication mechanism addressing information, a MAC/IP address for example, for between a local host and a management controller, Substan use during routing of local host-management traffic. Accord tially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least ingly, the packet filtering may be performed based on MAC/ one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. IP addresses. The IP address assigned to the management 0009. These and other advantages, aspects and novel fea controller may be preset statically, assigned automatically tures of the present invention, as well as details of an illus from a predetermined list of available IP addresses, and/or US 2010/0005190 A1 Jan. 7, 2010 configured dynamically via a Dynamic Host Configuration ment device 102. The memory 114 may comprise suitable Protocol (DHCP) server function, which may run within the logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may enable per management controller. The local host may be operable to manent and/or non-permanent storage and fetch of data and/ discover availability of routing of local host-management or code used by the processor 112, for example, during man traffic via the network controller, by querying the manage agement related processing operations. In this regard, the ment controller and/or the network controller for example. memory 114 may comprise various combinations of memory The query messaging performed during discovery operations technologies, including, for example, read-only memory may be performed using WS-Management and/or Alert Stan (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and/or Flash dard Format (ASF) messages. memory. 0016 FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an exem 0020. The network device 104 may comprise suitable plary communication setup between a management device logic, circuitry, code, and/or interfaces that may enable per and a network device, which may be utilized in accordance forming management operations that may initiated and/or with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, requested by one or more management devices, for example there is shown a management device 102, a network device the management device 102, via a management connection, 104, a management connection 106, a remote management for example the management connection 106. The network agent 108, a management service 110, a processor 112, a device 104 may be integrated into a network that may be memory 114, a processor 116, and a memory 118. managed by one or more instances of the management device 0017. The management device 102 may comprise suitable 102.