Searching and reusing information from previously executed control instructions in a data forwarding device

Abstract

A reverse-search function may accept user input and search back through previously executed and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction, at least a part of which matches a search string input by the user. The matching data forwarding device control instruction may be retrieved and rendered. A reverse-expand function may accept user input, and search back through previously executed and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction having an word or parameter, at least a part of which matches a search string input by the user. The first matching word or parameter may be retrieved and rendered.

1 . A method for inputting a control instruction for a data forwarding device, the method comprising: 
 a) accepting, by the data forwarding device, user input;    b) determining, with the data forwarding device, whether a reverse-search is requested based on the user input accepted; and    c) if it is determined that a reverse-search is requested, then 
 i) accepting, by the data forwarding device, further user input as a search string;  
 ii) searching, with the data forwarding device, back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction, at least a part of which matches the search string input by the user,  
 iii) retrieving, with the data forwarding device, the first matching data forwarding device control instruction, and  
 iv) rendering the first matching data forwarding device control instruction,  
   wherein the data forwarding device is one of (A) a network switch and (B) a network router.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the further user input accepted includes keystrokes.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the act of determining whether a reverse-search is requested determines whether or not a predefined key sequence is input.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the act of determining whether a reverse-search is requested determines whether or not a predefined key is input.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the act of searching back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instruction considers more recently entered data forwarding device control instructions before less recently entered data forwarding device control instructions.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 d) determining whether or not the retrieved first matching data forwarding device control instruction is entered; and    e) if it is determined that the returned first matching data forwarding device control instruction is entered, then 
 i) effecting the entered first matching data forwarding device control instruction, and  
 ii) storing the entered first matching data forwarding device control instruction.  
   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 d) determining, with the data forwarding device, whether another reverse-search is requested before the retrieved first matching data forwarding device control instruction is executed; and    e) if it is determined that another reverse-search is requested before the retrieved first matching data forwarding device control instruction is executed, then automatically 
 i) starting at the first matching control instruction, searching, with the data forwarding device, back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for another data forwarding device control instruction, at least a part of which matches the search string input by the user,  
 ii) retrieving, with the data forwarding device, the next matching data forwarding device control instruction, and  
 iii) rendering the next matching data forwarding device control instruction.  
   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first matching data forwarding device control instruction is one of (a) a clear communications network statistics control instruction, (b) a clear network communications protocol database control instruction, (c) a monitor network communications protocols control instruction, (d) a monitor data forwarding device communications interface control instruction, (e) a ping control instruction, (f) a show data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (g) a show network communications protocols control instruction, (h) a show routing tables control instruction, (i) a show network communications policy filters control instruction, (j) a show data forwarding device chassis control instruction, (k) a test data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (l) a test data forwarding device policy filter control instruction, and (m) a trace-route control instruction.  
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the control instruction is a configuration command.  
   
   
       10 . A control instruction interface for use in a data forwarding device, the control instruction interface comprising: 
 a) a storage device for storing previously entered data forwarding device control instructions;    b) an input device for accepting user input; and    c) a reverse-search facility, the reverse-search facility adapted to 
 i) accept user input from the input device,  
 ii) determining whether a reverse-search is requested based on the accepted user input, and  
 iii) if it is determined that a reverse-search is requested, then accepting further user input as a search string, and searching back through the previously entered data forwarding device control instructions stored in the storage device for a data forwarding device control instruction, at least a part of which matches the search string input by the user,  
   wherein the data forwarding device is one of (A) a network switch and (B) a network router.    
   
   
       11 . The control instruction interface of  claim 10  wherein the reverse-search facility is further adapted to retrieve from the storage device, the first matching data forwarding device control instruction found in a search.  
   
   
       12 . The control instruction interface of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 d) a display device, the display device adapted to render the first matching data forwarding device control instruction retrieved from the storage device by the reverse-search facility.    
   
   
       13 . The control instruction interface of  claim 10  further comprising: 
 d) a operational mode facility adapted to 
 i) determine whether or not the first matching data forwarding device control instruction is entered, and  
 ii) if it is determined that the first matching data forwarding device control instruction is entered, then 
 A) effect the first matching data forwarding device control instruction, and  
 B) store the first matching data forwarding device control instruction in the storage device.  
 
   
   
   
       14 . The control instruction interface of  claim 10  wherein one of the previously executed data forwarding device control instructions stored in the storage device is one of (a) a clear communications network statistics control instruction, (b) a clear network communications protocol database control instruction, (c) a monitor network communications protocols control instruction, (d) a monitor data forwarding device communications interface control instruction, (e) a ping control instruction, (f) a show data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (g) a show network communications protocols control instruction, (h) a show routing tables control instruction, (i) a show network communications policy filters control instruction, (j) a show data forwarding device chassis control instruction, (k) a test data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (l) a test data forwarding device policy filter control instruction, and (m) a trace-route control instruction.  
   
   
       15 . The control instruction interface according to  claim 10  wherein the control instruction is a configuration command.  
   
   
       16 . A computer-readable medium having stored thereon: 
 a) previously entered data forwarding device control instructions; and    b) a binding associating a key or key sequence to a reverse-search command for searching back through the previously entered data forwarding device control instructions, 
 wherein the data forwarding device is one of (A) a network switch and (B) a network router, and  
 wherein the computer-readable medium is included as a component of the data forwarding device.  
   
   
   
       17 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 16  wherein one of the previously entered data forwarding device control instructions stored on the machine readable medium is one of (a) a clear communications network statistics control instruction, (b) a clear network communications protocol database control instruction, (c) a monitor network communications protocols control instruction, (d) a monitor data forwarding device communications interface control instruction, (e) a ping control instruction, (f) a show data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (g) a show network communications protocols control instruction, (h) a show routing tables control instruction, (i) a show network communications policy filters control instruction, (j) a show data forwarding device chassis control instruction, (k) a test data forwarding device configuration control instruction, (l) a test data forwarding device policy filter control instruction, and (m) a trace-route control instruction.  
   
   
       18 . The computer-readable medium according to  claim 16  wherein the control instruction is a configuration command.  
   
   
       19 . A method for inputting a word or parameter value of a control instruction for a data forwarding device, the method comprising: 
 a) accepting user input, the user input including a first part, a second part comprising a search string, and a third part;    b) determining, with the data forwarding device, whether a reverse-expand is requested based on the third part of the user input accepted; and    c) if it is determined that a reverse-expand is requested, then 
 i) searching, with the data forwarding device, back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction having a word or parameter value, at least a part of which matches the search string of the second part of the user input,  
 ii) retrieving, with the data forwarding device, the first matching word or parameter value, and  
 iii) rendering a command line including the first part of the user input and the first matching word or parameter value,  
   wherein the data forwarding device is one of (A) a network switch and (B) a network router.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the act of determining whether a reverse-expand is requested determines whether or not a predefined key sequence is input.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the act of determining whether a reverse-expand is requested determines whether or not a predefined key is input.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the act of searching back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instruction considers more recently executed data forwarding device control instructions before less recently executed data forwarding device control instructions.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising: 
 d) determining, with the data forwarding device, whether another reverse-expand is requested before a data forwarding device control instruction is executed; and    e) if it is determined that another reverse-expand is requested before the data forwarding device control instruction is executed, then automatically 
 i) starting at the control instruction having the first matching word or parameter, searching, with the data forwarding device, back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for another data forwarding device control instruction having a parameter value or word, at least a part of which matches a search string input by the user,  
 ii) retrieving, with the data forwarding device, the next matching word or parameter value, and  
 iii) rendering the next matching word or parameter.  
   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the first matching word or parameter value of a data forwarding device control instruction is one of (a) a data forwarding device communications interface name, (b) a data forwarding device communications interface type, (c) a communications network address, (d) an internet protocol address, (e) a firewall parameter, (f) a network communications protocol, (g) a network communications policy parameter, (h) a data forwarding device configuration parameter, and (i) a part of a hierarchical control instruction.  
   
   
       25 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein the command line rendered includes the first part of the user input followed by the first matching word or parameter.  
   
   
       26 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein the control instruction is a configuration command.  
   
   
       27 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein the reverse-expand is specific to a given parameter, and 
 wherein the act of searching back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction having a word or parameter value, at least a part of which matches the search string of the second part of the user input further determines whether the word or parameter value belongs to the given parameter to qualify the search string match.    
   
   
       28 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein the reverse-expand is specific to a given class of parameters, and 
 wherein the act of searching back through previously entered and stored data forwarding device control instructions for a data forwarding device control instruction having a word or parameter value, at least a part of which matches the search string of the second part of the user input further determines whether the word or parameter value belongs to the given class of parameters to qualify the search string match.    
   
   
       29 . The method according to  claim 28  wherein the given class of parameters is an Internet protocol address parameter.  
   
   
       30 . The method according to  claim 28  wherein the given class of parameters is a physical interface type parameter.  
   
   
       31 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein when reverse-expand is requested, the act of retrieving the first matching word or parameter, retrieves the first matching word or parameter without other parts of the command line in which it was found.  
   
   
       32 . A method of inputting information into a data forwarding device, comprising: 
 receiving, at the data forwarding device, a first data string representing an instruction, a second data string representing a portion of an operand, and a first instance of a control character;    determining whether the second data string matches a portion of an operand stored in memory;    if the second data string is determined to match the portion of an operand stored in memory, then retrieving the operand.    
   
   
       33 . A data forwarding device, comprising: 
 a plurality of data interfaces for connection to respective data lines;    a mechanism for forwarding data from one data interface to another data interface;    a user interface for entering data strings and control characters;    a first processing module for receiving from the user interface a first data string representing an instruction, a second data string representing a portion of an operand, and a first instance of a control character;    a memory for storing a set of operands;    a second processing module for determining whether the second data string matches a portion of an operand stored in the memory;    a third processing module for retrieving an operand containing a portion that is determined to match the second data string.