Event-monitoring in a system for automatically obtaining and managing physical layer information using a reliable packet-based communication protocol

Abstract

A method of reporting information about events occurring at a device. A connection between a first entity and a second entity associated with the device is established using a reliable packet-based communication protocol. If an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurs, event information is reliably sent from the second entity to the first entity using the reliable packet-based communication protocol. If a predetermined amount of time elapses since establishing the connection without an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurring, a first message is reliably sent from the second entity to the first entity using the reliable packet-based communication protocol, the first message indicating that no event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection has occurred during the predetermined amount of time. The connection is closed after the first message has been sent.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of reporting information about events occurring at a device having at least port at which at least one cable can be attached to the device, wherein the device is configured to read information stored on or in the cable that is attached to the device, the method comprising:
 establishing a connection between a first entity and a second entity associated with the device, wherein the connection is established using a reliable packet-based communication protocol;   if an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurs, reliably sending event information from the second entity to the first entity on the connection using the reliable packet-based communication protocol; and   if a predetermined amount of time elapses since establishing the connection without an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurring, reliably sending a first message from the second entity to the first entity on the connection using the reliable packet-based communication protocol, the first message indicating that no event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection has occurred during the predetermined amount of time, and closing the connection after the first message has been sent on the connection.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, if the event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurs and the event information was not successfully sent from the second entity to the first entity on the connection using the reliable packet-based communication protocol, buffering the event information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, if the connection is successfully established, receiving a request for information related to any events associated with the device sent from the second entity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is repeatedly performed for successive connections, where each connection is closed after event information or a no event message has been received on the respective connection. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first entity comprises software executing on an aggregation point, wherein the aggregation point is communicatively coupled to the device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the device comprises at least one of patching equipment and an end-user device. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cable comprises a connector configured to attach to the port of the device, the connector having an associated stored device in which the information is stored, wherein the device is configured to read the information stored in the storage device. 
     
     
         8 . A device comprising:
 a programmable processor configured to execute software;   an interface to communicatively couple the device to an aggregation point; and   at least one port at which at least one cable can be attached to the device, wherein the device is configured to read information stored on or in the cable that is attached to the device;   wherein the software is configured to cause the programmable processor to:   establish a connection between an aggregation point and the device, wherein the connection is established using a reliable packet-based communication protocol;   if an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurs, reliably send event information from the device to the aggregation point on the connection using the reliable packet-based communication protocol; and   if a predetermined amount of time elapses since establishing the connection without an event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection occurring, reliably send a first message from the device to the aggregation point on the connection using the reliable packet-based communication protocol, the first message indicating that no event associated with the device that is unrelated to the connection has occurred during the predetermined amount of time, and close the connection after sending the first message on the connection.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the device comprises at least one of patching equipment and an end-user device. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the cable comprises a connector configured to attach to the port of the device, the connector having an associated stored device in which the information is stored, wherein the device is configured to read the information stored in the storage device. 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 a plurality of items of patching equipment, each of the items of patching equipment comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the items of patching equipment is configured to read information stored in storage devices associated with connectors attached to cables that are connected to the ports of the respective item of patching equipment; and   an aggregation point communicatively coupled to the items of patching equipment, wherein the aggregation point is configured to automatically discover the items of patching equipment and cause each of the items of patching equipment to send to the aggregation point at least some of the information read from the storage devices associated with the connectors attached to the cables that are connected to the ports of the respective items of patching equipment;   wherein the aggregation point is configured to store at least some of the information sent by the items of patching equipment to the aggregation point; and   wherein a reliable packet-based communication protocol is used by the aggregation point to monitor events occurring at at least one item of patching equipment.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the reliable packet-based communication protocol comprises a connection-oriented protocol. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the reliable network protocol comprises at least one of: the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the Reliable User Data Protocol (RUDP), and a reliable protocol built on ETHERNET. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the aggregation point is configured to repeatedly establish successive connections with an entity associated with the at least one item of patching equipment, wherein the aggregation point and the at least one item of patching equipment are configured to use the reliable packet-based communication protocol to close each connection after a predetermined amount time. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the entity is configured, for each connection, to send, using that connection, information about any new events. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the items of patching equipment comprise at least one of: rack-mounted patching equipment, wall-mounted patching equipment, a fiber distribution hub (FDH), a fiber splice panel, a fiber termination point, a patch panel, a distribution unit, a media converter, a wall-mounted connector box, wall-mounted jack, wall-mounted outlet, and a wall-mounted media converter. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the events occurring at the least one item of patching equipment comprises connecting a cable to the item of patching equipment and disconnecting the cable from the item of patching equipment. 
     
     
         18 . An aggregation point comprising:
 a programmable processor configured to execute software; and   an interface to communicatively couple the aggregation point to a plurality of items of patching equipment, each of the items of patching equipment comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the items of patching equipment is configured to read information stored in storage devices associated with connectors attached to cables that are connected to the ports of the respective item of patching equipment; and   wherein the software is configured to cause the programmable processor to:
 automatically discover the items of patching equipment and cause each of the items of patching equipment to send to the aggregation point at least some of the information read from the storage devices associated with the connectors attached to the cables that are connected to the ports of the respective items of patching equipment; 
 for each item of patching equipment:
 establish a respective connection between the aggregation point and a respective entity associated with the respective item of patching equipment, wherein the connection is established using a reliable packet-based communication protocol; 
 when information related to an event associated with the respective item of patching equipment is received from the respective connection, update event information maintained by the aggregation point with the information received from the respective connection; and 
 when a first predetermined amount time elapses since establishing the respective connection without data being received at the aggregation point from the respective connection, update a status associated with the respective item of patching equipment to indicate that the respective item of patching equipment is not reachable. 
 
   
     
     
         19 . The aggregation point of  claim 18 , wherein the software comprises aggregation software, a database manager, and software that implements the reliable packet-based communication protocol. 
     
     
         20 . The aggregation point of  claim 18 , wherein each respective entity comprises software executing on an associated item of patching equipment.