Host visibility as a network service

摘要

At a data switching device in a data center, it is detected whether a host has connected to a cloud computing network of which the data switching device and the data center are components. The detection is performed without directly communicating with the host. The data switching device determines properties of the host and generates a message comprising data representative of the properties of the host. The message is sent from the data switching device to a node in the cloud computing network that is configured to manage components of the cloud computing network associated with the host.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
detecting, at a data switching device in a data center, whether a host has connected to a cloud computing network of which the data switching device and the data center are components, wherein the detecting is performed by monitoring data packets that are sent to another entity from the host and that are received by the host from the another entity and that pass through the data switching device, wherein the another entity is other than the data switching device; determining, at the data switching device, properties of the host; generating, at the data switching device, a message comprising data representative of the properties of the host; and sending, from the data switching device, the message to a node in the cloud computing network that is configured to manage components of the cloud computing network associated with the host, wherein the components are other than the data switching device and the host.