Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for highlighting a port of a network device in a network. The method includes receiving, by a processor, a selection of graphical element displayed at a graphical user interface. The network device is separate from the processor. The graphical element corresponds to a port of a network device in a network. The method further includes identifying, by the processor, the port and the network device at which the port is disposed, and transmitting an instruction to the network device to cause a specific signaling component associated with the port to have a different state from other signaling components associated with other ports of the network device in order to highlight the port at the network device to a user.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for generating a Layer 2 path indication by a processor. The method includes receiving, by the processor, a request for providing a Layer 2 path indication between a first host and a second host in a network. Nodes in the network are configured to form a plurality of sub-networks to enable data transfer from one host to another host within a sub-network via a Layer 2 path formed of a sequence of intermediate nodes in the same sub-network. The method further includes identifying, by the processor, a sub-network within the network to which the first host and the second host belong, and determining, by the processor, within the sub-network a sequence of intermediate nodes on a path for Layer 2 data transfer between the first host and the second host.

Abstract: A method for providing Layer 2 link attributes to a user includes transmitting a query using a Layer 3 network protocol to at least a first network element to determine a link attribute for a Layer 2 link between the first network element and a second network element in a network, receiving a response indicative of the link attribute for the Layer 2 link, determining based on the received response a graphical line attribute corresponding to the link attribute according to a predetermined mapping of link attributes to graphical line attributes, and updating a line element at a graphical user interface according to the graphical line attribute, the line element connecting at the graphical user interface a first graphical element corresponding to the first network element and a second graphical element corresponding to the second network element.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for self-forming link aggregation (LAG). The method includes discovering, by a network switch, at least a first port and a second port managed by the network switch that are linked to another network switch. After the discovery, the method includes defining between the first network switch and the other network switch a single logical interface of which the first port and the second port are members, and communicating network traffic between the network switch and the other network switch over the single logical interface.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for generating a Layer 2 path indication by a processor. The method includes receiving, by the processor, a request for providing a Layer 2 path indication between a first host and a second host in a network. Nodes in the network are configured to form a plurality of sub-networks to enable data transfer from one host to another host within a sub-network via a Layer 2 path formed of a sequence of intermediate nodes in the same sub-network. The method further includes identifying, by the processor, a sub-network within the network to which the first host and the second host belong, and determining, by the processor, within the sub-network a sequence of intermediate nodes on a path for Layer 2 data transfer between the first host and the second host.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing a network use one or more diagnostic objects in a Management Information Base (MIB). In some implementations, a managed network device is provided that includes a management module configured to receive a request from a remote device on a network to perform one or more network management tasks. The managed network device also includes an execution engine configured to identify one or more errors associated with the request. The managed network device also includes a diagnostic engine configured to generate diagnostic information associated with the one or more identified errors. The diagnostic information can include textual information identifying one or more origins giving rise to the one or more identified errors.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing a network using one or more diagnostic objects in a Management Information Base (MIB). The one or more diagnostic objects include a diagnostic table object for storing data, including diagnostic text information. The method includes receiving a network management protocol command at a managed device in a network, and determining whether the network management protocol command was processed successfully at the managed device. If the network management protocol command was not processed successfully at the managed device, then the method further includes storing data related to the network management protocol command that was not processed successfully at the managed device.