HYTEC, a subsidiary of KEYMILE, has extended the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) to enable address tracing in Layer 2 networks. This technological innovation, called TraceMAC, is available immediately. TraceMAC offers a solution to typical problems related to the administration, control, and analysis of large Layer 2 WANs used by utility companies such as gas, electricity, and gas providers.
In Layer 3, the traceroute command is used to send ICMP echo request IP data packets across a network to reach a target device. However, in Layer 2 networks, a comparable method for identifying hardware addresses was lacking—until now. Complex, manually typed command sequences were required to locate an address step-by-step on a network by reading hardware address tables.
To provide this functionality, TraceMAC applies the standardized IEEE 802.1AB LLDP protocol with a new communication method and organization-specific Type-Length-Value (TLV) elements to gather information. The goal is to achieve automated and therefore more efficient control. The elements are the Trace Request, Trace Reply, Device Name, Outgoing Port Name, IPv4 address, IPv6 address, Incoming Port Name, and Trace Identifier TLV formats. Until now, LLDP had only been used for exchanging information directly between adjacent devices on a network. For identifying problems caused by devices in different locations across large WANs, LLDP had limited use. All of this is set to change with TraceMAC. Currently, TraceMAC
is part of the KEYMILE LineRunner-IS-3400 and the HYTEC-HY104 product families. Both product families include various types of boards for transmitting data in mission-critical networks.
“TraceMAC is another component of our new strategy focused on mission-critical networks,” explains Axel Fory, CEO of KEYMILE. “The solution was created by the research and development team in Germany and helps gas, electricity, and water utilities operate their networks more safely and reliably.” KEYMILE is reviewing how the TraceMAC LLDP extension can be integrated into the official IEEE standardization process. How TraceMAC works is explained in detail in the article “Tracing of hardware addresses in layer two bridged networks,” which is available from the IEEE in the IEEE Xplore digital library.

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