Dynamically deployable self configuring distributed network management system

• US 10,230,586 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ScienceLogic
• Original Assignee: ScienceLogic
• Inventors: Cordray, Christopher G., Chart, Richard, Link, David, Luebke, Matthew, Ginter, Karl, Bartman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Application Number:
  US15/206,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20160380841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/08 in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Systems, software, and methods for managing networks of connected electronic devices are described. In one example, network management policy and network management applications are transferred automatically upon detection and identification of a new device, protocol or application on the network. In another example, information related to at least one aspect of the network is obtained by an NMAS, and at least one applicable management policy is identified by the NMAS; and the identified policy is used to manage at least one aspect of the network'"'"'s operation.

Claims

1. A network management method comprising:

deploying a network collection software arrangement on a network, subnetwork or host computing system(s), said network collection software arrangement comprising a trust domain specification specifying at least;

at least one network collection software,

at least one hardware computing component upon which the network collection software is authorized to operate,

at least one network specification which specifies at least one network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s) to be managed as part of a trust domain,

at least one network collection specification which describes information the network collection software is authorized to collect from the network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s), and

at least one authorization specification authorizing the at least one network collection software to operate against the specified network collection specification by collecting information and/or managing the identified network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s);

determining whether the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the specified at least one hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement; and

if the determining determines the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the specified at least one hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement, executing said at least one network collection software on the specified at least one hardware computing component to at least in part manage the specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s) in accordance with at least an aspect of the trust domain specification, wherein the at least one hardware computing component includes a processor, storage, network interface, and operating system software.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies (a) plural network collection softwares, and (b) network collection software to be used for each of plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the executing at least in part manages collection of data by the network collection softwares from each of the plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies that the same network collection software(s) be used for each of plural specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the executing at least in part manages collection of data by the network collection softwares from each of the specified plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified network collection software(s) comprises different network collection softwares for each of plural specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the executing at least in part manages collection of data by the different specified network collection softwares from each of the specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies a set of network collection software(s) for use during a dynamic discovery process executing on at least one authorized hardware computing component against a specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system, and the network collection specification is used to control at least an aspect of the dynamic discovery process.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification authorizes one or more collection operations to be performed by the executing network collection software.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein plural hardware computing components are connected to the specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the plural hardware computing components are each a member of the specified network, subnetwork or host computing system.

9. A method of claim 7 wherein the trust domain specification specifies the plural hardware computing components to be a member of different networks, subnetworks or host computing systems specified by the trust domain specification.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies one or more networks, subnetworks and/or host computing system(s) to be managed as part of a trust domain.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the trust domain specification specifies information the network collection software is to collect for each specified network, subnetwork and/or host computing system(s).

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies that plural specified network collection softwares collect the same or different information for a specified network, subnetwork or host computing system(s), and the executing at least in part manages collection of data by the network collection softwares from a specified network, subnetwork or host computing system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified network collection software comprises at least one dynamic application.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the trust domain specification specifies plural networks and/or subnetworks to be managed as part of a trust domain by at least one hardware execution device that is not a member of any of the networks and/or subnetworks specified in the trust domain specification.

15. A network management system comprising:

a network collection software arrangement deployed on a network, subnetwork or host computing system(s), said network collection software arrangement comprising;

a trust domain specification specifying at least;

at least one network collection software,

at least one hardware computing component upon which the network collection software is authorized to operate,

at least one network specification which specifies at least one network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s) to be managed as part of a trust domain,

at least one network collection specification which describes information the network collection software is authorized to collect from the network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s), and

at least one authorization specification authorizing the at least one network collection software to operate against the specified network collection specification by collecting information and/or managing the identified network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s), and

wherein the specified at least one hardware computing component includes a processor, storage, network interface, and operating system software, and

wherein the specified at least one hardware computing component determines whether the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the specified at least one hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement, and upon determining the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the specified at least one hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement, executes said at least one network collection software to at least in part manage the specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system(s) in accordance with at least an aspect of the trust domain specification.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies (a) plural network collection softwares, and (b) network collection software to be used for each of plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the specified at least one hardware computing component executing the at least one network collection software to at least in part manage collection of data by the network collection softwares from each of the plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies that the same network collection software(s) be used for each of plural specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the specified at least one hardware computing component executing the at least one network collection software at least in part manages collection of data by the network collection softwares from each of the specified plural networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the specified network collection software(s) comprises different network collection softwares for each of plural specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s), and the specified at least one hardware computing component executing the at least one network collection software at least in part manages collection of data by the different specified network collection softwares from each of the specified networks, subnetworks or host computing system(s).

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies a set of network collection software(s) for use during a dynamic discovery process executing on at least one authorized hardware computing component against a specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system, and the network collection specification is used to configure the at least one hardware computing component executing the at least one network collection software to control at least an aspect of the dynamic discovery process.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification authorizes one or more collection operations to be performed by the executing network collection software.

21. The system of claim 15 further comprising plural hardware computing components connected to the specified network, subnetwork, or host computing system.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the plural hardware computing components are each a member of the specified network, subnetwork or host computing system.

23. A system of claim 21 wherein the trust domain specification specifies the plural hardware computing components to be a member of different networks, subnetworks or host computing systems specified by the trust domain specification.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies one or more networks, subnetworks and/or host computing system(s) to be managed as part of a trust domain.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the trust domain specification specifies information the network collection software is to collect for each specified network, subnetwork and/or host computing system(s).

26. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies that plural specified network collection softwares collect the same or different information for a specified network, subnetwork or host computing system(s), and the specified at least one hardware computing component executing the plural network collection softwares at least in part manage collection of data by the network collection softwares from a specified network, subnetwork or host computing system.

27. The system of claim 15 wherein the specified network collection software comprises at least one dynamic application.

28. The system of claim 15 wherein the trust domain specification specifies plural networks and/or subnetworks to be managed as part of a trust domain by at least one hardware execution device that is not a member of any of the networks and/or subnetworks specified in the trust domain specification.

29. A network management method comprising:

deploying network collection software on a network;

providing a trust domain specification authorizing one or more network collection software(s) to operate on at least one specified hardware computing component;

providing a network collection specification authorizing the network collection software to collect specified information from the network, and

interoperating the network collection software in accordance with at least a portion of the trust domain specification and at least a portion of the network collection specification to thereby determine whether the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the at least one specified hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement, and upon determining that the trust domain specification identifies network collection software present on the specified at least one hardware computing component as being authorized to operate as part of the network collection software arrangement, executes the network collection software on the specified at least one hardware computing component and collects the specified information from the network in accordance with the network collection specification.