Dynamically deployable self configuring distributed network management system with specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges and data management computing component

• US 10,230,587 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• 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:
  US15/211,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 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 system comprising:

an arrangement of network task managers deployed on a network, subnetwork or host computing system(s), said arrangement of network task managers comprising non-transitory storage media storing at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges including specifying;

at least one task manager software authorized to operate on a trust domain,

at least one hardware computing component upon which the task manager software is authorized to operate,

at least one network collection software,

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

at least one network collection specification specifying information the at least one network collection software is authorized to collect from the network,

at least one data manager software, and

at least one data management computing component upon which the data manager software is authorized to operate;

wherein the at least one hardware computing component upon which the specification authorizes the task management software to operate includes a processor, storage, network interface, and operating system software, the at least one hardware computing component upon which the specification authorizes the task management software to operate executing said task manager software to at least in part manage the trust domain,

wherein the at least one collection hardware computing component including a processor, storage, network interface, and operating system software, the at least one collection hardware computing component executing said network collection software to collect information about the network, subnetwork or host computing system(s); and

wherein the at least one data management computing component including a processor, storage, network interface, and operating system software, the at least one data management computing component executing said data manager software.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges provides an authorization to install the data manager software on the data management computing component.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges provides an authorization for the task manager software to communicate with and control the operation of the data manager software on the data management computing component.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges provides an authorization to configure the data manager software on the data management computing component.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges specifies information to be managed by the data manager software at least in part within the at least one network collection specification.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the network collection software and the data manager software are configured to communicate therebetween.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges authorizes communicating between the network collection software and the data manager software.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the task manager software configures the network collection software and the data manager software to communicate therebetween.

9. A system of claim 1, wherein the task manager software and the data manager software are configured to communicate therebetween.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the task manager software is configured to communicate, to the data manager software and the network collection software, a specification for information communicated between the network collection software and the data manager software.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the task manager software is configured to provide a status check of operations of the data manager software.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the task manager software is configured to communicate with the data manager software, determine the status of the data manager software, and take an action based upon determined status.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the action comprises restarting the data manager software.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the action comprises reconfiguring the data manager software.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the action comprises altering the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges, instantiating new data manager software, and configuring the new data manager software to operate using at least part of the network collection specification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the action further comprises configuring the network collection software to communicate with the newly instantiated data manager software.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges includes at least two specifications for the data manager software and at least two specifications for the data management computing component.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the task manager software and at least two data manager softwares executing on respective specified data management computing components are configured to communicate therebetween.

19. The system of claim 17, further including the two data manager softwares sharing at least some of the information stored in or by one of the at least two data manager softwares, said sharing being defined in the trust domain, and the task manager software configures the data manager softwares using configuration specification in the at least one specification defining trust domain membership and/or privileges.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said network collection software is configured to forward collected data to the data manager software along a route selected based at least in part on priority.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to store collected data individually for different data manager softwares.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to push collection data to said data manager software.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to cache and push collection data to said data manager software.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to cache and preprocess collection data, and then transmit at least part of the collection data to said data manager software.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to digest and push collection data to said data manager software.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one network collection software is configured to cache collection data, preprocess the collection data, and make at least part of the collection data available to said data manager software for retrieval.