System and method for managing network configuration data, computer program for same
First Claim
1. A network configuration data management system comprising:
- (a) storage means for providing storage management facilities, said storage means storing;
a current map for containing information represented as a current network configuration information, and a temporary map for containing information for the network components for which the configuration changes are expected to occur at any future time and/or information for network components for which the configuration changes occurred at any past time; and
(b) means for generating network configuration information that is applicable to any time relative to a particular time later than the current time and/or relative to a particular time earlier than the current time, based on the information in said current map and the information in said temporary map.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a system for managing the information for the network components including hardware devices such as routers, switches, and the like, an apparatus and method is disclosed, which allows not only the current network configuration information but also the future network configuration information to be stored, wherein the future network configuration information reflects the future facilities planning considerations and may be derived from the current network configuration information.
The system includes a directory server on which a current map tree and a temporary map tree are stored, wherein the current map tree contains the current network configuration information organized into a tree structure, and the temporary map tree only contains the information for any components, organized into a tree structure, for which the configuration changes are expected to occur in the future. The future network configuration information may be obtained by merging the information in the current map tree together with the information in the temporary map tree that may be setup up to any future time as specified. The system further includes means that responds to the request for the network configuration information that is applicable to any future time from any external requester, such as applications or users, for issuing a request to search the trees including the directory entries that reside in the current map tree and temporary map tree stored in the directory server and obtaining the configuration information as requested, and means for merging the configuration information obtained from the current map tree together with the temporary map tree to generate the network configuration information that is applicable to the particular time and returning the generated network configuration information to the requester.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A network configuration data management system comprising:
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(a) storage means for providing storage management facilities, said storage means storing;
a current map for containing information represented as a current network configuration information, and a temporary map for containing information for the network components for which the configuration changes are expected to occur at any future time and/or information for network components for which the configuration changes occurred at any past time; and
(b) means for generating network configuration information that is applicable to any time relative to a particular time later than the current time and/or relative to a particular time earlier than the current time, based on the information in said current map and the information in said temporary map.
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2. A network configuration data management system comprising:
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(a) a directory server storing;
a current map tree for containing current network configuration information organized into a tree structure, and a temporary map tree for only containing information for network components organized into a tree structure and for which configuration changes are expected to occur at any future time;
(b) means responsive to a request for a network configuration information applicable to any future time from an external requester, for issuing a request to access said current map tree and said temporary map tree stored in said directory server in order to search for appropriate trees containing directory entries, and obtaining the appropriate configuration information as requested by the requester; and
(c) means for merging the configuration information obtained from said current map tree together with the configuration information obtained from said temporary tree, generating a network configuration information applicable to the time specified by the requester, and returning the generated network configuration information to the requester. - View Dependent Claims (4)
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3. A network configuration data management system comprising:
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(a) a directory server including;
(a1) a current map tree for containing information for current network configuration conditions organized into a directory tree format, and (a2) a temporary map tree for containing differential information for a future network configuration organized into a directory tree structure that represents a difference resulting from any changes made to the current network configuration; and
(b) a network configuration information management apparatus including;
(b1) network configuration data control means that responds to a request from any external application for providing network configuration data management functions by performing operations on the map data, (b2) current map tree access means for accessing said current map tree within said directory server to retrieve appropriate information therefrom, and updating the retrieved information, and (b3) temporary map tree access means for accessing said temporary map tree within said directory server to perform generating, modifying and deleting operations, wherein a future network configuration information that represents the information expected to occur at any future time later than the current time may be generated by merging the information in said current map tree together with the information in said temporary map tree. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
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8. A network configuration data management method comprising the steps of:
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storing and managing, in a store section, a current map containing current network configuration information organized into a hierarchical structure and a temporary map containing the information for components for which configuration changes are expected to occur in the future; and
merging the information in the current map together with the information in the temporary map to generate a future network configuration information that represents an information applicable to a particular time later than the current time.
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9. A network configuration data management method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing in a directory server;
a current map tree for containing network configuration information organized into a tree structure, and a temporary map tree for only containing information for those network components for which configuration changes are expected to occur at any future time later than the current time;
(b) merging the current map tree together with the temporary map tree that contains information applicable to any particular future time, to generate a future network configuration information;
(c) in response to a request for the network configuration information applicable to any future time from a requester, issuing a request to access the current map tree and temporary map tree stored in said directory server for searching for the trees containing the directory entries, and retrieving the network configuration information as requested;
(d) merging the configuration retrieved from said current map tree together with the configuration information retrieved from said temporary map tree to generate a network configuration information applicable to said particular future time; and
(e) returning the generated network configuration information to the requester.
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10. In a system comprising a network configuration information management apparatus, the network configuration information management apparatus including:
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(a) a directory server for storing a current map tree that contains information for current network configuration conditions organized into a directory tree structure and a temporary map tree that contains future configuration information, organized into a directory tree structure, that represents a difference from the current network configuration resulting from any changes made to the current network configuration;
(b) network configuration data control means for providing the network configuration data management functions by performing operations on the map data in response to a request from any external application;
(c) current map tree access means for accessing the current map tree stored in said directory server to retrieve the information therefrom, and updating the retrieved information; and
(d) a temporary map tree access means for accessing the temporary map tree stored in said directory server, and generating, modifying and updating the information therein, a network configuration data management method comprising the steps of;
(A1) receiving, at said network configuration data control means, a request for modifying configuration data from any external application, said network configuration data control means responding to the request to request that the temporary map tree access means generate a temporary map entry as a root for the temporary map tree, and said temporary map tree access means responding to the request from said network configuration data control means to access said directory server for generating the temporary map entry;
(A2) sorting data instructed in the request, termed as “
request data”
, for modifying the configuration data for each entry, in the order of the directory tree hierarchy beginning with a top level toward a bottom level;
(A3) retrieving said sorted data in the request sequentially, and checking them to determine whether what is requested is to add, modify, or delete an entry;
(A4) dividing the processing steps into add, modify and delete, based on the results of the checking, (A5) if it is determined that an entry is to be added, generating an entry designated as Add in the temporary map tree;
(A6) if it is determined that any existing entry is to be modified, generating an entry designated as Modify in the temporary map tree; and
(A7) if it is determined that the information for any existing entry is to be deleted, generating an entry designated as Delete in the temporary map tree. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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25. A computer program for being executed on a computer including a network configuration information management apparatus that comprises:
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a directory server storing;
a current map tree that contains information for the current network condition organized into a directory tree structure, and a temporary map tree that contains information for the future network configuration, organized into a directory tree structure, that represents a difference from a current network configuration resulting from changes made to the current network configuration;
a network configuration data control means responsive to a request received from any external application for performing operations on the map data and providing network configuration data management functions;
a current map tree access means for retrieving and updating the information from the current map tree stored in said directory server; and
a temporary map tree access means for performing the generating, modifying, and deleting operations for the temporary map tree stored in said directory server, the functional and processing features of said network configuration data control means, said computer program comprising the steps of;
(A1) receiving a request for change in the configuration from an external application, and requesting that the temporary map tree access means access said directory server to generate a temporary map entry as a root of the temporary map tree;
(A2) sorting the data instructed in the configuration change request, in the order of the directory tree hierarchy beginning with a top level toward a bottom level;
(A3) retrieving the sorted data in the request sequentially, and determining from the retrieved data that it requests that an entry is to be added, modified, or deleted;
(A4) based on the result determined in step (A3), dividing the processing steps into Add, Modify and Delete, otherwise treating the request as an error;
(A5) if it is determined that Add is requested, generating an entry designated as Add in the temporary map tree;
(A6) if it is determined that Modify is requested, generating an entry designated as Modify in the temporary map tree; and
(A7) if it is determined that Delete is requested, generating an entry designated as Delete in the temporary map tree.
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- 40. A network configuration control management apparatus including a store section for storing and managing a current map tree that contains the current network configuration information organized into a hierarchical structure and a temporary map tree that contains the differential information for network components for which configuration changes are expected to occur at any time in the future, and means for referencing the store section and generating a future network configuration information that is applicable to any particular time later than the current time, based upon the information in said current map tree and the information in said temporary map tree.
Specification