Console mapping tool for automated deployment and management of network devices

• US 20020161873A1
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Opsware, Inc. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McGuire, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 6,816,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process

Abstract

An automated provisioning and management system for network devices includes a library of commands that are generic to all devices of interest, and device-specific plug-ins for implementing those commands in each of the different devices. A user can select any one of the standard commands and have it applied to a particular device of interest in a manner which is capable of being handled by that device. An interface between the library and a source of configuration information, such as a database, enables the various tasks associated with the provisioning and management of network devices to be automatically carried out on multiple devices, thereby minimizing, or even eliminating, the need to manually configure each such device. Various tools are provided to facilitate the ability of support personnel to identify and monitor functions performed by various devices, as well as detect and correct errors in the operation of those devices.

Claims

1. A console mapping tool, comprising:

means for commanding a console server to send a message to each console connected to said console server;

means for analyzing a response to said message provided by each console to determine the type of device which transmitted said response; and

means for displaying a list of device types corresponding to the consoles connected to said console server.

2. The console mapping tool of claim 1, wherein said list of device types includes an identification of the operating system executing on a device.

3. The console mapping tool of claim 2, wherein said list includes an identification of the device.

4. The console mapping tool of claim 1, wherein said response comprises a log-in prompt, and said analyzer parses said response to determine the type of device.

5. A console mapping tool, comprising:

a database storing information regarding each of a plurality of console servers within a network;

means for retrieving said information and generating a first display containing a list of at least selected ones of said console servers;

means responsive to selection of one of the console servers listed in said first display for commanding said selected console server to send a message to each console connected to said console server;

means for analyzing a response to said message provided by each console to determine the type of device which transmitted said response; and

means for displaying a list of device types corresponding to the consoles connected to said console server.

6. The console mapping tool of claim 5, wherein each of said consoles is located in a compartment associated with a particular entity, and said first display indicates the entity associated with each listed console server.

7. The console mapping tool of claim 5, wherein said list of device types includes an identification of the operating system executing on a device.

8. The console mapping tool of claim 7, wherein said list includes an identification of the device.

9. The console mapping tool of claim 5, wherein said response comprises a log-in prompt, and said analyzer parses said response to determine the type of device.

10. A method for mapping a console server, comprising the following steps:

sending a message from a console server to each console connected to said console server;

analyzing a response to said message provided by each console to determine the type of device which transmitted said response; and

displaying a list of device types corresponding to the consoles connected to said console server.

11. The console mapping method of claim 10, wherein said list of device types includes an identification of the operating system executing on a device.

12. The console mapping method of claim 11, wherein said list includes an identification of the device.

13. The console mapping method of claim 10, wherein said response comprises a log-in prompt, and said analyzing step comprises parsing said response to determine the type of device.

15. The console mapping method of claim 14, wherein each of said consoles is located in a compartment associated with a particular entity, and said first display indicates the entity associated with each listed console server.

14. A method for mapping a console mapping, comprising the following steps:

storing information in a database regarding each of a plurality of console servers within a network;

retrieving said information and generating a first display containing a list of at least selected ones of said console servers;

in response to selection of one of the console servers listed in said first display, issuing a command to said selected console server to send a message to each console connected to said console server;

analyzing a response to said message provided by each console to determine the type of device which transmitted said response; and

displaying a list of device types corresponding to the consoles connected to said console server.