System, method, and computer program product for sending remote device configuration information to a monitor using e-mail

• US 20030055953A1
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2571 for identification, e.g. for authentication or billing charging arrangements H04L12/14

Abstract

In a monitoring system for networked devices, a system, method, and computer program product for obtaining a globally-unique identifier for a network device, and sending the same to a central monitor responsible for monitoring devices on multiple networks. A remote monitoring workstation monitors devices connected to a network using IP-based SNMP commands and stores the device monitoring information in a database. The remote monitoring workstation queries the database to obtain an IP address and the collected monitoring information for a device, uses the IP address to request a globally-unique identifier (e.g., a MAC address) from a device using SNMP commands, then sends the monitoring information including the globally-unique device identifier to a central monitoring workstation via an e-mail message.

Claims

1. A method for sending configuration information corresponding to a network device from a remote monitor to a central monitor, comprising the steps of:

querying a digital repository by the remote monitor for the configuration information, the configuration information including a local unique identifier corresponding to the network device;

obtaining a globally unique identifier from the network device by the remote monitor using the local unique identifier to access the network device using a network management protocol; and

sending the configuration information and the globally unique identifier by the remote monitor to the central monitor as a message using a transfer protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local unique identifier comprises an Internet protocol address of the network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the globally unique identifier comprises a physical address of the network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical address comprises a media access control address of the network device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network management protocol comprises a simple network management protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a store-and-forward protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a simple mail transfer protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a direct connection protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer protocol comprises at least one of a file transfer protocol and a hyper text transfer protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an Internet e-mail message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as an attachment to the message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as a multipurpose Internet mail extensions attachment to the message.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

encrypting the configuration information by the remote monitor prior to the sending step.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

encoding the configuration information by the remote monitor after the encrypting step and prior to the sending step.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

encoding the configuration information by the remote monitor prior to the sending step.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the encoding step comprises encoding the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.

18. A computer-implemented system for sending configuration information corresponding to a network device from a remote monitor to a central monitor, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium encoded with processor readable instructions that when executed by the processor implement

a database management mechanism configured to query a database for the configuration information, the configuration information including a local unique identifier corresponding to the network device,

a device management mechanism configured to obtain a globally unique identifier from the network device using the local unique identifier to access the network device using a network management protocol, and

a sending mechanism configured to send the configuration information and the globally unique identifier from the remote monitor to the central monitor as a message using a transfer protocol.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the local unique identifier comprises an Internet protocol address of the network device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the globally unique identifier comprises a physical address of the network device.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the globally unique identifier comprises a media access control address of the network device.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the network management protocol comprises a simple network management protocol.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a store-and-forward protocol.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a simple mail transfer protocol.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a direct connection protocol.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the transfer protocol comprises at least one of a file transfer protocol and a hyper text transfer protocol.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the message comprises an Internet e-mail message.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as an attachment to the message.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as a multipurpose Internet mail extensions attachment to the message.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer readable medium is further encoded with processor readable instructions that when executed by the processor further implements

an encryption mechanism configured to encrypt the configuration information prior to sending the configuration information.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the computer readable medium is further encoded with processor readable instructions that when executed by the processor further implements

an encoding mechanism configured to encode the configuration information after the encryption mechanism encrypts the configuration information and prior to sending the configuration information.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the encoding mechanism is further configured to encode the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer readable medium is further encoded with processor readable instructions that when executed by the processor further implements

an encoding mechanism configured to encode the configuration information prior to sending the configuration information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the encoding mechanism is further configured to encode the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.

35. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium; and

a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to send configuration information corresponding to a network device from a remote monitor to a central monitor, the computer program code mechanism having

a first computer code device configured to query a database for the configuration information, the configuration information including a local unique identifier corresponding to the network device,

a second computer code device configured to obtain a globally unique identifier from the network device using the local unique identifier to access the network device using a network management protocol, and

a third computer code device configured to send the configuration information and the globally unique identifier from the remote monitor to the central monitor as a message using a transfer protocol.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the local unique identifier comprises an Internet protocol address of the network device.

37. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the globally unique identifier comprises a physical address of the network device.

38. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the globally unique identifier comprises a media access control address of the network device.

39. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the network management protocol comprises a simple network management protocol.

40. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a store-and-forward protocol.

41. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a simple mail transfer protocol.

42. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the transfer protocol comprises a direct connection protocol.

43. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the transfer protocol comprises at least one of a file transfer protocol and a hyper text transfer protocol.

44. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the message comprises an Internet e-mail message.

45. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as an attachment to the message.

46. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein:

the message comprises an Internet e-mail message, and

the configuration information is sent as a multipurpose Internet mail extensions attachment to the message.

47. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer program code mechanism further having

a fourth computer code device configured to encrypt the configuration information prior to sending the configuration information.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the computer program code mechanism further having

a fifth computer code device configured to encode the configuration information after the fourth computer code device encrypts the configuration information and prior to sending the configuration information.

49. The computer program product of claim 48, wherein the fifth computer code device is further configured to encode the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.

50. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer program code mechanism further having

a fourth computer code device configured to encode the configuration information prior to sending the configuration information.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, wherein the fourth computer code device is further configured to encode the configuration information using a base 64 encoding.