Method and apparatus for updating network device configuration information in a network management system
First Claim
1. A method of managing configuration information of a network device, comprising:
- at the network device, (1) maintaining running configuration information of the network device, (2) changing the running configuration information in response to (i) configuration change requests received from a network management system at a first interface and (ii) configuration change requests received from outside the network management system at a second interface, and (3) in response to receiving an upload configuration request from the network management system, transferring a configuration file containing the running configuration information to the network management system; and
at the network management system, (1) maintaining a database including configuration information for the network device, the configuration information potentially being outdated due to the configuration change requests received by the network device at the second interface, and (2) under predetermined conditions, (i) sending an upload configuration request to the network device and subsequently receiving the configuration file from the network device, and (ii) updating the configuration information in the database using the contents of the configuration file.
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Abstract
A managed network device maintains running configuration information, and changes the information in response to configuration change requests from a network management system (NMS) at a first interface and configuration change requests received from outside the NMS at a second interface, which may include a command line interface and dial-up connection such as TELNET. Configuration information for the device is maintained in a database in the NMS, and can become outdated due to the configuration change requests received at the second interface. To update the information in the NMS database, the NMS sends an upload configuration request to the network device, which responds by transferring a configuration file containing the running configuration information to the NMS. The NMS uses the contents of the uploaded configuration file to update the information in the NMS database. The synchronization process can be initiated by a network management client in the NMS in response to input from a user, and can also be initiated via a trap message from the network device at power-up or upon insertion or removal of a circuit card. The configuration file may have an extensible format, for example by using the Extensible Markup Language (XML).
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method of managing configuration information of a network device, comprising:
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at the network device, (1) maintaining running configuration information of the network device, (2) changing the running configuration information in response to (i) configuration change requests received from a network management system at a first interface and (ii) configuration change requests received from outside the network management system at a second interface, and (3) in response to receiving an upload configuration request from the network management system, transferring a configuration file containing the running configuration information to the network management system; and
at the network management system, (1) maintaining a database including configuration information for the network device, the configuration information potentially being outdated due to the configuration change requests received by the network device at the second interface, and (2) under predetermined conditions, (i) sending an upload configuration request to the network device and subsequently receiving the configuration file from the network device, and (ii) updating the configuration information in the database using the contents of the configuration file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A network, comprising:
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a network device being operative (1) to maintain running configuration information of the network device, (2) to change the running configuration information in response to (i) configuration change requests received at a first interface and (ii) configuration change requests received at a second interface, and (3) in response to receiving an upload configuration request at the first interface, to transfer a configuration file containing the running configuration information to the source of the request via the first interface; and
a network management system coupled to the network device via the first interface, the network management system being operative (1) to maintain a database including configuration information for the network device, the configuration information potentially being outdated due to the configuration change requests received by the network device at the second interface, and (2) under predetermined conditions, (i) to send an upload configuration request to the network device and to subsequently receive the configuration file from the network device, and (ii) to update the configuration information in the database using the contents of the configuration file. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification