Method and apparatus for modifying remote devices monitored by a monitoring system

• US 20030177227A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring at least one network connected device (monitored device) using a controller is disclosed. More specifically, a method of modifying monitored devices supported by the monitoring system includes updating information stored in a system support database (SSD) if the information stored in the SSD is insufficient to support the monitored device. The updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.

Claims

1. In a network based system having a monitoring system and a plurality of monitored devices communicatively coupled via a network, the monitoring system communicatively coupled to first and second databases, a method of modifying monitored devices supported by the monitoring system, comprising:

determining if the monitoring system is configured to interface with a monitored device among said plurality of monitored devices;

obtaining configuration information from the monitored device if the monitoring system is not configured to interface with the monitored device;

determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system using information stored in the second database; and

updating information stored in the second database if said information is insufficient to support the monitored device, the updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

updating configuration information, for the monitored device, stored in the first database with information from the second database to enable the monitoring system to interface with the monitored device.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of updating information stored in the second database comprises:

updating manufacturer information for monitored devices, the manufacturer information stored in a first table of the second database;

updating model information for the monitored devices, the model information stored in a second table of the second database; and

wherein the step of determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system is performed by reading information stored in said first and second tables.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

storing in the first table information related to

an enterprise object identifier for a manufacturer of a monitored device;

an object identifier used for determining a model name of the monitored device; and

an object identifier for determining a unique identifier of the monitored device.

5. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

storing, in said second table, model information in association with corresponding manufacturer information for a monitored device.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the second database is a system support database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining configuration information from the monitored device includes identifying at least one of (i) manufacturer, (ii) model, and (iii) unique identifier of the monitored device.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the configuration information is only used during initialization of the monitoring system to identify a monitored device that requires monitoring.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the monitoring system is configured to interface with the monitored device includes querying the first database with at least one of manufacturer, model, and unique identifier of the monitored device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the monitoring system is configured to interface with the monitored device comprises querying the monitored device with data stored in the first database.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first database is a system configuration database and comprises:

information for enabling communication between the monitoring system and the monitored device; and

status information related to the monitored device, the status information being added after initialization of the monitoring system.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the step of determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system further comprises obtaining status information of the monitored device if the manufacturer and model of the monitored device are supported by the monitoring system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored device includes hardware components.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitored device includes software components.

15. In a network based system having a monitoring system and a plurality of monitored devices communicatively coupled via a network, the monitoring system communicatively coupled to first and second databases, an apparatus for modifying monitored devices supported by the monitoring system, comprising:

means for determining if the monitoring system is configured to interface with a monitored device among said plurality of monitored devices;

means for obtaining configuration information from the monitored device if the monitoring system is not configured to interface with the monitored device;

means for determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system using information stored in the second database; and

means for updating information stored in the second database if said information is insufficient to support the monitored device, the updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the second database comprises first and second tables, the first table comprises manufacturer related information for the monitored devices;

said second table comprises model information for the monitored devices; and

wherein information stored in said first and second tables is read to determine if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system.

17. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the first table further comprises information related to:

an enterprise object identifier for a manufacturer of a monitored device;

an object identifier used for determining a model name of the monitored device; and

an object identifier for determining a unique identifier of the monitored device.

18. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the second table comprises model information in association with corresponding manufacturer information for a monitored device.

19. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the second database is a system support database.

20. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the first database is a system configuration database.

21. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein configuration information from the monitored device includes information related to at least one of (i) manufacturer, (ii) model, and (iii) unique identifier of the monitored device.

22. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the configuration information is only used during initialization of the monitoring system to identify a monitored device that requires monitoring.

23. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the first database is queried with at least one of manufacturer, model, and unique identifier of the monitored device to determine if the monitoring system is configured to interface with the monitored device.

24. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the monitored device is queried with data stored in the first database to determine if the monitoring system is configured to interface with the monitored device.

25. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein the first database is a system configuration database and comprises:

information for enabling communication between the monitoring system and the monitored device; and

status information related to the monitored device, the status information being added after initialization of the monitoring system.

26. In a network based system having a monitoring system and a plurality of monitored devices communicatively coupled via a network, the monitoring system communicatively coupled to first and second databases, a computer program within a computer useable medium comprising:

instructions for determining if the monitoring system is configured to interface with a monitored device among said plurality of monitored devices;

instructions for obtaining configuration information from the monitored device if the monitoring system is not configured to interface with the monitored device;

instructions for determining if the monitored device is supported by the monitoring system using information stored in the second database; and

instructions for updating information stored in the second database if said information is insufficient to support the monitored device, the updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.

27. A network based system having one or more devices communicatively connected to a network, the system comprising:

a monitoring system connected to the network for monitoring said one or more devices;

first and second databases communicatively coupled to the monitoring system, wherein information stored in said second database is updated if said information is insufficient to support the at least one device; and

wherein configuration information in said first database is updated with information stored in the second database for enabling the monitoring system to interface with the at least one device, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the devices supported by the monitoring system.

28. In a network based system, a method of modifying monitored devices supported by a monitoring system, comprising:

providing first and second databases, said first and second databases communicatively coupled to the monitoring system;

updating information stored in the second database if said information is insufficient to support a monitored device, the updating step is performed without reprogramming the monitoring system, thereby allowing flexibility in modifying the monitored devices supported by the monitoring system.