Method and apparatus for backward and forward compatibility in device management

• US 20040010576A1
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Pye, Glen M., Magnet, Jerome, Hyndman, Arn C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

A method and system permitting a network management system to be backward and forward compatible with a range of network elements or devices, and device versions. The present invention uses a combination of versioned interface negotiation, data driven interfaces or self-describing devices, and a support matrix of management features supported by various versions of the network management system, to provide the network management system with both backward and forward compatibility. This permits a single version of a management system to be backward compatible with a series of network elements that predate the management system'"'"'s release, and to be forward compatible with a series of network elements that follow the management system'"'"'s release, even in the face of unpredictable changes in the devices with which the management system interacts. The invention also permits the vendor to control which features are enabled for the various combinations of network element versions and management system versions and thus how much testing is required.

Claims

1. A method for device management in a network management system, comprising:

determining a network element support matrix for a network element, the network element support matrix having a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of the network management system, each set of support flags defining at least one management feature supported in each of the plurality of versions;

determining a current installed version of the plurality of versions of the network management system;

extracting the set of support flags associated with the current installed version; and

activating network management support, for the network element, for those of the at least one management feature defined in the extracted set of support flags.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the network element support matrix includes loading it from storage means within the network element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current installed version includes receiving version information from the network management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the set of support flags associated with the current installed version includes extracting a row of the network element support matrix.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element support matrix is represented as a byte array.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the support flags are represented as bits in the byte array.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the row is represented as byte array.

8. A network management system, comprising:

a messaging sub-system for receiving a network element support matrix having a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of the network management system, each set of support flags defining at least one management feature supported in its respective version; and

an activation sub-system for receiving, from the messaging sub-system, one of the sets of support flags associated with the current installed version of the network management system, and for enabling network management support for the network element, for the at least one management feature supported in the current installed version.

9. The network management system of claim 8, wherein the network element support matrix includes a feature list and a plurality of support flags corresponding to the availability of each management feature in the feature list for each of the plurality of versions.

10. The network management system of claim 8, further including protocol negotiation means to communicate between network elements and the network management system.

11. The network management system of claim 8, further including a data driven interface to permit the network element to self-describe.

12. The network management system of claim 8, wherein the network element includes self-description capabilities.

13. A network element for remote monitoring by a network management system, comprising:

a network element support matrix having a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of the network management system, each set of support flags defining management features supportable in its respective version; and

a network element messaging sub-system, for operative connection to the network management system, for transmitting one of the sets of support flags corresponding to a currently installed version of the network management system from the network element support matrix to the network management system.

14. The network element of claim 13, further including a lookup sub-system for receiving a current installed network management system version from a network element messaging sub-system, and for parsing the network element support matrix to select the set of support flags corresponding to the current installed network management system version.

15. The network element of claim 14, wherein each set of support flags is a row in the network element support matrix.

16. The network element of claim 14, wherein the network element support matrix is stored as a byte array.

17. The network element of claim 14, wherein the network element support matrix is stored in the network element.

18. The network element of claim 15, wherein the row is a byte array, each bit in the byte array representing a support flag.

19. A network element support matrix for a network element that is managed by a network management system, comprising:

a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of the network management system, each support flag in the set indicating the supportability of a management feature in its corresponding version of the network management system.

20. The network element support matrix of claim 19, wherein the support flags are binary values.

21. The network element support matrix of claim 20, wherein each set of support flags is represented as a byte array.

22. The network element support matrix of claim 21, wherein the support flags are represented as bits in the byte array.

23. A computer-readable program product for providing device management in a network management system, comprising:

a network management messaging module for receiving, from a network element support matrix for a network element, a set of support flags defining supported management features for a current installed version of the network management system; and

an activation module, communicating with the messaging module, for receiving the set of support flags, and for enabling network management support for the network element, for the supported management features.

24. The computer-readable program product of claim 23, wherein the network element support matrix includes a feature list and a plurality of sets of support flags corresponding to the availability of each management feature in the feature list for each of a plurality of supported versions.

25. The computer-readable program product of claim 23, wherein the activation module includes means for selecting one the sets of support flags corresponding to the current installed version of the network management system.

26. A device manager for a network management system, comprising:

means for determining a network element support matrix for a network element, the network element support matrix including a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of the network management system, each set of support flags defining at least one management feature supported in each of the plurality of versions;

means for determining a current installed version of the plurality of versions of the network management system;

means for extracting the set of support flags associated with the current installed version; and

means for activating network management support, for the network element, for those of the at least one management feature defined in the extracted set of support flags.

27. The device manager of claim 26, further including means for protocol negotiation to enable network element to network management system communications.

28. The device manager of claim 26, further including data driven interfaces to permit the network element to self-describe.

29. The device manager of claim 26, further including self-describing means in the network element.

30. The device manager of claim 26, wherein the means for determining the network element support matrix includes means for loading it from storage means within the network element.

31. The device manager of claim 26, wherein the means for determining the current installed version includes means for receiving version information from the network management system.

32. The device manager of claim 26, wherein the means for extracting the set of support flags associated with the current installed version includes means for extracting a row of the network element support matrix.

33. A computer-readable program product for operation in a network element, comprising:

a lookup module for extracting a set of support flags from a network element support matrix, the support matrix having a set of support flags for each of a plurality of versions of a network management system, each set of support flags defining the management features supportable in its respective version; and

a network element messaging module for connection to the network management system, for transmitting the extracted set of support flags to the network management system.

34. A device management method for managing a device in a network management system, comprising:

steps for receiving, from a network element support matrix for a network element, a set of support flags associated with a current version of a plurality of versions of the network management system, the network element support matrix defining the management features supported in each of the plurality of versions; and

steps for activating network management support for the network element, for the management features supported in the current version.

35. The device management method of claim 34, further including steps for extracting the set of support flags from the network element support matrix.