System and method for agent-based monitoring of network devices

• US 20050015485A1
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Keefer, Billy, Fu, Aldis T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring network devices are provided. In one embodiment, a method for agent-based monitoring of network devices includes selecting a network device from an enterprise network. An agent template is selected based on the selected network device. An agent object is instantiated based on the agent template. The agent object is operable to monitor hardware characteristics of the network device.

Claims

1. A method for agent-based monitoring of network devices in an enterprise network, comprising:

selecting a network device from the enterprise network;

selecting an agent template based on the selected network device; and

instantiating an agent object based on the agent template, the agent object operable to monitor hardware characteristics of the network device.

2. The method of claim 1, the network device associated with at least one Management Information Base (MIB) parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, the agent object monitoring the network device based on the one or more MIB parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring comprises retrieving information associated with at least a portion of the hardware characteristics of the network device.

5. The method of claim 1, each hardware characteristic of the network device selected from the group consisting of:

memory usage;

chassis temperature;

Central Processing Unit (CPU) usage;

fan status;

module status; and

power supply status.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing at least one of the hardware characteristics to an associated threshold value.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically communicating an alert in response to the hardware characteristic violating the associated threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, the agent object comprising a parent object and at least one child object, the parent object associated with the network device and each child associated with one of the hardware characteristics.

9. Software for agent-based monitoring of network devices in an enterprise network, the software operable to:

select a network device from the enterprise network;

select an agent template based on the selected network device; and

instantiate an agent object based on the agent template, the agent object operable to monitor hardware characteristics of the network device.

10. The software of claim 9, the network device associated with at least one MIB parameter.

11. The software of claim 10, the agent object monitoring the network device based on the one or more MIB parameters.

12. The software of claim 9, wherein the agent object monitoring comprises software operable to retrieve information associated with at least a portion of the hardware characteristics of the network device.

13. The software of claim 9, each hardware characteristic of the network device selected from the group consisting of:

memory usage;

chassis temperature;

Central Processing Unit (CPU) usage;

fan status;

module status; and

power supply status.

14. The software of claim 9, further operable to compare at least one of the hardware characteristics to an associated threshold value.

15. The software of claim 14, further operable to automatically communicate an alert in response to the at least on of the hardware characteristics violating the associated threshold value.

16. The software of claim 9, the agent object comprising a parent object and at least one child object, the parent object associated with the network device and each child associated with one of the hardware characteristics.

17. A system for agent-based monitoring of network devices in an enterprise network, comprising:

memory operable to store information associated with a plurality of network devices in the enterprise network; and

one or more processors collectively operable to;

select a network device from the enterprise network;

select an agent template based on the selected network device; and

instantiate an agent object based on the agent template, the agent object operable to monitor hardware characteristics of the network device.

18. The system of claim 17, the network device associated with at least one MIB parameter.

19. The system of claim 18, the agent object monitoring the network device based on the one or more MIB parameters.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the agent object monitoring comprises processors operable to retrieve information associated with at least a portion of the hardware characteristics of the network device.

21. The system of claim 17, each hardware characteristic of the network device selected from the group consisting of:

memory usage;

chassis temperature;

Central Processing Unit (CPU) usage;

fan status;

module status; and

power supply status.

22. The system of claim 17, the one or more processors further operable to compare at least one of the hardware characteristics to an associated threshold value.

23. The system of claim 17, the one or more processors further operable to automatically communicate an alert in response to the at least one of the hardware characteristics violating the associated threshold value.

24. The system of claim 17, the agent object comprising a parent object and at least one child object, the parent object associated with the network device and each child associated with one of the hardware characteristics.

25. A method for agent-based monitoring of network devices in an enterprise network, comprising:

selecting a switch from the enterprise network;

selecting an agent template based on the selected switch;

instantiating an agent object based on the agent template, the agent object operable to monitor hardware characteristics of the network device based on the agent template;

comparing at least one of the hardware characteristics to an associated threshold value; and

automatically communicating an alert in response to the at least one of the hardware characteristics violating the associated threshold value.