Configuring templates for an application and network management system

• US 20050027835A1
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Co. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Raikar, Amit, Ramarao, Guruprasad
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Methods and Systems for configuring secure templates for an application and network management system to provide network security. A template for an application and network management system is configured with first information for determining whether at least one message received by the template should or should not be processed by the template. The template is configured with second information for processing data associated with at least one received message. The template is configured with third information for preventing the communication of at least one received message to other templates for the application and network management system.

Claims

1. A method for configuring templates, the method comprising:

configuring a template for an application and network management system with first information for determining whether data associated with at least one message received by the template should or should not be processed by the template;

configuring the template with second information for processing the data associated with at least one of the received messages; and

configuring the template with third information for preventing the communication of at least one received message to other templates of the application and network management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the template with second information for processing further comprises configuring the template with the second information for communicating the data associated with at least one of the received messages to a management server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is one of an SNMP trap template, a message template, a monitor agent template, a logfile template and a console template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one received message is validated with at least one of pattern matching language, MSI, values from environment variables, and values from secure sources.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

configuring the template with fourth information for specifying for a particular received message an action to be performed, wherein the fourth information ensures that the action is performed on a node that generated the particular received message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information specifies a superset of conditions for processing all the received messages and wherein:

configuring the template with the first information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to determine whether data associated with at least one received message should or should not be processed by the template; and

configuring the template with the third information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to prevent the communication of at least one received message to other templates.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of configuring are performed by a template automator.

8. A method for providing a guideline to developers for creating templates, the guideline comprising information used by the developers for:

receiving first information entered by a developer to configure a template of an application and network management system for determining whether data associated with at least one message received by the template should or should not be processed by the template;

receiving second information entered by the developer to configure the template to process the data associated with at least one of the received messages; and

receiving third information entered by the developer to configure the template to prevent the communication of at least one received message to other templates of the application and network management system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein second information to process the data further comprises the second information to communicate the data associated with at least one of the received messages to a management server.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the template is one of an SNMP trap template, a message template, a monitor agent template, a logfile template and a console template.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one received message is validated with at least one of pattern matching language, MSI, values from environment variables, and values from secure sources.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving fourth information entered by the developer to configure the template to specify an action for a particular received message, wherein the fourth information ensures that the action is performed on a node that generated the particular received message.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the second information specifies a superset of conditions for processing all the received messages and wherein:

receiving the first information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to determine whether data associated with at least one received message should or should not be processed by the template; and

receiving the third information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to prevent the communication of at least one received message to other templates.

14. A computer system comprising:

a memory unit; and

a processor coupled to the memory unit, wherein the processor executes instructions associated with a template automator, and wherein the instructions of the template automator are for;

configuring a template for an application and network management system with first information for determining whether data associated with at least one message received by the template should or should not be processed by the template;

configuring the template with second information for processing the data associated with at least one of the received messages; and

configuring the template with third information for preventing the communication of at least one received message to other templates of the application and network management system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring the template with second information for processing further comprises configuring the template with the second information for communicating the data associated with at least one of the received messages to a management server.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the template is one of an SNMP trap template, a message template, a monitor agent template, a logfile template and a console template.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein at least one received message is validated with at least one of pattern matching language, MSI, values from environment variables, and values from secure sources.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the template automator further comprises instructions for:

configuring the template with fourth information for specifying for a particular received message an action to be performed, wherein the fourth information ensures that the action is performed on a node that generated the particular received message.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the second information specifies a superset of conditions for processing all the received messages and wherein:

configuring the template with the first information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to determine whether data associated with at least one received message should or should not be processed by the template; and

configuring the template with the third information further comprises configuring the template with the superset of conditions to prevent the communication of at least one received message to other templates.