Enterprise management system

• US 20060041660A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bishop, David A., Hoover, Kelvin M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/065 involving logical or physical relationship, e.g. grouping and hierarchies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A Managed Site (10), a logical network entity, is composed of a number of Sub Sites (20) in a one to many relationship. A Sub Site (20) is a logical component, which is composed of a number of Engines (30). Nodes (40) similarly relates to their Engine (30) in a many to one relationship. A Node (40) is a collection of Managed Elements (ME'"'"'s) (50) (while being an ME (50) itself), which represent network state information. The subsite (20) consists of the engine (30) connected to server nodes (40). One or more clients (110) are connected to the management engine (30) and access management engine (30) information relating to managed elements (50) including nodes (40). The connected manager engines may communicate with one another so that, for example, in the event of a failure, one of the manager engines remaining on line commences monitoring of manage elements assigned to the failed manager engine. Upon accessing the manager engine (30), the client interface displays relationships among managed elements (50) using meaningful connectors and tree-like structures. In addition to basic managed element state monitoring functionality, the manager engine (30) provides a variety of automated tasks ensuring the health of the network and optimal failure correction in the event of a problem. For example, the manager engine (30) performs root cause analysis utilizing an algorithm tracing through manged element (50) relationships and indicating the source of the failure.

Claims

1-89. -89. (canceled)

90. A manager engine computer coupled to a plurality of managed nodes located in one of a plurality of managed sites comprising a network, the manager engine computer communicating with the plurality of managed nodes and storing data representative of network state information in a relational database, the network state information being organized as a series of relationships among managed elements of the network, the data representative of network state information comprising:

a. a managed element table, the managed element table comprising data about managed elements of the network;

b. a managed element relationship table, the managed element relationship table comprising data about possible relationships among the managed elements of the network; and

c. a managed element type table, the managed element type table comprising data representative of type information for the managed elements of the network.

91. The manager engine computer of claim 90, wherein the relational database further comprises stored data representative of network characteristic information, the data representative of network characteristic information including a message class table, the message class table comprising data representative of the class of messages used in connection with the manager engine computer communicating with the plurality of managed nodes.

92. The manager engine computer of claim 91, wherein the data representative of network characteristic information further comprises a security role table, the security role table comprising data representative of levels of security access for users of the network.

93. The manager engine computer of claim 90, wherein the managed elements of the network include base managed elements.

94. The manager engine computer of claim 93, wherein the managed elements of the network include derived managed elements.

95. The manager engine computer of claim 94, wherein the managed elements of the network include application managed elements.

96. The manager engine computer of claim 95, wherein the managed elements of the network include resource managed elements.

97. The manager engine computer of claim 96, wherein the managed elements of the network include reference managed elements.

98. The manager engine computer of claim 97, wherein the managed elements of the network include external interface managed elements.

99. A computer network, the computer network including a plurality of managed sites, each of the plurality of managed sites including a plurality of manager engine computers, each one manager engine computer of the plurality of manager engine computers coupled to a corresponding plurality of managed nodes, the manager engine computer comprising:

a. a management software component being capable of retrieving and storing data representative of network state information, the network state information comprising a subset of a plurality of managed network elements, wherein at least one of the subset of the plurality of managed network elements represents at least one of the corresponding plurality of managed nodes; and

b. a managed element assignment manager software component, the managed element assignment manager software component facilitating assignment of the managed network elements among the plurality of manager engine computers using a load balancing formula, the load balancing algorithm incorporating load balancing parameters.

100. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include a Mean Engine Load parameter.

101. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include an Average Engine Load parameter.

102. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include a Low Tide Mark parameter.

103. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include a High Tide Mark parameter.

104. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include a Low Water Mark parameter.

105. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the load balancing parameters include a High Water Mark parameter.

106. The computer network of claim 99, wherein the manager engine computer further comprises a replication manager software component, the replication manager software component facilitating synchronization among the plurality of manager engine of the stored data representative of network state information.

107. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon data representative of network state information, the network state information being organized as a series of tables in a relational database, the relational database comprising:

a. a managed element table, the managed element table comprising data about managed elements of the network;

b. a managed element relationship table, the managed element relationship table comprising data about possible relationships among the managed elements of the network; and

c. a managed element type table, the managed element type table comprising data representative of type information for the managed elements of the network.

108. The computer readable storage medium of claim 107, wherein the relational database further comprises a message class table, the message class table comprising data representative of a class of messages used in connection with a manager engine computer communicating with a plurality of managed nodes in a managed site of the network.

109. The computer readable storage medium of claim 108, wherein the relational database further comprises a security role table, the security role table comprising data representative of levels of security access for users of the network.