Method and system for providing efficient object-based network management

• US 20070150563A1
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Gattu, BalaSubrahmanyam, Bhat, Kong-Posh, Hall, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,793,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A method for providing efficient object-based network management is provided. The method includes receiving a request for a reference to an object that represents at least one managed network element. A determination is made regarding whether the object is currently activated. The object is activated based on the request for a reference to the object when the object is not currently activated.

Claims

1. A method for providing efficient object-based network management, comprising:

receiving a request for a reference to an object;

determining whether the object is currently activated; and

activating the object based on the request for a reference to the object when the object is not currently activated, wherein the object represents at least one managed network element.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising storing the reference to the object and a handle for the object when the object is not currently activated.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising incrementing a count of references to the object.

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

decrementing the count of references to the object; and

deactivating the object when the count of references to the object drops below a threshold, wherein activating includes creating an instance of the object, based on a contents of a first memory store, in a second memory store and wherein deactivating includes deleting the instance of the object from the second memory store.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the object is a resource object and receiving the request for the reference to the resource object comprises receiving the request for the reference to the resource object from a collaborating object, the method further comprising:

retrieving the reference to the resource object when the resource object is currently activated; and

providing the reference to the resource object to the collaborating object.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein the at least one managed network element associated with the resource object is managed at least partially by the collaborating object invoking one or more of the functions of the resource object.

7. A method for providing efficient object-based network management, comprising:

identifying a deactivation event for an object; and

based on the deactivation event, determining whether to deactivate the object, wherein the object represents at least one managed network element.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, the deactivation event comprising receiving a request to release the object.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein determining whether to deactivate the object is based on a count of references to the object.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein determining whether to deactivate the object based on the count of references to the object comprises decrementing the count of references to the object and determining to deactivate the object when the decremented count of references to the object drops below a threshold.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising deactivating the object after determining to deactivate the object, wherein deactivating the object comprises destroying an instance of the object, wherein the instance of the object was created in a second memory store based on a contents of a first memory store.

12. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the object is a resource object and wherein receiving the request to release the object comprises receiving the request to release the resource object from a collaborating object, the method further comprising:

setting a reference to the resource object to a stale value for the collaborating object; and

providing the stale reference to the resource object to the collaborating object.

13. The method as set forth in claim 7, the deactivation event comprising receiving a notification that an access timer for the object has expired.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, determining whether to deactivate the object comprising determining to deactivate the object based on the deactivation event comprising receiving the notification that the access timer for the object has expired.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13, the access timer operable to expire after a period of time equal to a predetermined multiple of a maximum length for a typical transaction for the object.

16. A management platform, comprising:

a first memory operable to store a plurality of objects; and

a controller operable to create an instance of an object in the first memory based on receiving a reference request for the object, wherein the object represents at least one managed network element.

17. The management platform as set forth in claim 16, the controller operable to create the instance of the object in the first memory based on receiving the reference request when the object is not stored in the first memory.

18. The management platform as set forth in claim 17, the controller further operable to store a handle for the object when the instance of the object is created in the first memory and to determine whether the object is stored in the first memory based on the handle.

19. The management platform as set forth in claim 18, wherein the instance of the object is created by copying a portion of the content of a second memory as a data component of the object and storing the object in the first memory.

20. The management platform as set forth in claim 16, the controller further operable to delete the object from the first memory based on a deactivation event.

21. The management platform as set forth in claim 20, the deactivation event comprising one of receiving a request to release the object and receiving a notification that an access timer for the object has expired.