Monitor control system, information processing terminal, monitor control method, and program

• US 20070288631A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Katsushi, Shimono, Masayuki
• Application Number:
  US11/802,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288631A1
• 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 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications

Abstract

One personal computer includes a combination of an SNMP manager, an SNMP mediator, an application initiating function, and a local craft terminal. The personal computer is connected via a local area network to a monitor target unit to be monitored and then logs into the target unit to conduct monitor control, operation, and setting for the target unit. It is therefore possible to provide a monitor control system, an information processing terminal, a monitor control method, and a program that are economically advantageously implemented by using a personal computer, which are easily operable without using a technical language for the operation system and particular operation capability and are easily expandable with respect to unit types of monitor target units, and that can conduct monitor control, operation, and setting for the monitor target unit at a remote place.

Claims

1. A monitor control system, comprising:

at least one monitor target unit that is monitored; and

a monitor controller that is connected via a network to a monitor target unit and controls the monitor target unit, the controller conducting monitor control, operation, and setting for the monitor target unit by use of a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), wherein the monitor controller comprises;

an SNMP mediator that receives an alarm signal from a monitor target unit in which an alarm has occurred and converts the alarm signal into an SNMP alarm signal;

an SNMP manager that receives an SNMP alarm signal from the SNMP mediator or a monitor target unit in which an alarm has occurred and displays the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal;

at least one local craft terminal, corresponding to monitor target units, that logs into monitor target units; and

an application initiating module that activates, when an operation is conducted to designate a predetermined monitor target unit, a local craft terminal associated with the monitor target unit.

2. The monitor control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the monitor target unit sends the SNMP alarm signal directly to the SNMP manager if the unit includes a function to transmit the SNMP alarm signal; and

the monitor target unit sends the alarm signal to the SNMP mediator if the unit does not include a function to transmit the SNMP alarm signal.

3. The monitor control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the SNMP alarm signal includes a category and a name of the alarm having occurred in the monitor target unit; and

the SNMP manager displays, upon reception of the SNMP alarm signal, the category and the name of the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal.

4. The monitor control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the SNMP manager displays a network diagram indicating a relation of connections between units on the network and an icon in the diagram to indicate the monitor target unit in which the alarm has occurred, the icon being displayed in colors corresponding to the category of the alarm.

5. The monitor control system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an SNMP software port conversion module that relays an SNMP alarm signal transmitted to the SNMP manager, determines, if a software port as a destination of the SNMP alarm signal is occupied by another monitor target unit and hence cannot receive the SNMP alarm signal, an empty port capable of receiving the SNMP alarm signal, and transmits the SNMP alarm signal via the empty port to the SNMP manager.

6. An information processing terminal employed as a monitor controller in a monitor control system in accordance with claim 1.

15. An information processing terminal employed as a monitor controller in a monitor control system in accordance with claim 2.

16. An information processing terminal employed as a monitor controller in a monitor control system in accordance with claim 3.

17. An information processing terminal employed as a monitor controller in a monitor control system in accordance with claim 4.

18. An information processing terminal employed as a monitor controller in a monitor control system in accordance with claim 5.

7. A monitor control method of conducting by use of an SNMP monitor control, operation, and setting for at least one monitor target unit arranged on a network, the method comprising:

an SNMP alarm signal acquiring step of receiving an SNMP alarm signal directly from a monitor target unit that issued an alarm or receiving an alarm signal from the monitor target unit, and converting the alarm signal into an SNMP alarm signal;

an alarm display step of displaying the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal;

an application initiating step of activating, when an operation is conducted to designate a predetermined monitor target unit, a local craft terminal corresponding to the monitor target unit; and

a monitor target unit control step of logging into the monitor target unit by use of the local craft terminal and conducting monitor control, operation, and setting for the monitor target unit.

8. The monitor control method in accordance with claim 7, wherein:

the SNMP alarm signal includes a category and a name of the alarm; and

the alarm display step comprises displaying the category and the name of the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal.

9. The monitor control method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the alarm display step comprising displaying a network diagram indicating a relation of connections between units arrange on the network and an icon in the diagram to indicate the monitor target unit in which the alarm has occurred, the icon being displayed in colors corresponding to the category of the alarm.

10. The monitor control method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising an SNMP software port conversion step of relaying an SNMP alarm signal transmitted to the SNMP manager, determining, if a software port as a destination of the SNMP alarm signal is occupied by another monitor target unit and hence cannot receive the SNMP alarm signal, an empty port capable of receiving the SNMP alarm signal, and transmitting the SNMP alarm signal via the empty port to the SNMP manager.

11. A computer program product for conducting by use of an SNMP monitor control, operation, and setting for at least one monitor target unit arranged on a network, the program causing a computer to perform:

SNMP alarm signal acquiring processing for receiving an SNMP alarm signal directly from a monitor target unit that issued an alarm or receiving an alarm signal from the monitor target unit, and converting the alarm signal into an SNMP alarm signal;

alarm display processing for displaying the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal;

application initiating processing for activating, when an operation is conducted to designate a predetermined monitor target unit, a local craft terminal corresponding to the monitor target unit; and

monitor target unit control processing for logging into the monitor target unit by use of the local craft terminal and conducting monitor control, operation, and setting for the monitor target unit.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 11, wherein the SNMP alarm signal includes a category and a name of the alarm,

and the program further causing a computer to perform processing of displaying the category and the name of the alarm according to the SNMP alarm signal.

13. The computer program product in accordance with claim 11, the program causing a computer to perform processing of displaying a network diagram indicating a relation of connections between units on the network and an icon in the diagram to indicate the monitor target unit in which the alarm has occurred, the icon being displayed in colors corresponding to the category of the alarm.

14. The computer program product in accordance with claim 11, the program causing a computer to perform SNMP software port conversion processing for relaying an SNMP alarm signal transmitted to the SNMP manager, determining, if a software port as a destination of the SNMP alarm signal is occupied by another monitor target unit and hence cannot receive the SNMP alarm signal, an empty port capable of receiving the SNMP alarm signal, and transmitting the SNMP alarm signal via the empty port to the SNMP manager.