Method and system for storing configuration information for network nodes in a network management system

• US 20080034070A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rosenberger, Stephen, Tan, Lay Been, Landry, Felix M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• 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 41/052 using standardised network management architectures, e.g. telecommunication management network [TMN] or unified network management architecture [UNMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0883 Semiautomatic configuration, e.g. proposals from system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0095 Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use

Abstract

A method for storing configuration information for a network node in a network management system, the method comprising: installing a node type package for the node in the system, the node type package corresponding to a node type of the node, the node type package being a pluggable software module containing the configuration information; receiving a signal from a user to instantiate the node type for the node; presenting one or more items of the configuration information to a user in a configuration form displayed on a display screen of the system; and, receiving one or more signals from a user for adjusting one or more of the items.

Claims

1. A method for storing configuration information for a network node in a network management system, the method comprising:

installing a node type package for the node in the system, the node type package corresponding to a node type of the node, the node type package being a pluggable software module containing the configuration information;

receiving a signal from a user to instantiate the node type for the node;

presenting one or more items of the configuration information to a user in a configuration form displayed on a display screen of the system; and

,

receiving one or more signals from a user for adjusting one or more of the items.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising reading the configuration information from the node type package and storing the configuration information in a configuration file for the node.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein ones of the items are configuration parameters for the node type.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the items is a node type string for identifying the node type within the system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the items is an icon for the node type for presentation on the display screen.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the items is a communication script for launching a function for the node type.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the function is an element manager for the node type.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the function is defined in the communication script.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein parameters of the communication script are controlled by the node type package.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the items is an alarm plug-in for the node type.

11. The method of claim 1 and further comprising storing the node type package in a database accessible by the system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information identifies which of the one or more items is presented on the display screen.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the items is a licensing key for the node type.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information identifies a number of components within the node type.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the number of components is one or more of a number of shelves, a number of cards, and a number of ports.

16. A system for storing configuration information for a network node, the system comprising:

a processor coupled to memory; and

,

modules within the memory and executed by the processor, the modules including;

a module for installing a node type package for the node in the system, the node type package corresponding to a node type of the node, the node type package being a pluggable software module containing the configuration information;

a module for receiving a signal from a user to instantiate the node type for the node;

a module for presenting one or more items of the configuration information to a user in a configuration form displayed on a display screen of the system; and

,

a module for receiving one or more signals from a user for adjusting one or more of the items.

17. The system of claim 16 and further comprising a module for reading the configuration information from the node type package and for storing the configuration information in a configuration file for the node.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein ones of the items are configuration parameters for the node type.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein one of the items is a node type string for identifying the node type within the system.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein one of the items is an icon for the node type for presentation on the display screen.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein one of the items is a communication script for launching a function for the node type.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the function is an element manager for the node type.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the function is defined in the communication script.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein parameters of the communication script are controlled by the node type package.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein one of the items is an alarm plug-in for the node type.

26. The system of claim 16 and further comprising a module for storing the node type package in a database accessible by the system.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein the configuration information identifies which of the one or more items is presented on the display screen.

28. The system of claim 16 wherein one of the items is a licensing key for the node type.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein the configuration information identifies a number of components within the node type.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the number of components is one or more of a number of shelves, a number of cards, and a number of ports.