NETWORK ADMINISTRATION TOOL EMPLOYING A NETWORK ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL

• US 20080049779A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yakeley, Ashley Colin, Bush, Steven, Hynoski, Joel, Holt, Nick, Hopmann, Alex, Marl, Brett, Tebbs, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• 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 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/26 using dedicated tools for LAN [Local Area Network] management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A tool for managing a network of interconnected devices. The tool may provide a user with an interface that allows the user to view the type and status of each network device (that is, each device connected to the network), and even the status of the network itself. The tool may alternately or additionally provide a user with services related to the network. such as allowing a user to perform one or more tasks associated with devices in the network.

Claims

1. A network tool, comprising:

a network management services module that is capable of communicating with one or more devices in a network using a network administration protocol; and

a network management application module that provides a user interface displaying information relating to the one or more devices in the network obtained by the network management services module using the network administration protocol.

2. The network tool recited in claim 1, wherein the network management services module is capable of sending instructions to the one or more devices in a network using the network administration protocol.

3. A network tool, comprising:

a network information service module that is capable of communicating with one or more devices in a network using a network administration protocol; and

a network management application module that provides a user interface displaying information relating to the one or more devices in the network obtained by the network information service module using the network administration protocol.

4. The network tool recited in claim 3, wherein the network information service module is capable of sending instructions to the one or more devices in a network using the network administration protocol.

5. A network tool, comprising:

a gateway service module that is capable of communicating with at least one gateway device in a network using a network administration protocol; and

a network management application module that provides a user interface displaying information relating to the at least one gateway devices in the network obtained by the gateway service module using the network administration protocol.

6. The network tool recited in claim 5, wherein the gateway service module is capable of sending instructions to the at least one gateway device using the network administration protocol.

7. A method of managing a network, comprising:

communicating with at least one device in a network using a network administration protocol; and

displaying information relating to the at least one device in the network obtained by communicating with the at least one device using the network administration protocol.

8. The method recited in claim 7, further comprising sending instructions to the at least one device in a network using the network administration protocol.

9. The method recited in claim 7, wherein the at least one device is a gateway device.

10. A network tool, comprising:

a network management services module that obtains information regarding one or more devices in a network; and

a network management application module that provides access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the one or more devices in the network obtained by the network management services module.

11. The network tool recited in claim 10, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

12. A network tool, comprising:

a gateway service module that obtains information regarding at least one gateway device in a network; and

a network management application module that provides access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the at least one gateway device in the network obtained by the gateway service module.

13. The network tool recited in claim 12, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

15. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the user interface is capable of receiving input commands through the Web site.

16. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one device is a gateway device.

14. A method of managing a network, comprising:

obtaining information regarding at least one device in a network; and

providing access through a Web site to a user interface displaying the information relating to the at least one network device.

17. A network tool, comprising:

a remote installation module hosted on a first computing device in a local network that is capable of

communicating with a network management tool hosted on a second computing device in a local network to detect the absence of a software program or software program update on the second computing device; and

causing the second computing device to install the software program or software program update.

18. The network tool recited in claim 17, wherein the remote installation module is further capable of providing the software program or software program update to the second computing device.

19. A method of installing a software program or software program update on a computing device in a local network, comprising:

from a first computing device in the local network, communicating with a network management tool hosted on a second computing device in the local network to detect the absence of a software program or software program update on the second computing device; and

causing the second computing device to install the software program or software program update.

20. The method recited in claim 19, further comprising providing the software program or software program update to the second computing device from the first computing device.

21. A network tool, comprising:

a network management application module that provides a user interface with a command to address a problem with a device in a local network; and

a network management services module that, in response to activation of the command, provides an instruction to the device using a network administration protocol.

22. The network tool recited in claim 21, wherein the instruction is a reboot instruction.

23. The network tool recited in claim 21, wherein the device is a gateway device for the local network.

24. The network tool recited in claim 23, wherein the instruction is a reboot instruction.

25. The network tool recited in claim 23, wherein the problem is a network connectivity problem.

26. A method of managing a network, comprising:

identifying a problem with a device in a local network; and

in response to identification of the problem, providing an instruction to the device using a network administration protocol.

27. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the instruction is a reboot instruction.

28. The method recited in claim 26, wherein the device is a gateway device for the local network.

29. The method recited in claim 28, wherein the instruction is a reboot instruction.

30. The method recited in claim 28, wherein the problem is a network connectivity problem.