System, method, and computer program product using an SNMP implementation to obtain vendor information from remote devices

• US 20080126557A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

There is provided a method, system, and computer program product for extracting information related to a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network using an HTTP communication protocol. The method includes: retrieving, from a first memory, vendor and model information of the monitored device; determining vendor and model through the web page from the monitored device; obtaining the device state information; and storing, in a second memory, the device information obtained in the accessing step, in association with the vendor and model information.

Claims

1. A method of extracting information related to a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network using an SNMP communication protocol, comprising:

accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain first information from the monitored device;

attempting to extract vendor information from the obtained first information;

if the vendor information was extracted from the first information, storing the vendor information in a storage device; and

if the vendor information was not extracted from the first information,

accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain second information, different from the first information, from the monitored device;

attempting to extract vendor information from one of the first information and second information; and

if the vendor information was extracted from the second information, storing the vendor information in the storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the monitored device to obtain the first information comprises:

accessing the monitored device to obtain a system description of the monitored device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the monitored device to obtain second information comprises:

accessing the monitored device to obtain an enterprise object identifier (OID) of the monitored device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing a map structure including the vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained system description.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing a map structure including vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained enterprise OID.

6. A system configured to extract information related to a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network using an SNMP communication protocol, comprising:

means for accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain first information from the monitored device;

means for attempting to extract vendor information from the obtained first information;

means for storing the vendor information if the vendor information was extracted from the first information;

means for accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain second information, different from the first information, from the monitored device if the vendor information was not extracted in from the first information;

means for attempting to extract vendor information from one of the first information and second information if the vendor information was not extracted in from the first information; and

means for storing the vendor information if the vendor information was extracted from the second information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for accessing the monitored device to obtain the first information comprises:

means for accessing the monitored device to obtain a system description of the monitored device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for accessing the monitored device to obtain second information comprises:

means for accessing the monitored device to obtain an enterprise object identifier (OID) of the monitored device.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for storing a map structure including the vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

means for determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained system description.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means storing a map structure including vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

means for determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained enterprise OID.

11. A computer program product having a computer usable medium for extracting information related to a monitored device communicatively coupled to a network using an SNMP communication protocol, comprising:

instructions for accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain first information from the monitored device;

instructions for attempting to extract vendor information from the obtained first information;

instructions for storing the vendor information in a storage device if the vendor information was extracted from the first information; and

if the vendor information was not extracted from the first information, instructions for accessing the monitored device using the SNMP communication protocol to obtain second information, different from the first information, from the monitored device;

instructions attempting to extract vendor information from one of the first information and second information; and

instructions for storing the vendor information in the storage device if the vendor information was extracted from the second information.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions for accessing the monitored device to obtain the first information comprises:

instructions for accessing the monitored device to obtain a system description of the monitored device.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions for accessing the monitored device to obtain second information comprises:

instructions for accessing the monitored device to obtain an enterprise object identifier (OID) of the monitored device.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

instructions for storing a map structure including the vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

instructions for determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained system description.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions for storing a map structure including vendor information in correspondence with a string identifying the vendor information; and

instructions for determining whether any of the vendor information stored in the map structure is in the obtained enterprise OID.