SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING SNMP DATA FOR VIRTUAL NETWORKING DEVICES

• US 20080147833A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: HUST, Joseph Michael, ADAMS, Tracy Jo, MUSSELWHITE, Dennis Ray, CAROLLO, Mary Ellen, FARRELL, Susan Marie, MACCHIANO, Angelo
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A system and method of managing networks and, more particularly, to a system and method for interfacing with virtual networking devices using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). A system comprises a configuration statement configured to provide an identity to a virtual device. An SNMP subagent is configured to interface between an SNMP agent and a control program of the virtual device. The SNMP subagent acquires information extracted by the control program for the identified virtual device and provides the acquired information to the SNMP agent to be returned to the SNMP client.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a configuration statement configured to provide an identity to a virtual device; and

an SNMP subagent configured to interface between an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) agent and a control program implementing the virtual device, the SNMP subagent acquiring information extracted by the control program for the identified virtual device and providing the acquired information to the SNMP agent.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the SNMP subagent is configured to extract pertinent information of the virtual device identified in the configuration statement.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the SNMP subagent is configured to convert the extracted pertinent information into a meaningful response to a MIB request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the SNMP subagent is configured to handle requests for BRIDGE-MIB data for the virtual device identified in the configuration statement.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the SNMP subagent is configured to provide a TCP/IP interface for the virtual device in a hipervisor environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration statement is a TCP/IP configuration statement configured on a stack providing an SNMP service.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the TCP/IP configuration statement is coded for an IPv4 or IPv6 address.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the TCP/IP configuration statement is comparable to a TELNET address for a hardware device.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the stack is separate from a virtual device connection to an external network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control program accesses the information of the virtual device by use of a DIAGNOSE code.

11. A method for deploying an application for managing a virtual device, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

request information from a control program about a virtual device implemented by that control program;

extract information about the identified virtual device obtained by the control program; and

create an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) response packet with pertinent information and send the response to an SNMP agent.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to identify the virtual device in response to a request over TCP/IP, wherein the identity of the virtual device is provided in a TCP/IP configuration statement.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to extract the pertinent information from the information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the steps of claim 11 are provided on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to create DEVICE, LINK, START and HOME statements in a TCP/IP configuration file, wherein the HOME statement identifies the virtual device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the HOME statement is configured to indicate that a stack is providing management services for the virtual device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to provide an IP address to a subagent.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to issues a DIAGNOSE using the IP address to obtain information about the virtual device from the control program.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to generate traps to notify an NMS when a status of network objects change.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:

request information from a control program of an identified virtual device;

extract information about the identified virtual device obtained by the control program; and

create an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) response packet with pertinent information and send the response to an SNMP agent.