REDUNDANT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS FOR NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20090164565A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Underhill, William Roy
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A redundant systems management framework and method for managing a target system includes an active agent configured to receive instructions from an active central server to perform management tasks on the target system and a plurality of meta-agents provided on the target system. Each meta-agent is an endpoint on the target system and is configured to monitor a corresponding central server, and to reassign the active agent to another central server upon failure of the active central server. The central servers may also monitor each other for proper operation. Each meta-agent also is configured to monitor the active agent and to revive or restart the active agent upon detecting a failure of the active agent.

Claims

1. A systems management framework for managing a target system, the systems management framework comprising:

an active agent configured to receive instructions over a connection from an active central server to perform management tasks on the target system; and

a plurality of meta-agents provided on the target system, each meta-agent an endpoint on the target system configured to monitor a corresponding central server, and each meta-agent configured to reassign the active agent to receive instructions from another central server upon failure of the active central server.

2. The systems management framework of claim 1, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent, and is further configured to revive or restart the active agent upon detecting a failure of the active agent.

3. The systems management framework of claim 1 wherein each meta-agent is also configured to reassign the active agent to receive instructions from another central server upon failure of the connection from the target system to the active central server.

4. The systems management framework of claim 1, wherein each central server includes at least one endpoint for monitoring the operation of a central server, each endpoint corresponding to another central server.

5. The systems management framework of claim 4, wherein the central servers are configured to transfer management operations from a failed central server to a newly active central server by notifying a meta-agent on the target system.

6. The systems management framework of claim 5, wherein the active agent is configured to login to and receive management Instructions from the newly active central server.

7. The systems management framework of claim 1, further comprising a redundant redirection layer between the active agent and the central servers such that communication between the active agent and the central servers may take place over alternate paths.

8. A method for managing a target system, the method comprising:

providing an active agent configured to receive instructions from an active central server to perform management tasks on the target system; and

providing a plurality of meta-agents on the target system, each meta-agent an endpoint on the target system configured to monitor a corresponding central server, and each meta-agent configured to reassign the active agent to another central server upon failure of the active central server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring each meta-agent to monitor the active agent, and to revive or restart the active agent upon detecting a failure of the active agent.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising configuring each meta-agent to monitor its corresponding central server, and upon detection of a failure of the active central server, to transfer the function of issuing management instructions to another central server.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing at least one endpoint in each central server for monitoring the operation of the central server, each endpoint corresponding to another central server.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring the central servers to transfer management operations from a failed central server to a newly active central server.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising configuring the active agent to log into and receive management instructions from the newly active central server.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a redundant redirection layer between the active agent and the central servers such that communication between the active agent and central servers may take place over alternative paths.

15. A data processor readable medium storing data processor code that when loaded into a data processing device adapts the device to perform a method for managing a target system, the method comprising steps of:

configuring an active agent to receive instructions from an active central server to perform management tasks on the target system; and

configuring a plurality of meta-agents on the target system, each meta-agent an endpoint on the target system configured to monitor a corresponding central server, and each meta-agent configured to reassign the active agent to another central server upon failure of the active central server.

16. The data processor readable medium of claim 15, further comprising configuring each meta-agent to monitor the active agent, and to revive or restart the active agent upon detecting a failure of the active agent.

17. The data processor readable medium of claim 16, further comprising configuring each meta-agent to monitor its corresponding central server, and upon detection of a failure of the active central server, to transfer the function of issuing management instructions to another central server.

18. The data processor readable medium of claim 15, further comprising providing at least one endpoint in each central server for monitoring the operation of the central server, each endpoint corresponding to another central server.

19. The data processor readable medium of claim 18, further comprising configuring the central servers to transfer management operations from a failed central server to a newly active central server.

20. The data processor readable medium of claim 19, further comprising configuring the active agent to log into and receive management instructions from the newly active central server.

21. The data processor readable medium of claim 15, further comprising providing a redundant redirection layer between the active agent and the central, servers such that communication between the active agent and central servers may take place over alternative paths.