ADAPTIVE ASSET INFORMATION COLLECTION AND STORAGE

• US 20090307346A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: PATIL, UMESH, BHUPATIRAJU, VARMA
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/26 Functional testing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3079 the data filtering being achieved by reporting only the changes of the monitored data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0695 the faulty arrangement being the maintenance, administration or management system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A network management device which registers for any state change notifications from the devices in the network. The network management device updates its status and values of the devices associated with each state change notification by querying the device. In this manner the management device can make a more timely update for a particular device and need not keep querying devices that have not changed, thus eliminating many unnecessary transactions. In certain embodiments polling is still performed. As a result, the management device is both more current in its displayed data and has fewer network transactions.

Claims

1. A method for managing a network of devices, the method comprising:

receiving state change event notifications from devices in the network;

indicating that a state change may have occurred for a device based on receiving the state change notification;

determining if any state change indications are present for devices in the network; and

collecting information from the devices having state change indications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving system log entries from devices in the network;

determining if a system log entry is a state change entry and if so, indicating a state change may have occurred for the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining if any state change indications are present is performed periodically.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the period is relatively short.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the period is three minutes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an end time value after collecting information from a device; and

determining if a lazy polling period has passed since the end time value for a device and if so, collecting information from the device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining steps place entries in a collection list and the collection information steps utilize the collection list to select devices for information collection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step places entries in a collection list and the collection information step utilizes the collection list to select devices for information collection.

9. A network management device for use with a network of devices, the network management device comprising:

a processor;

input/output devices for coupling to the devices in the network; and

a memory storing programs executed by said processor and information on the devices in the network, the programs including;

an operating system; and

network management software, said network management software causing said processor to execute the following steps;

receiving state change event notifications from devices in the network;

indicating that a state change may have occurred for a device based on receiving the state change notification;

determining if any state change indications are present for devices in the network; and

collecting information from the devices having state change indications.

10. The network management device of claim 9, said network management software further causing said processor to execute the following steps:

receiving system log entries from devices in the network;

determining if a system log entry is a state change entry and if so, indicating a state change may have occurred for the device.

11. The network management device of claim 9, wherein the step of determining if any state change indications are present is performed periodically.

12. The network management device of claim 11, wherein the period is relatively short.

13. The network management device of claim 12, wherein the period is three minutes.

14. The network management device of claim 9, said network management software further causing said processor to execute the following steps:

storing an end time value after collecting information from a device; and

determining if a lazy polling period has passed since the end time value for a device and if so, collecting information from the device.

15. The network management device of claim 14, wherein the determining steps place entries in a collection list and the collection information steps utilize the collection list to select devices for information collection.

16. The network management device of claim 9, wherein the determining step places entries in a collection list and the collection information step utilizes the collection list to select devices for information collection.

17. A network, comprising:

a plurality of interconnected devices; and

a management device coupled to the devices, the network management device comprising;

a processor;

input/output devices for coupling to the devices in the network; and

a memory storing programs executed by said processor and information on the devices in the network, the programs including;

an operating system; and

network management software, said network management software causing said processor to execute the following steps;

receiving state change event notifications from devices in the network;

indicating that a state change may have occurred for a device based on receiving the state change notification;

determining if any state change indications are present for devices in the network; and

collecting information from the devices having state change indications.

18. The network of claim 17, said network management software further causing said processor to execute the following steps:

receiving system log entries from devices in the network;

determining if a system log entry is a state change entry and if so, indicating a state change may have occurred for the device.

19. The network of claim 17, wherein the step of determining if any state change indications are present is performed periodically.

20. The network of claim 19, wherein the period is relatively short.

21. The network of claim 20, wherein the period is three minutes.

22. The network of claim 17, said network management software further causing said processor to execute the following steps:

storing an end time value after collecting information from a device; and

determining if a lazy polling period has passed since the end time value for a device and if so, collecting information from the device.

23. The network of claim 22, wherein the determining steps place entries in a collection list and the collection information steps utilize the collection list to select devices for information collection.

24. The network of claim 17, wherein the determining step places entries in a collection list and the collection information step utilizes the collection list to select devices for information collection.

25. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program to cause a computer coupled to a network of device to perform the following method:

receiving state change event notifications from devices in the network;

indicating that a state change may have occurred for a device based on receiving the state change notification;

determining if any state change indications are present for devices in the network; and

collecting information from the devices having state change indications.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the method further comprising:

receiving system log entries from devices in the network;

determining if a system log entry is a state change entry and if so, indicating a state change may have occurred for the device.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the step of determining if any state change indications are present is performed periodically.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the period is relatively short.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the period is three minutes.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, the method further comprising:

storing an end time value after collecting information from a device; and

determining if a lazy polling period has passed since the end time value for a device and if so, collecting information from the device.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the determining steps place entries in a collection list and the collection information steps utilize the collection list to select devices for information collection.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the determining step places entries in a collection list and the collection information step utilizes the collection list to select devices for information collection.