DATA RETRIEVAL IN A NETWORK OF TREE STRUCTURE

• US 20110161360A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Packetfront Software Solutions AB (Tosca IOM Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Packetfront Systems AB (Tosca IOM Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lundstrom, Magnus
• Application Number:
  US12/994,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161360A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45

Abstract

A method for retrieving data from a network having network elements in a multi-level hierarchical tree includes providing a data exchange interface defining formats for requesting and delivery of types of data to be retrieved, generating a request at the data exchange interface to define the data to be retrieved, using the request to define a canonical name and a depth indicator, implementing, at one or more levels in the network, a data retrieval routine that uses the canonical name to generate a command that is issued to the element or elements from which data are to be retrieved to cause the element or elements to return data including a description and a value, and communicating the returned data to the data exchange interface in the defined data format.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving data from a network comprising network elements organized as a multi-level hierarchical tree, each level comprising a set of nodes, the method comprising:

providing a data exchange interface defining formats for requesting and delivery of types of data to be retrieved;

generating a request at the data exchange interface to define the data to be retrieved;

using the request to define

a canonical name that comprises a series of element names corresponding to at least part of the hierarchical tree containing the network element or elements from which the data is to be retrieved; and

a depth indicator indicating a number of levels below a lowest level element name;

implementing, at one or more levels in the network, a data retrieval routine that uses the canonical name to generate a command that is issued to the network element or elements from which data are to be retrieved to cause the network element or elements to return data comprising a description and a value; and

communicating the returned data to the data exchange interface in the defined data format;

wherein the network does not include a management information base, data being returned to the data exchange interface from the elements in a self-explanatory format without passing through a management information base.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a functionality of the data exchange interface cannot be changed during operation.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, comprising periodically updating the functionality of the data exchange interface between periods of operation.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating a request at the data exchange interface comprises generating a request for real time data, to be delivered either immediately or at some pre-determined time in the future.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising defining a period over which data are to be retrieved and a frequency at which data are to be retrieved and retrieving and delivering data at the defined frequency during that period.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising time-stamping the delivered data.