NETWORK ELEMENT CONNECTION MANAGEMENT WITHIN A NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20120265875A1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Data Services Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: MORAN, William J., BAYNE, Michael T.
• Application Number:
  US13/524,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265875A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management

Abstract

Preferred embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods to receive a logical command, the logical command being associated with a target identifier of a network element, determine connection parameters of the network element based on the target identifier, define a work flow based on the logical command, the work flow including a connection manager work unit, and execute the connection manager work unit to retrieve a connection from a connection pool based on the connection parameters.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a connection to a network element;

testing the connection to determine a status of the connection;

determining whether to evict the connection based on the status of the connection; and

evicting the connection based on a determination to evict the connection.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connection is an idle connection.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the status of the connection indicates that the connection has been idle for a period of time that exceeds an acceptable period of time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the status of the connection indicates that the connection is associated with a low-priority user.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the status of the connection indicates that physical connections to the network elements are exhausted.

6. A method, comprising:

maintaining a connection to a network element;

testing the connection to determine a status of the connection;

determining whether to share the connection based on the status of the connection; and

sharing the connection based on a determination to share the connection.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sharing the connection comprises interleaving multiple sessions on a physical connection.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the status of the connection indicates that an idle connection is unavailable.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the status of the connection indicates that physical connections to the network elements are exhausted.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining comprises examining physical connection associated with the network.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code which when executed causes a computer to perform a method comprising:

maintaining a connection to a network element;

testing the connection to determine a status of the connection;

determining whether to evict the connection based on the status of the connection; and

evicting the connection based on a determination to evict the connection.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the connection is an idle connection.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the status of the connection indicates that the connection has been idle for a period of time that exceeds an acceptable period of time.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the status of the connection indicates that the connection is associated with a low-priority user.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the status of the connection indicates that physical connections to the network elements are exhausted.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code which when executed causes a computer to perform a method comprising:

maintaining a connection to a network element;

testing the connection to determine a status of the connection;

determining whether to share the connection based on the status of the connection; and

sharing the connection based on a determination to share the connection.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the sharing the connection comprises interleaving multiple sessions on a physical connection.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the status of the connection indicates that an idle connection is unavailable.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the status of the connection indicates that physical connections to the network elements are exhausted.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the determining comprises examining physical connection associated with the network.