Network Management Systems and Methods

• US 20140365648A1
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cyan, Inc. (Ciena Corporation)
• Inventors: Haraszti, Zsolt, Dowker, Darren James, Lopez, Richard Sherman
• Granted Patent: US 10,177,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 41/02 Standardisation; Integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation

Abstract

Example network management systems and methods are described. In one implementation, a method identifies at least one network resource to be managed and identifies at least one domain to be managed. The method further identifies at least one service provider to be managed. A fusion object is created that defines the network resource, the domain, and the service provider to be managed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying at least one network resource to be managed;

identifying at least one domain to be managed;

identifying at least one service provider to be managed; and

creating, using one or more processors, a fusion object that defines the network resource, the domain, and the service provider to be managed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing the network resource, the domain, and the service provider using the fusion object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one network resource includes:

identifying at least one physical resource to be managed by the fusion object; and

identifying at least one virtual resource to be managed by the fusion object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fusion object is a collection of resources and services grouped together into a single manageable entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the fusion object is further based on a management preference associated with the network resource, domain, and service provider to be managed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the fusion object based on changes to a management preference associated with the network resource, domain, and service provider to be managed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fusion object includes:

an identifier that uniquely identifies the network resource to be managed;

an identifier that uniquely identifies the domain to be managed; and

an identifier that uniquely identifies the service provider to be managed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource to be managed is a data center.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource to be managed is a virtual machine contained in a data center.

10. A method comprising:

identifying a physical resource to be managed by a fusion object;

identifying a virtual resource to be managed by the fusion object;

identifying a domain to be managed by the fusion object;

identifying a service provider to be managed by the fusion object;

identifying a data center provider to be managed by the fusion object; and

creating, using one or more processors, the fusion object that defines the physical resource, the virtual resource, the domain, the service provider, and the data center to be managed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising managing the physical resource, the virtual resource, the domain, the service provider, and the data center using the fusion object.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the fusion object is a collection of resources and services grouped together into a single manageable entity.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein creating the fusion object is further based on a management preference associated with the physical resource, virtual resource, domain, and service provider to be managed.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying the fusion object based on changes to a management preference associated with the physical resource, virtual resource, domain, and service provider to be managed.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the fusion object includes:

an identifier that uniquely identifies the physical resource to be managed;

an identifier that uniquely identifies the virtual resource to be managed;

an identifier that uniquely identifies the domain to be managed; and

an identifier that uniquely identifies the service provider to be managed.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical resource to be managed is a data center.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual resource to be managed is a virtual machine contained in a data center.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to;

identify a network resource to be managed by a fusion object;

identify a domain to be managed by the fusion object;

identify a service provider to be managed by the fusion object; and

create the fusion object that defines the network resource, domain, and service provider to be managed.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to manage the network resource, the domain, and the service provider using the fusion object.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the fusion object is a collection of resources and services grouped together into a single manageable entity.