Network management system using multifunction icons for information display
First Claim
1. A method for displaying information relating to a computer network to a user, comprising the steps of:
- maintaining information relating to networkentities of a computer network in a network management system;
said network management system providing a visual display of selected information relating to selected network entities, said network entities being represented on said visual display by icons, each having a plurality of user selectable areas; and
in response to a user selection of a prescribed area of an icon, said network management system providing a visual display of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents, each user selectable area of said icon providing access to a different visual display of detailed information regarding said network entity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network management system includes a user interface, a virtual network and a device communication manager. The virtual network includes models which represent network entities and model relations which represent relations between network entities. Each model includes network data relating to a corresponding network device and one or more inference handlers for processing the network data to provide user information. The system performs a fault isolation technique wherein the fault status of a network device is suppressed when it is determined that the device is not defective. User displays include hierarchical location views and topological views of the network configuration. Network devices are represented on the displays by multifunction icons which permit the user to select additional displays showing detailed information regarding different aspects of the corresponding network device.
448 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for displaying information relating to a computer network to a user, comprising the steps of:
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maintaining information relating to network entities of a computer network in a network management system; said network management system providing a visual display of selected information relating to selected network entities, said network entities being represented on said visual display by icons, each having a plurality of user selectable areas; and in response to a user selection of a prescribed area of an icon, said network management system providing a visual display of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents, each user selectable area of said icon providing access to a different visual display of detailed information regarding said network entity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for displaying information relating to a computer network to a user, comprising the steps of:
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monitoring network entities of a computer network with a network management system and generating alarms when predefined events occur in said network entities; said network management system providing a visual display of said alarms; in response to a user selection of one of said alarms, said network management system displaying an icon representative of the network entity having an alarm, said icon having a plurality of user selectable areas; and in response to user selection of a prescribed area of the icon, said network management system providing a visual display of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for displaying information relating to a computer network, comprising:
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a digital computer, a video display unit connected to said computer and storage means connected to said computer; means for maintaining and updating information relating to network entities of a computer network in said storage means; means for displaying on said video display unit selected information relating to said selected network entities, including means for representing said selected network entities on said video display unit by icons, each icon having a plurality of user selectable areas; and means for providing on said video display unit a display of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents in response to a user selection of a prescribed area of the icon, each user selectable area of said icon providing access to a different display of detailed information regarding said network entity.
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20. A system for displaying information relating to a computer network, comprising:
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a digital computer, a visual display unit connected to said computer and storage means connected to said computer; means for monitoring network entities of a computer network and for generating alarms when predefined events occur in said network entities; means for providing a display of said alarms on said video display unit; means for displaying on said video display unit an icon representative of a network entity having an alarm in response to a user selection of one of said alarms, said icon having a plurality of user selectable areas; and means for providing on said video display unit a display of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents in response to a user selection of a prescribed area of the icon.
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21. In a network management system coupled to a computer network, a method for displaying information relating to the computer network, comprising the steps of:
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maintaining information relating to network entities of said computer network in a memory of said network management system; said network management system providing a visual display of selected information relating to selected network entities, said selected network entities being represented on said visual display by multifunction icons, each of said multifunction icons having a plurality of user selectable areas, one or more of said user selectable areas containing a visual representation of detailed information regarding a predetermined aspect of the network entity which the icon represents; and in response to a user selection of a prescribed area of an icon, said network management system providing a visual display of the detailed information represented by the user selectable area, each user selectable area of said icon providing access to a different visual display of detailed information regarding said network entity, such that different, user-selectable visual displays can be accessed from each multifunction icon. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification