Apparatus for remotely managing diverse information network resources

• US 5,491,796 A
• Filed: 10/23/1992
• Issued: 02/13/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Net Labs Incorporated
• Inventors: Wanderer, James, Cooper, Claus, Gerolimatos, Mark, Chen, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, KENNETH S
• Application Number:
  US07/965,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/325, 395/700, 395/650
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In a data exchange network, in which various resources, such as hubs, routers, etc., distributed across the data exchange network are remotely controlled from a single point of maintenance, a consistent approach is provided for managing the network hardware resources. A set of consistent displays is provided for remote front panels allowing visual management of remote, heterogeneous devices, while also allowing the display of nongraphical data in a usable form.

A common user interface allows operator control of the network, which may include many disparate types of equipment, supplied by various manufacturers. User definition of each network element is allowed based on a uniform vocabulary of element representations. A network management architecture provides a common development language for describing specific functions and attributes of network elements. Each element includes a protocol module which, in conjunction with a system engine, effects coordinated network control.

Claims

1. An apparatus for remotely managing diverse information network resources, comprising:

a plurality of heterogeneous, remote devices of functionally diverse classes, each device providing raw information in one of a plurality of heterogeneous formats, wherein said format is specific to each device and to each device functional class;

a protocol module located at a network management site and in communication with said remote devices for scheduling remote device polls to optimize remote device polling and minimize use of said information network;

a values module located at said network management site for storing data obtained by polling said remote devices, wherein said data are representative by events that occur at said remote devices as the events occur over time, said values module being operable to store, retrieve, and manipulate said raw information, said values module including a time stamp for use in connection with recording a time of occurrence of said remote device events, processing time varying data from said stored remote device events, and for storing common groupings of said raw information;

a nonprocedural builder module located at said network management site and operable to generate a data specification module;

said data specification module located at said network management site and operable to store information that specifies device content and behavior for each of said heterogeneous, functionally diverse, remote devices in the form of a device specific representation, wherein said representation appears to a user in the same format for each device within a device functional class even though each functional class may include a plurality of heterogeneous remote devices;

an engine located at said network management site, said engine being operable to read information stored in said data specification module and to generate said device specific representation for each of said remote devices therefrom and, based on the contents of said data specification module and said raw information from said remote devices, to control operation of said remote devices, to enable polls of said remote devices by said protocol module, to process said raw information in accordance with said information stored in said data specification module, to process said common groupings of said raw information stored in said values module from two or more of said remote devices to generate information characterizing inter-device performance therefrom, and to generate poll results for each of said remote devices in the form of said device specific representations; and

a user interface module located at said network management site, and, responsive to said engine, for displaying said device specific representations of said remote devices at said network management site as a user controlled virtual panel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said engine allows user configuration and control of said remote devices while viewing said device specific representation.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said protocol module issues simple network management protocol ("SNMP") requests to said remote devices.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said engine implements user directed control of remote device operational parameters.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said device specific representation is dynamically updated by said engine to provide current remote device information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said device specific representation may be interactively updated by a user to display remote device specific information based on user demand.

7. A method for remotely managing an information network including a plurality of heterogeneous, remote devices of functionally diverse classes, each device providing raw information in one of a plurality of heterogeneous formats, wherein said format is specific to each device and to each device functional class, said method comprising the steps of:

scheduling remote device polls with a protocol module located at a network management site and in communication with said remote devices to optimize remote device polling and minimize use of said information network;

storing data obtained by said remote device polling, wherein said data are representative of events that occur at said remote devices with a values module located at said network management site as the events occur over time, said values module being operable to store, retrieve, and manipulate said raw information, said values module including a time stamp for recording a time of occurrence of said remote device events, processing time varying data from said stored remote device events, and for storing common groupings of said raw information;

generating a data specification module with a nonprocedural builder module located at said network management site;

storing information in said data specification module that specifies device content and behavior for each of said heterogeneous, functionally diverse, remote devices in the form of a device specific representation, wherein said representation appears to a user in the same format for each device within a device functional class even though each functional class may include a plurality of heterogeneous remote devices;

reading information stored in said data specification module with an engine located at said network management site;

generating said device specific representation for each of said remote devices with said engine;

with said engine, controlling operation of said remote devices, enabling polls of said remote devices by said protocol module, processing said raw information in accordance with said information stored in said data specification module, processing said common groupings of said raw information stored in said values module from two or more of said remote devices to generate information characterizing inter-device performance therefrom, and generating poll results for each of said remote devices in the form of said device specific representations; and

displaying said device specific representations of said remote devices as a user controlled virtual panel with a user interface module located at said network management site.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said engine allows user configuration of said remote devices.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

issuing simple network management protocol ("SNMP") requests to said remote devices with said protocol module.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

allowing user setting of remote device operational parameters with said engine.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

dynamically updating said representation with said engine to display current remote device information.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

interactively updating said representation with said engine to display remote device information based on user demand.