Method and apparatus for correlating network management report messages

• US 5,528,759 A
• Filed: 10/31/1990
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choules, Jack M.
• Application Number:
  US07/606,671
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/650, 395/600, 395/200.11, 340/825.06, 364/242.94, 364/284.3, 364/284.4
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis

Abstract

Error or condition reporting messages known as "alerts" transmitted to a communication network management facility are correlated by including with each reporting message or alert a unique token having a length field, a key identifier field identifying the nature of the message and a data message field containing a unique n-byte pattern. Incoming reporting messages or alerts received at the communication network management facility are scanned for the existence of a reporting message correlation subvector and, if such a message is found, its token is extracted and compared against a list of previously received tokens to determine whether the reporting message concerns a facility or resource which has already been the subject of a previous report or alert. The inclusion of the length and key identifier fields in addition to the unique n-byte field to make up the token assures that correlation tokens generated under different communication protocols will not contain identical tokens.

Claims

1. In a communications network having a network management resource computer and a plurality of managed resources and means for reporting, over communications facilities interconnecting said resources, conditions involving said managed resources to said management resource computer, program means for receiving and correlating reporting messages received, said program comprising:

means at said management resource computer for receiving, recording, and analyzing said reporting messages;

means for comparing an identifier token from each said reporting message with a record of any said identifier tokens contained in previously received reporting messages received and recorded at said management resource computer; and

means for aggregating for display or recordation any said reporting messages found by said means for comparing to have matching identifier tokens as correlated messages concerning the same said managed resource.

2. In a communications network having a network management resource computer and a plurality of managed resources and means for sending, to said network management resource computer over communication facilities interconnecting all of said resources, reporting messages regarding conditions involving said managed resources, a method of correlating separately generated reporting messages received at said management resource computer comprising steps at said management resource computer of executing a program for:

receiving said reporting messages at said management resource;

comparing an identifier token in each received reporting message with a record of any said identifier tokens contained in reporting messages previously received by said management resource computer, and

aggregating for display or recordation any said reporting messages found by executing of a comparison program to have matching identifier tokens as correlated messages concerning said managed resource identified by said identifier tokens.

3. A method of executing a program as described in claim 2 further comprising a step of generating said reporting messages and including a step of:

concatenating to said identifier token a message length field and a subfield key identifier from an SNA management services network management vector transport format.

4. In a communications network having a network management resource computer, a plurality of managed resources, and computer means for reporting via reporting messages sent, over communications facilities interconnecting all of said computers and resources, conditions involving said managed resources to said management resource computer, a computer implemented method of correlating separately generated reporting messages received at said management resource computer, said reporting messages conveying information concerning a circumstance or condition existing at or relating to a given said managed resource in said communications network comprising computer implemented steps of:

generating an identifier token, said token being unique to said managed resource and generated by execution of a computer implemented token generation program;

generating via execution of a message formatting computer program a reporting message identifying a specific circumstance or condition relating to said managed resource, said reporting message including said identifier token;

transmitting said reporting message to said management resource computer through said communications network;

receiving said reporting message at said management resource computer;

recording said message and said token in a data record maintained by said management resource computer;

comparing via execution of a comparison program said identifier token with said record of said identifier tokens in reporting messages previously received by said management resource computer; and

aggregating for display or recordation any said reporting messages found by said comparison program to have matching said identifier tokens, thereby correlating said messages as concerning the same said managed resource.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said generating of said identifier token further comprises a step of:

concatenating to said identifier token a message length field and a sub-field key identifier from an SNA management services network management vector transport format.

6. A system for correlating separately generated reporting messages received at a management resource computer in a communications network having both a management resource computer and a plurality of managed resources, said resources having computer means for reporting, over communications facilities interconnecting all of said resources, conditions involving said managed resources to said management resource computer, said system comprising:

means for generating an identifier token unique to each said resource being managed;

means for generating a report message identifying a specific circumstance or condition relating to said managed resource and including therein said identifier token;

means for transmitting said reporting message including said identifier token to said management resource computer through said communications network;

means for receiving said reporting message at said management resource computer;

means for recording said message and said identifier token in a data record managed by said management resource computer;

means for comparing said identifier token with said record of identifier tokens in reporting messages previously received by said management resource computer; and

means for aggregating for display or recordation any said reporting messages found by said computer to have matching identifier tokens;

thereby correlating all received messages concerning said managed resource.

7. A system as described in claim 6 further comprising:

means for concatenating to said identifier token a message length identifier field and a key identifier subfield from an SNA management services network management vector transport format.