Graphical user interface for computer management system and an associated management information base

• US 5,559,958 A
• Filed: 08/20/1993
• Issued: 09/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mazina, Daniel J., Stewart, Gregory M., Didner, Jonathan R., Dysart, John A., Farrand, Scott C., Autor, Jeffrey S., Muraski, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Loomis, John C.
• Application Number:
  US08/110,652
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/182.02, 395/600, 395/183.03, 395/183.22, 395/184.01
• US Class Current: 714/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2205 using arrangements specific to the hardware being tested
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2736 using a dedicated service processor for test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/349 for interfaces, buses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• 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 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A management system for a file server having a system board, an expansion board, a disk storage system and a server manager for collecting management information from the system board. The management system arranges MIB information for the file server into a first manageable device specific subsystem containing management information describing the system board, a second, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the expansion board, a third, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the disk storage system, a fourth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the configuration of the file server, a fifth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the security configuration for the file server, a sixth, manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing the server manager, a seventh, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing I/O ports of the file server, an eighth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem containing management information describing internal environmental conditions of the file server. The management information for each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth subsystems may then be selectively accessed using a series of GUIs.

Claims

1. A method for managing from a management console, a plurality of file servers networked thereto, each said file server having at least one manageable device associated therewith, comprising the steps of:

displaying, at said management console, a list of said networked file servers;

selecting, from a list of said networked file servers, a file server to be managed;

displaying a plurality of subsystems for said selected file server;

selecting, from said plurality of displayed subsystems, a subsystem to be viewed;

selectively viewing management information which describes said selected subsystem; and

modifying the operation of said selected file server based upon said viewed management information

wherein said subsystems for each said file server include a first subsystem which contains management information for a first manageable device associated with said file server and a second subsystem which contains management information for said file server.

2. A method for managing a plurality of file servers according to claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:

receiving, at said management console, an alert notification;

accessing an alert log from said management console;

viewing, in said alert log, details of an alert causing said alert notification;

wherein the selection of said file server subsystem management information to be viewed is based upon said viewed alert details.

3. A method for managing a plurality of file servers according to claim 2 wherein said subsystems for each said file server include a fourth subsystem which contains environmental information for said file server acquired by said second manageable device.

4. A method for managing a plurality of file servers according to claim 1 wherein said subsystems for each said file server include a third subsystem which contains management information for said first manageable device acquired by a second manageable device associated with said file server.

6. A management system according to claim 1 wherein said management system further comprises means for arranging a fourth portion of said MIB information into a fourth subsystem which contains management information acquired by said server manager for said first one of said at least one manageable devices and management information for said file server.

5. For a management information base (MIB) containing management information for a file server having at least one manageable device associated therewith and from which management information is acquired therefrom, said file server further including a server manager for collecting management information for a first one of said at least one manageable device and said MIB information including said management information collected by said server manager, a management system comprising:

means for arranging a first portion of said MIB information into a first subsystem containing management information describing a first manageable device associated with said file server;

means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information into a second subsystem containing management information for said file server;

means for arranging a third portion of said MIB information into a third subsystem which contains management information acquired by said server manager for said first one of said at least one manageable devices; and

means for selectively accessing said MIB information for each of said first, second and third subsystems.

7. A management system according to claim 5 wherein said at least one manageable device associated with said file server further comprises a system board associated therewith and wherein said means for arranging a first portion of said MIB information into a first subsystem which contains management information describing a first manageable device associated with said file server further comprises means for arranging said first portion of said MIB information into a system board subsystem which contains said management information from said first portion which describes said system board.

8. A management system according to claim 7 wherein said at least one manageable device associated with said file server further comprises an expansion board associated therewith and wherein said means for arranging a first portion of said MIB information into a first subsystem which contains management information describing a first manageable device associated with said file server further comprises means for arranging said first portion of said MIB information into an expansion boards subsystem which contains said management information from said first portion which describes said expansion board.

9. A management system according to claim 7 wherein said at least one manageable device associated with said file server further comprises a disk storage system associated therewith and wherein said means for arranging a first portion of said MIB information into a first subsystem which corresponds to a first manageable device associated with said file server further comprises means for arranging said first portion of said MIB information into a disk storage subsystem which contains said management information from said first portion which describes said disk storage system.

10. A management system according to claim 7 wherein said means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information into a second subsystem which contains management information for said file server further comprises means for arranging said second portion of said MIB information into a configuration subsystem which contains said management information from said second portion which describes the configuration of said file server.

11. A management system according to claim 10 wherein said means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information into a second subsystem which contains management information describing said file server further comprises means for arranging said second portion of said MIB information into a security configuration subsystem which contains said management information describing the security configuration of said file server.

12. A management system according to claim 7 wherein said file server further comprises a server manager associated therewith for collecting management information for said system board, said MIB information including said management information collected by said server manager, and wherein said means for arranging said MIB information for said at least one manageable device associated with said file server into at least one subsystem further comprises:

means for arranging a third portion of said MIB information into a third subsystem which contains management information acquired by said server manager for said first one of said at least one manageable devices;

wherein at least part of said second portion of said MIB information arranged in said second subsystem which contains management information for said file server is acquired by said server manager.

13. A management system according to claim 12 wherein said means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information into a second subsystem which contains management information describing said file server and at least partially acquired by said server manager further comprises means for arranging said second portion of said MIB information into an environment subsystem which contains said management information related to internal temperature and voltage of said file server, said management information related to internal temperature and voltage being acquired by said server manager.

14. A management system according to claim 12 wherein said means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information into a second subsystem which contains management information describing said file server and at least partially acquired by said server manager further comprises means for arranging said second portion of said MIB information into an input/output (I/O) ports subsystem which contains said management information related to I/O ports of said file server, said management information related to said I/O ports being partially acquired by said server manager.

15. For a management information base (MIB) containing management information for a file server having at least one manageable device associated therewith from which said management information is acquired therefrom, said manageable devices associated therewith including a system board, an expansion board, a disk storage system and a server manager, said server manager configured to collect management information from said system board, a management system comprising:

means for arranging a first portion of said MIB information containing management information describing said system board into a first, manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a second portion of said MIB information containing management information describing said expansion board into a second, manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a third portion of said MIB information containing management information describing said disk storage system into a third, manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a fourth portion of said MIB information containing management information describing configuration of said file server into a fourth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a fifth portion of said MIB information containing management information describing security configuration for said file server into a fifth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a sixth portion of said MIB information containing management information describing said server manager into a sixth, manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging a seventh portion of said MIB information containing management information describing input/output (I/O) ports of said file server into a seventh, non-manageable device specific, subsystem;

means for arranging an eighth portion of said MIB information containing management information describing internal environmental conditions of said file server into an eighth, non-manageable device specific, subsystem; and

means for selectively accessing said MIB information for each of said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth subsystems.

16. A management system according to claim 15 wherein said eighth subsystem containing said non-manageable device specific management information describing internal environmental conditions of said file server is comprised of information collected by said server manager from said system board.

17. A management system according to claim 16 wherein said seventh subsystem containing said non-manageable device specific MIB information describing said I/O ports is comprised of information acquired from said manageable devices and information collected by said server manager from said system board.

18. A management system according to claim 17 wherein said fourth subsystem containing said non-manageable device specific information describing configuration of said file server is comprised of a combination of information available from said remaining subsystems and information uniquely provided to said fourth subsystem.

19. For a management information base (MIB) containing management information describing a plurality of networked file servers, each having a plurality of manageable devices associated therewith and described by said management information contained in said MIB, a management system comprising:

means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of file servers; and

means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server;

wherein said plurality of manageable devices associated with each of said file servers further comprises a system board and a server manager for acquiring management information related to the operation of said system board; and

wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing MIB information describing said system board associated with said selected file server and means for selectively accessing said MIB information acquired by said server manager for said system board.

20. A management system according to claim 19 wherein each of said system boards further comprises at least one processor and/or coprocessor and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said system board associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said processors and/or coprocessors of said selected system board.

21. A management system according to claim 19 wherein said plurality of manageable devices associated with each of said file servers further comprises an expansion board and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said expansion board associated with said selected file server.

22. A management system according to claim 19 wherein said plurality of manageable devices associated with each of said file servers further comprises a disk storage system and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said disk storage system associated with said selected file server.

23. A management system according to claim 22 wherein each of said disk storage systems further comprise at least one hard disk drive, internal intelligent disk array and/or external intelligent disk array and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said disk storage system associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said hard disk drive, internal intelligent disk array and/or external intelligent disk arrays of said selected disk storage system.

24. A management system according to claim 23 wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said hard disk drive, internal intelligent disk array and/or external intelligent disk arrays for said selected disk storage system further comprises:

means for accessing a physical drive map for each of said internal intelligent disk arrays; and

means for accessing a physical drive map for each of said external intelligent disk arrays.

25. A management system according to claim 24 wherein said means for accessing a physical drive map for each of said internal intelligent disk arrays further comprises:

means for determining, from said physical drive map for said selected internal intelligent disk array, statuses of logical drives mapped to said selected internal intelligent disk array; and

means for accessing, from said physical drive map for said selected internal intelligent disk array, information related to said statuses of said logical drives mapped to said selected internal intelligent disk array.

26. A management system according to claim 25 wherein said means for accessing a physical drive map for each of said external intelligent disk arrays further comprises:

means for determining, from said physical drive map for said selected external intelligent disk array, statuses of logical drives mapped to said selected internal intelligent disk array; and

means for accessing, from said physical drive map, information related to said statuses of said logical drives mapped to said selected external intelligent disk array.

27. A management system according to claim 19 wherein said server manager monitors said system board to acquire management information therefrom in the form of objects, performs object management on said acquired management information and generates alerts based on said performed object management and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said server manager subsystem for said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing management information regarding innate monitoring status, object space and alert status for said server manager.

28. A management system according to claim 27 wherein said file server further comprises a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports for coupling peripheral devices thereto and wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said I/O ports for said selected file server.

29. A management system according to claim 28 wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information describing said I/O ports for said selected file server further comprises means for accessing management information acquired by said server manager which describes said I/O ports.

30. A management system according to claim 27 wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information for each of said plurality of manageable devices associated with said selected file server further comprises means for selectively accessing said MIB information which describes environmental conditions for said selected file server.

31. A management system according to claim 30 wherein said means for selectively accessing said MIB information which describes environmental conditions for said selected file server further comprises means for accessing management information acquired by said server manager which describes environmental conditions for said file server.

32. A management system according to claim 31 wherein said means for accessing management information acquired by said server manager which describes said environment subsystem for said file server further comprises means for accessing a graphical analysis of the internal temperature and voltage of said selected file server.