Agent device with program reception function and method of accessing managed object of agent device

• US 5,832,226 A
• Filed: 08/05/1997
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Motohiro, Kiriha, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US08/906,339
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 395/200.3, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.43, 395/200.44, 395/200.46, 395/200.47, 395/200.5, 395/200.51, 395/200.52, 395/200.53 , 395/200.54
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]

Abstract

Upon receiving a program S1 from a manager device M1, a program execution section 2 starts executing the program S1 and calls an API by linking an enhanced operational object EO1. The enhanced operational object EO1 executes the called API. When access to a managed object MO1 is required, the API supplied by a primitive operational object PO1 is called. The primitive operational object PO1 executes the API, accesses the managed object MO1 and returns the result to the enhanced operational object EO1. The enhanced operational object EO1 returns the result to the program S1. The program execution section 2 returns the execution result of the program S1 to the manager device M1.

Claims

1. An agent device with program reception function comprising:

management information memory means for storing a managed object;

program execution information memory means for storing an enhanced operational object for providing a program with a function required for a network management and a primitive operational object for providing said enhanced operational object with a function of accessing said managed object; and

program execution means including means for executing a program transmitted from a manager device;

means for linking said enhanced operational object required within a program being executed to said program; and

means for transmitting an execution result of said program to a manager device.

2. The agent device with program reception function of claim 1 comprises managed object operation means for providing an access interface to an existing management system.

3. The agent device with program reception function of claim 1 comprises managed object access object means for providing a program with a function of accessing one managed object simultaneously.

4. An agent device with program reception function comprising:

a program execution information memory section for storing a managed object access object that provides a program with a function of accessing one managed object simultaneously;

program execution means including means for executing a program transmitted from a manager device;

means for linking a managed object access object required within a program being executed to said program; and

means for transmitting an execution result of said program to said manager device; and

management information memory section for storing a managed object.

5. The agent device with program reception function of claim 4 comprises managed object operation means for providing an access interface to an existing management system.

6. An agent device with program reception function comprising:

management information memory means for storing a managed object;

a program execution information memory section for storing an enhanced operational object providing a program with a function required for a network management;

a primitive operational object providing said enhanced operational object with a function of accessing said managed object and a managed object access object providing a program with a function of accessing one managed object simultaneously; and

program execution means including means for executing a program transmitted from a manager device;

means for linking an enhanced operational object required within a program being executed to said program;

means for linking a managed object access object required within a program being executed to said program; and

means for transmitting an execution result of said program to a manager device.

7. The agent device with program reception function of claim 6 comprises managed object operation means for providing an access interface to an existing management system.

8. A method of accessing a managed object of an agent device comprising the steps of:

providing an agent device with an enhanced operational object for supplying a first API to a program, a primitive operational object for supplying a second API to said enhanced operational object and an execution section for executing said program;

wherein

said first API governs an interface between said program and said enhanced operational object and said second API governs an interface between said enhanced operational object and a managed object;

said first API is described in a program transmitted from a manager device; and

said agent device comprises the steps of;

executing said program in said program execution section and linking an enhanced operational object supplying said first API described in said program;

linking a primitive operational object supplying said second API required for executing said first API in said linked enhanced operational object;

accessing said managed object by executing said second API in said linked primitive operational object and transmitting a result of executing a predetermined process to said enhanced operational object; and

converting said result into a style required by a program in an enhanced operational object receiving said result and transmitting said converted result to said program execution section.

9. A method of accessing a managed object of an agent device of claim 8, wherein said agent device is further provided with a managed object operation section that supplies a uniform third API to a primitive operational object for accessing a managed object within an existing management system, said agent device comprises the steps of:

linking a managed object operation section that supplies a third API required for executing said second API in said linked primitive operational object; and

accessing a managed object by executing said third API in said managed object operation section.

10. A method of accessing a managed object of an agent device, wherein an agent device is provided with a program execution section and a managed object access object that supplies an API for accessing a managed object to a program, said agent device comprises the steps of:

executing a program in said program execution section and linking said program to said managed object access object based on a described API; and

executing said API in said managed object access object, accessing a managed object to execute a predetermined process and transmitting an execution result to said program execution section.

11. A method of accessing a managed object of an agent device of claim 10, wherein an agent device is provided with a managed object operation section for supplying a second API to a managed object access object for accessing a managed object within an existing management system, said agent device comprises the step of:

linking said managed object operation section that supplies a second API required for executing said API in said linked managed object access object; and

accessing a managed object by executing said second API in said linked managed object operation section.

12. An agent device with program reception function in a network management system comprising a manager device for managing a network and an agent device for managing a device existing on said network comprising:

an information memory section for storing a path trace enhanced object for supplying a method to trace a logical end-to-end path on a network in which a manager device transmits a path trace program containing a path trace request to each agent device existing on a path and a manager device collects each trace result from said agent devices; and

a path trace primitive object having a function of obtaining attribute information of a managed object required by said path trace enhanced object;

a program execution section including means for executing a path trace program, means for linking a path trace enhanced object required within a path trace program being executed to said path trace program, and means for transmitting an execution result of said path trace program to a manager device; and

a management information memory section for storing a managed object.

13. An agent device with program reception function in a network management system comprising a manager device for managing a network and an agent device for managing a device existing on said network comprising:

an information memory section for storing a path trace enhanced object for supplying a method to trace a logical end-to-end path on a network in which an agent device receiving a path trace program from a manager device transmits said path trace program to each agent device existing on a path intended for tracing and an agent device receiving said path trace program from said manager device transmits a trace result from said each agent device collectively to said manager device; and

a path trace primitive object having a function of obtaining attribute information of a managed object required by said path trace enhanced object;

a program execution section including means for executing a path trace program transmitted from a manager device, means for linking a path trace enhanced object required within a path trace program being executed to said path trace program and means for transmitting an execution result of said path trace program to a manager device; and

a management information memory section having a function of storing a managed object.

14. An agent device with program reception function in a network management system comprising a manager device for managing a network and an agent device for managing a device existing on said network comprising:

an information memory section for storing a path trace enhanced object for supplying a method to trace a logical end-to-end path on a network in which an agent device receiving a path trace program from a manager device transmits said path trace program to a next agent device, said next agent device further transmits said path trace program to an agent device next thereto for propagating said path trace program to agent devices on a path and execution result of each path trace program is transmitted to a transmission source of said path trace program for propagating a final path trace result to an agent device that has received said path trace program from said manager device and a propagation result is transmitted to said manager device; and

a path trace primitive object having a function of obtaining attribute information of a managed object required by said path trace enhanced object;

a program execution section including means for executing a path trace program transmitted from a manager device;

means for linking a path trace enhanced object required within a path trace program being executed to said path trace program and means for transmitting an execution result of said path trace program to a manager device; and

a management information memory section for storing a managed object.

15. An agent device with program reception function in a network management system comprising a manager device for managing a network and an agent device for managing a device existing on said network comprising:

an information memory section for storing a path trace enhanced object for supplying a method to trace a logical end-to-end path on a network in which an agent device receiving a path trace program from a manager device transmits a path trace program added with a trace result executed within its present device to a next agent device, said next agent device transmits a path trace program added with a trace result executed within its present device to an agent device next thereto for propagating a path trace program containing trace results executed within each present device to agent devices on a path and a final path trace result received by an agent device at the other path end is transmitted to said manager device; and

a path trace primitive object having a function of obtaining attribute information of a managed object required by said path trace enhanced object;

a program execution section including means for executing a path trace program transmitted from a manager device, means for linking a path trace enhanced object required within a path trace program being executed to said path trace program and means for transmitting an execution result of said path trace program to a manager device; and

a management information memory section for storing a managed object.

16. An agent device with program reception function in a network management system comprising a manager device for managing a network and an agent device for managing a device existing on said network comprising:

an information memory section for storing a path trace enhanced object for supplying a path trace method to trace a logical end-to-end path on a network by combining one path trace method in which an agent device receiving a path trace program from a manager device transmits said path trace program to a next agent device, said next agent device transmits said path trace program to an agent device next thereto for propagating said path trace program to agent devices on a path, an execution result of said each path trace program is transmitted to a transmission source of said path trace program for propagating a final path trace result from said manager device to an agent device that has received said path trace program and a propagation result is transmitted to said manager device and the other path trace method in which an agent device receiving a path trace program from a manager device transmits a path trace program containing a trace result executed within each present device to a next agent device, said next agent device transmits a path trace program containing a trace result executed within its present device to an agent device next thereto for propagating a path trace program containing a trace result executed within its present device to agent devices on a path and a final path trace result received by an agent device at the other path end is transmitted to said manager device; and

a path trace primitive object having a function of obtaining attribute information of a managed object required by a path trace enhanced object;

a program execution section including means for executing a path trace program transmitted from a manager device, means for linking a path trace enhanced object required within a path trace program being executed to said path trace program, and means for transmitting an execution result of said path trace program to a manager device; and

a management information memory section for storing a managed object.