Network managing method and system

• US 6,047,320 A
• Filed: 11/17/1997
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Satoshi, Miyake, Shigeru, Tezuka, Satoru, Shigeta, Akio, Mizuguchi, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Hieu C.
• Application Number:
  US08/971,621
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/25, 714/4, 714/21, 714/30, 209/223, 209/224
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

A network managing method which divides a network to be managed into a plurality of virtual closed area networks, and defines management information on the virtual closed area networks separately in a plurality of logical hierarchies. A virtual LAN/network space defines a connection state among closed area networks, a closed area space defines attribute information on nodes within a closed area network, and a virtual service defines logical arrangement information on nodes in the overall network. The management information is distributively stored in each node and utilized for communication control and so on. When the configuration of the network is changed due to movements of nodes and so on, an administrator inputs the contents of update from the manager of each layer, so that the manager communicates with a node containing corresponding management information to instruct the node to update the management information.

Claims

1. In a network having a plurality of communication terminals and at least one switch circuit for controlling communications among said communication terminals, a network managing method for registering and updating management information for defining operations of said communication terminals and said switch circuit, said method comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of virtual closed area networks having said communication terminals or said switch circuit selected in accordance with a predetermined rule;

defining said management information separately for each of a plurality of logical hierarchies segmented in accordance with a predetermined rule;

storing the management information on a closed area network or one of said logical hierarchies to which each of said communication terminals and said switch circuit belongs;

designating at least one of said communication terminals as a managing communication terminal; and

communicating between said managing communication terminal and each of said communication terminals and said switch circuit management information to be registered and updated on the basis of information inputted by an administrator, said communication terminals and said switch circuit storing the management information to be registered and updated.

2. A network managing method according to claim 1, wherein:

said managing communication terminal stores address information on either of said communication terminals or said switch circuit which stores the management information to be registered and updated, and communicates with said communication terminals or said switch circuit utilizing said address information.

3. A network managing method according to claim 1, wherein:

said managing communication terminal is provided in each of said closed area networks or in each of said logical hierarchies.

4. A network managing method according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of logical hierarchies includes;

a hierarchy on which separate attribute information is defined for each of said communication terminals and said switch circuit;

a hierarchy on which information defining interconnection states of said closed area networks is defined; and

a hierarchy on which logical arrangement information is defined for said communication terminals and said switching circuit.

5. A network managing method according to claim 1, wherein:

when said network has a shared media network connected to said switch circuit, said shared media network is defined as a closed area network.

6. A network managing system for a network having a plurality of communication terminals and at least one switch circuit for controlling communications between said communication terminals, wherein:

said network is separated into a plurality of logical hierarchies, each of said logical hierarchies having a manager and at least one agent;

said manager accepts reading, registration, and change of management information on said logical hierarchies from an administrator, and issues instructions for reading, registering, and changing said information to an agent of a communication device associated with said information; and

said agent sends stored management information to said manager in response to a read instruction from said manager, and rewrites the management information in response to instructions from said manager to register and update the management information.

7. A network managing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said plurality of logical hierarchies includes;

a hierarchy on which separate attribute information is defined for each of said communication terminals and said switch circuit;

a hierarchy on which information defining interconnection states of a plurality of virtual networks is defined; and

a hierarchy on which logical arrangement information is defined for said communication terminals and said switching circuit.

8. A network managing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said manager and said agent are included in a communication device forming part of said network.

9. A network managing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said manager comprises a user interface for displaying the management information on a communication terminal or the switch circuit, provided from said agent, on a display screen and for accepting registration and update on said management information on said display screen.

10. A network managing system according to claim 6, wherein:

said agent included in each of said communication terminals and said switch circuit includes means for sending information indicative of an operating state of the associated terminal or circuit to said manager; and

said manager includes means for displaying the contents of said information sent thereto.