Network management tool for causing network equipment to display information of a network relevant to the network equipment

• US 6,049,827 A
• Filed: 02/20/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Toshio, Miyazaki, Satoshi, Hirata, Toshiaki, Sugauchi, Kiminori, Morisada, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/027,202
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/220, 709/300, 709/302, 707/10, 707/100, 707/103, 707/104, 345/335, 345/356, 345/357
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program for preferentially displaying partial information related to one of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network being managed by a network management system. The partial information is required for network management to be conducted from the network equipment. A managed terminal is included in each network equipment connected to the network. The network management system collects management information from each of the network equipment connected to the network and stores the management information therein. When conducting network management from the network equipment, the managed terminal thereof sends a request for network management to the network management system. The network management system transfers a program for managing the network to the managed terminal. The transferred program informs the network management system of the identification of the managed terminal and the network management system transfers partial information related to the managed terminal to the managed terminal based on the identification. The managed terminal then displays the transferred partial information so that network management can be conducted from the network equipment.

Claims

1. A network management tool on a storage medium for execution by a network management system which collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, stores the collected management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management tool comprising:

a display program which is activated when transferred to a network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment;

a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment; and

an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for informing said display program, transferred to said network equipment, of partial information relevant to said network equipment obtained from the collected management information based on the collected identification information, and

wherein said display program further executes processing for causing the display of said partial information from said information program on said network equipment.

2. A network management tool according to claim 1, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing a part of said partial information relevant to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

3. A network management tool according to claim 1, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for collecting performance information defining performance characteristics of said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected performance information; and

wherein said information program further executes;

processing for changing a degree of details of information to be informed to said display program according to said performance information.

4. A network management tool on a storage medium for execution by a network management system which collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, stores the collected management information, displays a configuration of the network in the form of a plurality of hierarchically arranged maps based on the collected management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management tool comprising:

a display program which is activated when transferred to a network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment;

a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment; and

an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for generating containment relationship information, showing containment relationships among components included in each of said maps, relevant to said network equipment based on the collected identification information and informing said display program of said containment relationships information, and

wherein said display program further executes processing for causing the display on said network equipment of a configuration of said network, based on said containment relationship information, in the form of an inclusive tree.

5. A network management tool according to claim 4, wherein said display program further executes:

processing of causing a part of said inclusive tree related to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

6. A network management tool according to claim 4, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for calculating a number of lower order components included in lower order level maps related to a map which includes a component corresponding to said network equipment and informing said display program of said number of lower order components; and

wherein said display program further executes;

processing for causing the display of said number of lower order components informed by said information program together with components shown in said inclusive tree.

7. A network management tool according to claim 6, wherein said display program further executes:

processing of causing a part of said inclusive tree related to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

8. A network management tool on a storage medium for execution by a network management system which collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, stores the collected management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management tool comprising:

a display program which is activated when transferred to a network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment;

a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment; and

an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for generating containment relationship information, showing containment relationship among components related to said network equipment, based on the collected identification information and informing said display program of the generated containment relationship information, and

wherein said display program executes processing for causing the display on said network equipment of a partial network configuration related to said network equipment, based on the containment relationship information informed by said information program, in the form of an inclusive tree.

9. A network management tool according to claim 8, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing components other than a selected component included in the inclusive tree to be deleted;

processing for acquiring inclusive relationship information of a selected component included in the inclusive tree; and

processing for causing a partial network configuration to be added to a selected component included in the inclusive tree and causing the display of said the inclusive tree along with the added partial network configuration.

10. A network management tool according to claim 8, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing a part of said inclusive tree related to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

11. A network management tool according to claim 8, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for collecting performance information defining performance characteristics of said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected performance information; and

wherein said information program further executes;

processing for changing a degree of details of information to be informed to said display program according to said performance information.

12. A network management tool according to claim 8, wherein said information program further executes:

processing for calculating a number of lower order components included in lower order level maps related to a map which includes a component corresponding to said network equipment and informing said display program of said number of lower order components; and

wherein said display program further executes;

processing for causing the display of said number of lower order components informed by said information program together with components shown in said inclusive tree.

13. A network management tool according to claim 9, wherein said information program further executes:

processing for calculating a number of lower order components included in lower order level maps related to a map which includes a component corresponding to said network equipment and informing said display program of said number of lower order components; and

wherein said display program further executes;

processing for causing the display of said number of lower order components informed by said information program together with components shown in said inclusive tree.

14. A network management tool according to claim 9, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing a part of said inclusive tree related to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

15. A network management tool according to claim 9, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for collecting performance information defining performance characteristics of said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected performance information; and

wherein said information program further executes;

processing for changing a degree of details of information to be informed to said display program according to said performance information.

16. A network management tool according to claim 15, wherein said information program further executes:

processing for calculating a number of lower order components included in lower order level maps related to a map which includes a component corresponding to said network equipment and informing said display program of said number of lower order components; and

wherein said display program further executes;

processing for causing the display of said number of lower order components informed by said information program together with components shown in said inclusive tree.

17. A network management tool according to claim 16, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing a part of said inclusive information related to said network equipment being displayed by said network equipment to be highlighted.

18. A network management method for performing network management from one of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network managed by a network management system which collects management information from each of said network equipment, stores said management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management method comprising the steps of:

transferring from said network management system to a network equipment requesting network management a display program for use in effecting network management at said network equipment;

collecting by said display program identification information which identifies said network equipment;

informing, by said display program, said network management system of said identification information;

transferring from said network management system to said network equipment partial information related to said network equipment based on said identification information; and

causing, by said display program, the display of said partial information on said network equipment.

19. A network management tool on a storage medium execution by a network management system which collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, stores the management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management tool comprising:

a display program which is activated when transferred to a network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment;

a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment; and

an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for informing said display program, transferred to said network equipment, of a list of management information of network equipment related to said network equipment obtained from the collected management information based on the collected identification information, and

wherein said display program executes processing for causing the display of said list of management information informed by said information program on said network equipment.

20. A network management tool according to claim 19, wherein said network management system displays a configuration of said network in the form of a plurality of hierarchically arranged maps, and

wherein said information program further executes processing for acquiring network equipment shown as components in the same map as said network equipment.

21. A network management tool according to claim 20, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for requesting said information program to enlarge said management information and for causing the additional display of a list of management information, other than the same list of management information being displayed, in response to the request to enlarge, and

wherein said information program further executes;

processing for acquiring network equipment shown as a component in lower order level maps with respect to a previously acquired map and for informing said display program of a list of management information of the acquired network equipment.

22. A network management tool according to claim 21, wherein said display program further executes:

processing for causing the display format of the additional list of management information being displayed to be changed.

23. A network management system for managing a network by collecting management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to the network, storing the collected management information, displaying a configuration of the network based on the collected management information, and permitting each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management system comprising:

communication means for communicating with said network equipment connected to said network; and

storage means for storing the collected management information, a display program which is activated when transferred to network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment, a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment, and an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for informing said display program, transferred to said network equipment, of a list of management information related to said network equipment obtained from the collected management information based on the collected identification information, and

wherein said display program executes processing for causing the display of a list of management information informed by said information program on said network equipment.

24. A network management system according to claim 23, wherein said information program further executes:

processing for acquiring network equipment included as components in a same map as said network equipment.

25. A network management tool on a storage medium for execution by a network management system which collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, stores the management information, and permits each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, said network management tool comprising:

a display program which is activated when transferred to a network equipment requesting network management, said display program causes the display of information required for network management on said network equipment;

a transfer program for transferring said display program to said network equipment; and

an information program for informing said display program transferred to said network equipment of information required for network management to be displayed on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said information program executes processing for extracting management information from said network management system that satisfies a retrieval condition informed by said display program and is related to said network equipment, and informing said display program of a list of management information corresponding to the extracted management information, and

wherein said display program executes processing for causing the display of said a list of management information on said network equipment informed by said information program.

26. A network management tool according to claim 25, wherein said information program further executes:

processing for acquiring network equipment included as components in a same map as said network equipment.

27. A network equipment comprising:

communication means for communicating with a network management system via a network,

said network management system manages a plurality of said network equipment connected to a network by collecting management information from each of said network equipment, storing the collected information, displaying a configuration of said network based on said management information, and permitting each network equipment connected to the network to access the collected management information and display information relevant to the network equipment obtained from the collected management information, and

storage means for storing information and programs transferred from said network management system,

wherein said network equipment when requesting network management of said network management system causes said network management system to transfer a display program for causing the display of information required for network management on said network equipment,

wherein said display program, when transferred, executes processing for collecting identification information which identifies said network equipment and informing said information program of the collected identification information,

wherein said display program when transferred to said network equipment causes said network management system to transfer containment relationship information based on the collected identification information, said containment relationship information indicates containment relationships among components related to said network equipment, to said network equipment, and

wherein said display program causes the display on said network equipment of a partial network configuration relevant to said network equipment in the form of an inclusive tree based on said containment relationship information.

28. A network equipment according to claim 27, wherein said display program causes the display of the inclusive tree including symbols of a partial network related to said network equipment, each symbol being connected to another symbol based on said inclusive relationship information.

29. A network equipment according to claim 28, wherein said display program executes:

processing for causing the deletion of lower order symbols and lines connecting said lower order symbols when a higher order symbol related to said lower order symbols has been selected and deletion processing has been requested,

processing for acquiring inclusive relationship information of a component corresponding to a selected symbol from said network management system if symbols of all components included in a component corresponding to the selected symbol are not shown in said inclusive tree, and

processing for causing the addition of an additional inclusive tree including lower order symbols to the inclusive tree being displayed when a higher order symbol has been selected and additional processing has been requested, said additional inclusive tree being located at a point in said inclusive tree where said higher order symbol is located.