Method and apparatus for integrated network and systems management

• US 6,131,112 A
• Filed: 05/17/1996
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cabletron Systems Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehta, Ruchika, St. Onge, David, Lewis, Lundy
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/649,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.37, 395/200.8, 395/200.58, 370/401, 340/825.6, 709/207, 709/250, 709/228, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A computer system includes a gateway which provides integration between a network management platform and a system management platform. Such a gateway facilitates sharing of network management and system management events and alarms, as well as sharing of network management and system management display views. From the shared events and alarms, each platform may correlate such shared events and alarms with other data available to the platform. Thus, each platform has the advantage of using its own data in combination with data from the other platform to more effectively perform its functionality.

Claims

1. A method for sharing information between a first management system and a second management system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an event message by the first management system;

(b) determining whether the event message relates to an entity that is managed by the second management system;

(c) when the message relates to an entity that is managed by the second management system, formatting the event message in a format compatible with the second management system; and

(d) notifying the second management system that an event message is available from the first management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second management system includes a command line interface for invoking processes within the second management system, and wherein step (d) includes invoking one of the processes by accessing the command line interface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step (e) of sending the event message, in the format compatible with the second management system, to the second management system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (e) includes appending text of the event message to a file that is accessible by the second management system, the file including a plurality of related messages.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of related messages includes information relating to the entity that is managed by the second management system.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step performed by the second management system of:

correlating data from the event message with other data available to the second management system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a severity of the event message; and

comparing the severity of the event to a predetermined severity;

and wherein step (c) is performed only when the severity of the event message is greater than the perdetermined severity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the second management system to provide a display view from the first management system; and

providing, to the second management system, data that represents the display view from the first management system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing includes invoking a software application that performs functions of the first management system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first management system includes a network management platform and the second management system includes a system management platform.

11. An apparatus for sharing information between a first management system and a second management system, the apparatus comprising:

first means for receiving an event message from the first management system;

second means for determining whether the event message relates to an entity that is managed by the second management system;

third means for formatting the event message in a format compatible with the second management system when the message relates to an entity that is managed by the second management system; and

fourth means for notifying the second management system that an event message is available from the first management system.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second management system includes a command line interface for invoking processes within the second management system, and wherein the fourth means includes means for invoking one of the processes by accessing the command line interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising fifth means for sending the event message, in the format compatible with the second management system, to the second management system.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising sixth means for correlating data from the event message with other data available to the second management system.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fifth means includes means for appending text of the event message to a file that is accessible by the second management system, the file including a plurality of related messages.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of related messages includes information relating to the entity that is managed by the second management system.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining a severity of the event message; and

means for comparing the severity of the event message to a predetermined severity;

and wherein the third means includes means for formatting the event message only when the severity of the message is greater than the predetermined severity.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving a request from the second management system to provide a display view from the first management system; and

means for providing, to the second management system, data that represents the display view from the first management system.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for providing includes means for invoking a software application that performs functions of the first management system.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first management system includes a network management platform and the second management system includes a system management platform.

21. A system for providing an interface between a first management system and a second management system, comprising:

a correlator, having an input that receives an event message from the first management system, and an output that provides a correlated message when the event message is related to an entity managed by the second management system;

a message formatter, coupled to the correlator, having an input that receives the correlated message and an output that provides a formatted message in a format that is compatible with the second management system; and

an interface module, coupled to the correlator and the second management system, having an output that provides a notification to the second management system when the output of the message formatter provides the formatted message.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the interface module includes a command line interface controller, the command line interface controller invoking a process within the second management system to provide the notification to the second management system.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a status module, coupled to the message formatter, having an input that receives the formatted message and an output that provides the formatted message to the second management system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the status module provides the formatted message by appending text of the formatted message to a file that is accessible by the second management system, the file including a plurality of related messages.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of related messages includes information relating to the entity that is managed by the second management system.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising a severity filter having an input coupled to the output of the correlator, and an output coupled to the input of the message formatter, the severity filter determining a severity of the correlated message and providing the correlated message to the message formatter only when the severity of the formatted message is greater than a predetermined severity.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising a view interface having an output that provides, to the second management system, data that represents a display view of the first management system.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the first management system includes a network management platform and the second management system includes a system management platform.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the system includes a plurality of executable files that may be initiated by the first management system and the second management system.

30. The system of claim 23, further comprising a correlator for correlating data in the formatted message with other data available to the second management system.