Flexible SNMP trap mechanism

• US 6,182,157 B1
• Filed: 09/19/1996
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasudev, Shaila, Schlener, Cynthia
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fourson, Gary Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/710,563
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.53, 395/200.54, 709/202, 709/224, 709/318
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor

Abstract

An alarm monitoring apparatus and method allows a user of a management station to dynamically create and flexibly configure SNMP traps based on any management information base variable without having to define an exhaustive set of trap definitions in a management information base. Apparatus for monitoring status of a network device includes a processor assembly coupled to the network device and a data memory member accessible by the processor assembly for indicating user-defined alarm thresholds of the subject device. The processor assembly obtains threshold data from the data memory member and compares current status to the obtained threshold data. Upon a threshold being met by the current status, the processor assembly transmits an indication of threshold condition of the subject device to a system management station across a network. The data memory member is a database formed of a plurality of records defined by a management information base.

Claims

1. In a computer network having a system management station and a plurality of network devices, a method for monitoring a selected network device comprising the steps of:

coupling an agent to the selected network device for monitoring current status of a device object and communicating the status to the system management station;

providing a data memory member accessible by the agent for storing attributes of the device object in a threshold record;

setting a comparison name attribute in the threshold record to an object identifier;

obtaining a value of the object identifier and setting a comparison value attribute in the threshold record to the obtained value;

upon a restart of the agent, verifying persistence of the threshold record by;

obtaining a current value of the object identifier set in the comparison name attribute;

comparing the current value of the object identifier to the set value of the comparison value attribute; and

setting an error indication in the threshold record upon the comparison not being met.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device object status comprises at least two enumerated states.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the object identifier value is a descriptor string.

4. In a computer network having a system management station and a network device, a method comprising the steps of:

coupling an agent to the network device for monitoring current status of a device object and communicating the status to the system management station, wherein the device object comprises a multistate status variable having at least two enumerated states, each state represented by an integer data value;

providing a data memory member accessible by the agent having a user-definable threshold value associated with the device object;

obtaining a sample value of the multistate status variable representing current status of the device object from the network device;

obtaining the threshold value from the data memory member and comparing the sample value to the threshold value using a user-definable alarm type operator;

upon the threshold being met by the sample value, when an alarm status associated with the device object is in a reset state, setting the alarm status to a set state and transmitting an indication of threshold condition of the device object to the system management station; and

upon the threshold not being met by the sample value, obtaining a reset value from the data memory member and comparing the sample value to the reset value using a Boolean NOT function of the alarm type operator and upon the Boolean NOT function comparison being met, setting the alarm status to the reset state.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the alarm type operator is a selected from the group consisting of >

=, >

, =, <

, and <

=.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the transmitting step comprises the step of transmitting a network management protocol message to the system management station to indicate threshold condition of the device object.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the message includes an indication of severity of the threshold condition.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of invoking a local handler upon the threshold being met.