Graphic user interface system for a telecommunications switch management system

• US 6,247,052 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Horvath, Joseph K., Braud, Rock N. II, Huang, Peter Sung-An
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US08/997,348
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218-219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229, 709/224, 713/201, 713/202, 710/200, 707/10, 707/9, 379/201
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/567 Frame Relay over ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A graphic user interface launcher for providing graphic displays for enabling one or more users to access a telecommunications switching system for any desired purpose, such as to monitor, control or reconfigure the telecommunications switching system. Users may access the telecommunications switching system from any remote location using a standard remote computer having a browser. The remote computer uses the browser and a communications link to access a remote server which contains the application program necessary for a user of the remote computer to remotely access the telecommunications switching system. The remote server then provides a copy of the application program to the remote computer, typically in the form of a Java Applet. The remote computer runs the application program, typically in a stand-alone capacity, and accesses a system manager building block via a second communications link. The system manager building block is part of an overall telecommunications switch management system, of which the GUI launcher is also a part. The system manager building block is also in communication with another portion of the telecommunications switch management system, namely a system management interface software building block, which implements communication between the remote computer and the telecommunications switching system.

Claims

1. A graphic user interface system which provides displays for enabling one or more users to access a telecommunications switching system, comprising:

a remote computer having a browser for providing communications, the remote computer generating an access request by a user for access to the telecommunications switching system;

a server accessible by said browser and operable to receive the access request from the remote computer over a first communications link, the server having an application program which enables said remote computer to communicate with the telecommunications switching system, the server being capable of providing a copy of said application program to said remote computer, said remote computer running the application program separate from the server; and

a system manager building block in communication via a second communications link with said remote computer running said application program, the second communication link being separate from the first communication link, said system manager building block also being in communication with a system management interface building block for communicating with the telecommunications switching system, said system manager building block containing information related to authorized users for determining whether to permit the users to access the telecommunications switching system, the remote computer operable to access the telecommunications switching system for monitoring of the telecommunications switching system through and as authorized by the system manager building block using the application program.

2. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said server further comprises a server page for storing said application program.

3. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said server is a hypertext markup language (HTML) server.

4. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said system manager building block further comprises a runtime library for containing said information related to authorized users.

5. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said system manager building block is configured to maintain records related to each instance a user accesses the telecommunications switching system.

6. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said server provides said application program to said remote computer in the form of a Java Applet.

7. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said application program is configured to run on said remote computer in a stand-alone capacity without additional communication with said server, in order to communicate with said system manager building block to access said telecommunications switching system.

8. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said system manager building block and said system management interface building block conform to a common object request broker architecture (CORBA).

9. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said remote computer is in communication with said server via a first public communications link, and wherein said remote computer is in communication with said system manager building block via a second public communications link.

10. The graphic user interface system of claim 9, wherein said first and second public communications links are internet communications links.

11. The graphic user interface system of claim 9, wherein said first and second public communications links use an internet inter-ORB protocol (IIOP) communications protocol.

12. The graphic user interface system of claim 9, wherein said first and second public communications links use a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) communications protocol.

13. The graphic user interface system of claim 1, wherein said system manager building block further comprises said server, and wherein said remote computer is in communication with said server and with said system manager building block via a single communications link.

14. The graphic user interface system of claim 13, wherein said single communications link is an internet communications link.

15. The graphic user interface system of claim 13, wherein said single communications link uses an internet inter-ORB protocol (IIOP) communications protocol.

16. The graphic user interface system of claim 13, wherein said single communications link uses a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) communications protocol.

17. A method for accessing a telecommunications switching system, comprising the steps of:

initializing a browser running on a remote computer;

accessing a server with said browser, said server having an application program for communicating with said telecommunications switching system;

providing a copy of the application program from said server to said remote computer;

initializing said application program on said remote computer and accessing said telecommunications switching system with said application program from said remote computer;

determining whether to permit access to said telecommunications switching system by said remote computer; and

communicating with a system manager building block of the telecommunications switching system from said remote computer to provide monitoring of the telecommunications switching system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of accessing a server further comprises the step of accessing a server page in the server, wherein the server page contains said application program for communicating between said remote computer and said telecommunications switching system.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the server comprises a hypertext markup language (HTML) server.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of determining whether to permit access to said telecommunications switching system further comprises the step of comparing information provided by a user at said remote computer with information related to authorized users contained in a runtime library in said system manager building block.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of determining whether to permit access to said telecommunications switching system further comprises the steps of:

comparing identification numbers provided by a user at said remote computer with identification numbers of authorized users; and

comparing passwords provided by said user with passwords of authorized users.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of maintaining records related to each instance a user accesses the telecommunications switching system.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of establishing a socket connection between said remote computer and a system security manager client building block.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said application program is provided to the remote computer in the form of a Java Applet.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of initializing said application program on said remote computer comprises running said application program in a stand-alone capacity without further communicating with the server.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein said system manager building block conforms to a common object request broker architecture (CORBA).

27. A graphic user interface system which provides displays for enabling one or more users to remotely access a telecommunications switching system, comprising:

a remote computer having an internet browser for accessing a first internet communications link;

a hypertext markup language (HTML) remote server accessible by said internet browser and having a server page, said server page having a Java application program which enables said remote computer to communicate with the telecommunications switching system, said remote server being in communication with said remote computer via said first internet communications link, and being capable of providing a copy of said Java application program to said remote computer in the form of a Java Applet so that said remote computer can run said copy of said Java application program in a stand-alone capacity without additional communication with said remote server; and

a system manager building block having a CORBA architecture and having a runtime library, said system manager building block being in communication via a second internet communications link with said remote computer running said copy of said Java application program, said system manager building block also being in communication with a system management interface building block having a CORBA architecture for communicating with the telecommunications switching system, said runtime library containing information related to identification numbers and passwords of authorized users for determining whether to permit the users to access the telecommunications switching system for monitoring thereof.

28. The graphic user interface launcher of claim 27, wherein said system manager building block is configured to maintain records related to each instance a user accesses the telecommunications switching system.

29. The graphic user interface launcher of claim 27, wherein said first and second internet communications links use an internet inter-ORB protocol (IIOP) communications protocol.

30. The graphic user interface launcher of claim 27, wherein said first and second internet communications links use a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) communications protocol.