System and method for extending communications features using generic management information base objects

• US 6,275,853 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beser, Nurettin B., Fijolek, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/090,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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

A system and method for managing a network using generic objects in a network device management information base (MIB). The generic objects may be used to communicate commands that perform tasks that are not addressed by the specific device objects in the MIB. The generic objects include a command script object for sending commands to a device. The generic objects also include a status object for retrieving a status of the commands and a results object for retrieving the results of the command. The generic object uses device commands that may include commands and features that have been added or updated since the MIB was defined. The generic objects provide the network manager with flexibility in extending network management tasks to include features and capabilities that are not supported by the specific device MIB.

Claims

1. A system for managing a network comprising:

at least one network device communicably connected to a network medium, said at least one network device being operable to execute a plurality of device commands;

a management information base corresponding to said at least one network device, said management information base comprising at least one network object for maintaining device information and a generic object for performing tasks using at least one of said device commands; and

a management station for issuing commands to retrieve and to modify the network objects of the network devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the management station issues a set request command for modifying a selected network object.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the management station issues a get response command for retrieving a selected network object.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the generic object includes a command script object for communicating at least one device command.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the management station issues a set request command for executing said at least one device command when the set request command modifies the command script object.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the generic object includes a status object for communicating a status of a device command.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the management station issues a get response command for retrieving data results from at least one device command when the get response command modifies the status object.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the management station includes a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) manager.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the network devices include a SNMP agent.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the MIB is a SNMP MIB.

11. A method for performing network management tasks comprising the steps of:

communicably connecting a management station to at least one network device;

providing a management information base for said at least one network device, said management information base comprising at least one network object and a command script object; and

sending the command script object having at least one device command to the at least one network device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing a status object in said management information base; and

sending the status object to request a status of said at least one device command.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing a manager identifier object for identifying the management station that sent the command script object.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of:

sending a manager identifier request command to identify the management station that sent the command script object.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing a result object for communicating results data for the device command in the command script object; and

sending the result object to retrieve the results data for the device command in the command script object.