User-friendly interface for setting expressions on an SNMP agent

• US 6,286,040 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2000
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kavasseri, Ramanathan, Durham, Sandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/564,455
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/206, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/221
• 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

Network communication between a management station and an expression management information base (MIB) on a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent entails complex analysis and configuration during creation of the variables. In order to alleviate this concern, an interface is provided which accepts an expression from a user, parses the expression to determine if it is in proper form, creates SNMP set packets to set the expression on the expression MIB and sends the SNMP set packets to the expression MIB of the SNMP agent. Alternatively, a similar interface may be located within the SNMP agent or node, and requires no communication over the network in order to evaluate expressions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for defining an expression on an expression MIB including:

means for accepting the expression from a user;

means for parsing said expression to determining if it is in proper form for an expression;

means for creating SNMP set packets to set said expression on the expression MIB; and

means for sending said SNMP set packets to the expression MIB of the SNMP agent.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for creating includes:

means for forming an expression SNMP set packet and assigning it said expression.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression name status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for create and wait.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression name SNMP set packet and assigning it the expression'"'"'s name.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further including:

means for prompting the user for the expression'"'"'s name.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression value type SNMP set packet and assigning it the type of the value of the expression.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further including:

means for prompting the user for the type of the value of the expression.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression owner SNMP set packet and assigning it the entity that configured the expression.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

for each variable to be formed, means for forming a object status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for create and wait, means for forming an object identifier SNMP set packet and means for assigning it the identification of the variable and forming an expression object identification wildcard SNMP set packet and setting it to true if said object identifier SNMP set packet is not fully qualified.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression object status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for active.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for creating further includes:

means for forming an expression name status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for active.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for documenting said expression, its intended purpose, and how it should be used.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for saving said expression in a file for later use.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for determining if said expression is badly formed and generating error reports if it is so that the user may correct errors.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said means for determining includes:

means for determining if said expression is syntactically correct and generating error reports if it is not so that the user has a chance to correct errors.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said means for determining includes:

means for determining if said expression is semantically correct and generating error reports if it is not so that the user has a chance to correct errors.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression; and

means for verifying that the types of the object identifiers and the sub-expressions logically fit the type of the result of said expression.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said means for finding out includes:

means for finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression by implicit inference using knowledge built into the interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said means for finding out includes:

means for finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression by accepting input from the user.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said means for verifying includes:

means for verifying that the types of the object identifiers and the sub-expressions logically fit the type of the result of said expression, as defined by the expression MIB of the SNMP agent.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for initiating evaluation of the expression on said agent.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

means for retrieving and translating the results of said evaluation.

23. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for defining an expression on an expression MIB, the method including the steps of:

accepting the expression from a user;

parsing said expression to determining if it is in proper form for an expression;

creating SNMP set packets to set said expression on the expression MIB; and

sending said SNMP set packets to the expression MIB of the SNMP agent.

24. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein said creating step includes the step of:

forming an expression SNMP set packet and assigning it said expression.

25. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression name status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for create and wait.

26. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression name SNMP set packet and assigning it the expression'"'"'s name.

27. The program storage device of claim 26, wherein the method further includes the step of:

prompting the user for the expression'"'"'s name.

28. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression value type SNMP set packet and assigning it the type of the value of the expression.

29. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further includes the step of:

prompting the user for the type of the value of the expression.

30. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression owner SNMP set packet and assigning it the entity that configured the expression.

31. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

for each variable to be formed, forming a object status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for create and wait, forming an object identifier SNMP set packet and assigning it the identification of the variable and forming an expression object identification wildcard SNMP set packet and setting it to true if said object identifier SNMP set packet is not fully qualified.

32. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression object status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for active.

33. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein said creating step further includes the step of:

forming an expression name status SNMP set packet and assigning it the value for active.

34. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

documenting said expression, its intended purpose, and how it should be used.

35. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the step of:

saving said expression in a file for later use.

36. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the step of:

determining if said expression is badly formed and generating error reports if it is so that the user may correct errors.

37. The program storage device of claim 36, wherein said determining step includes the step of:

determining if said expression is syntactically correct and generating error reports if it is not so that the user has a chance to correct errors.

38. The program storage device of claim 36, wherein said determining step includes the step of:

determining if said expression is semantically correct and generating error reports if it is not so that the user has a chance to correct errors.

39. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the steps of:

finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression; and

verifying that the types of the object identifiers and the sub-expressions logically fit the type of the result of said expression.

40. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein said finding out step includes the step of:

finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression by implicit inference using knowledge built into the interface.

41. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein said finding out step includes the step of:

finding out the types of all the object identifiers and sub-expressions within said expression by accepting input from the user.

42. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein said verifying step includes the step of:

verifying that the types of the object identifiers and the sub-expressions logically fit the type of the result of said expression, as defined by the expression MIB of the SNMP agent.

43. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the step of:

initiating evaluation of the expression on said agent.

44. The program storage device of claim 23, wherein the method further includes the step of:

retrieving and translating the results of said evaluation.