Event distribution system for computer network management architecture

• US 6,298,378 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sondur, Ragavendra, Angal, Rajeev, Bhat, Shivaram, Bapat, Subodh
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/205,072
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 370/254
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time

Abstract

Improved techniques for reporting events raised by entities running on computer networks are disclosed. The techniques provide an event distribution system that handles events generated by various software and other entities installed on a computer or communications network. The event distribution system is capable of handling large volumes of event traffic and can be installed and operated separately from other network management software components to provide thereby more robust operations in the case one or more components fail. In addition, the event distribution system can be scaled readily to handle greater volumes of network traffic. In one embodiment, an event distribution service is coupled with an event source. In addition, an event listener is provided on the computer network. When an event is generated from the event source and received by the event distribution system, the event distribution system processes and forwards the event, or a notification of the event, to an appropriate listener.

Claims

1. A method for reporting events raised by entities running on a computer network, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an event distribution service running on said network, said event distribution service being coupled with an event source and an event listener;

b. generating an event from said event source;

c. receiving said event using said event distribution service;

d. processing said event using said event distribution service; and

e. forwarding said event to said event listener.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing said event distribution service comprises the sub-steps of providing an event sink and an event adapter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of providing said event distribution service further includes configuring said event sink and event adapter using an event distribution registry.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of receiving said event comprises receiving said event using said event adapter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of processing includes forwarding said event from said event adapter to said event sink and processing said event using said event sink.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of processing further includes comparing said event against a table of filters.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of processing includes processing said event using said event adapter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of processing further includes comparing said event against a table of filters.

9. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said event adapter is configured to receive events having a specific protocol.

10. In a computer network, a system for distributing events generated by an event source to event listeners on said computer network, said event source being located on said computer network, said system comprising:

an event distribution registry configured to provide event filters and event listener addresses corresponding to said event listeners, said event distribution registry being coupled with

an event adapter, said event adapter being configured to receive events generated by said event source, said event adapter being coupled with

an event sink, said event sink being configured to forward said events to said event listeners.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said event distribution registry is configured to assign event sinks to said event adapter and said event listeners to said event sink.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said event adapter is configured to receive events having a specific syntax.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said event sink is configured to receive said event filters and said event listener addresses from said event distribution registry.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said event adapter is configured to receive said event filters and said event listener addresses from said event distribution registry.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said event sink is configured to filter said events and forward said filtered events to said event listeners.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said event adapter is configured to filter said events and forward said filtered events to said event sinks, and said event sinks are configured to forward said events to said event listeners.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein event distribution registry is coupled with a management information server, said management information server being configured to enable communications between applications running on said network and devices coupled with said network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said event distribution server runs in a process being executed by a processor different from the processor on which the process containing said management information server runs.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said management information server, said management information server is configured to filter events and forward filtered events to listeners.

20. A computer-readable medium containing computer-readable program code devices embodied thereon, said computer-readable program code devices being configured to cause a computer to perform the steps of:

a. providing an event distribution service on a computer network, said event distribution service being configured to be coupled with an event source and an event listener;

b. receiving an event generated by said event source using said event distribution service;

c. processing said event using said event distribution service; and

d. forwarding said event to said event listener.

21. A computer data signal on a carrier wave containing instructions for providing event distribution services, said computer data signal comprising instructions configured to cause a computer to perform the steps of claim 20.