Mechanism for integration of management functionality in communications networks
First Claim
1. A network management system for managing a communications network, said management system comprising:
- at least one processor; and
a data storage device, wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, and at least one association links classes of said managed objects representing said functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said resources.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Management functionality in a communications network is integrated using a design module for constructing a management information base (MIB). A unit of manageable physical resources is represented in the MIB by a management unit comprising a collection of managed objects representing actual physical and logical resources in the network. The functionality provided by those physical and logical resources is represented separately and independently from the objects representing those physical and logical resources. A realisation model associates classes of objects representing the functionality with classes of objects representing the physical and logical resources. In an embodiment, an Application model represents the functionality of network resources. An Implementation model represents the actual, specific implementation of how that functionality is carried out. A set of realisation associations links an application model to an implementation model to form a realisation model. Division and representation of physical and logical resources in the MIB by the management unit method allows substitution of physical and logical resources by different implementations of similar resource components without reconfiguring the parts of the MIB representing the functionality.
16 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A network management system for managing a communications network, said management system comprising:
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at least one processor; and
a data storage device, wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, and at least one association links classes of said managed objects representing said functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said resources. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5)
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4. A method of creating a network management system for managing a communications network wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, said method comprising the step of:
creating at least one association linking classes of said management objects representing said network functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said network resources.
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6. A design method for creating a management system for managing a plurality of physical and logical resources, said design method comprising the steps of:
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identifying at least one unit of said resources to be managed as a whole and arranged to carry out at least one function;
for each of said at least one unit, representing said at least one function by a “
black box”
representation in which said functionality is represented as a set of managed objects, independently of the specific physical resources which provide said functionality;
for each said “
black box”
managed object representation of functionality, representing physical and logical resources which implement said functionality by at least one “
white box”
managed object representation; and
associating said “
black box”
managed object representations with their corresponding “
white box”
representations by means of a plurality of associations.- View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A network management method for managing a plurality of physical and logical resources co-operating to provide communications functionality, and comprising the step of:
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representing said physical and logical resources by a plurality of managed object models comprising;
a management unit object model, said management unit object model comprising a model of “
black box”
managed objects representing a functionality provided by said resources independently of implementation of said functionality;
a plurality of “
white box”
managed objects, said “
white box”
managed objects representing implementation of said functionality by said plurality of physical resources; and
a plurality of associations, said associations connecting a plurality of endpoints and capabilities of said “
black box”
managed objects with a corresponding set of end points and capabilities of said “
white box”
managed objects.- View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A management system for managing a plurality of physical and logical resources co-operating to provide communications functionality, said management system comprising a data processing means and a data storage means, in which said physical and logical resources are represented by a plurality of managed object models comprising:
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a management unit object model, said management unit object model comprising a model of “
black box”
managed objects representing a functionality provided by said resources independently of implementation of said functionality;
a plurality of “
white box”
managed objects, said “
white box”
managed objects representing implementation of said functionality by said plurality of physical resources; and
a plurality of associations, said association connecting a plurality of endpoints and capabilities of said “
black box”
managed objects with a corresponding set of end points and capabilities of said “
white box”
managed objects.
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Specification