Alert configurator and manager

• US 6,425,006 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Bright, Kenny L., Chari, Srikumar N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US08/942,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 709/702, 709/703, 709/223, 709/224, 370/242, 214/39, 214/47, 214/48
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• 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 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

An apparatus for creating, registering, and monitoring alerts for a computer or plurality of computers. This apparatus alerts the operator when an event occurs on one of the completer'"'"'s components. This apparatus allows the user to select which alerts to enable and which alerts to disable from a list of all possible alerts. When an alert occurs, the present invention displays the particular computer'"'"'s name, a description of the alert, the time and date of the alert; and details about a recommended course of action. The present invention also creates a log file for all alerts detected, regardless of whether the alert is displayed or not.

Claims

1. A manager system for monitoring alerts regarding the status of components in an agent computer, the manager system comprising:

at least one processor, said processor configured to display a plurality of alert types to a user in a graphic display, each of said alert types corresponding to a status of components in the computer, said processor enter configured to receive a plurality of unfiltered alerts from the agent computer, said alerts corresponding to an alert type; and

an alert module executing in said processor, said alert module configured to allow a user to selectively disable or enable a future display of one or more alert notifications related to said alerts to the user at the manager system by selecting or deselecting a corresponding alert type in said graphic display, said alert module further configured to record said status information associated with said alerts in a storage medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said alert module contains a plurality of variables, some of said variables indicating whether each of said alerts is disabled or enabled to be displayed to the user at the manager system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said alert module records information about said disabled alerts in said storage medium in the manager system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a log module in the manager system, said log module configured to store information about said enabled and disabled alerts.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said log module stores a name of said component associated with one of said alerts.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said log module stores a recommended course of action associated with one of said alerts.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user interface which allows a user to select one or more of said alerts for automatic display to the user by providing a description of said alerts.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said user interface is configured to enable said selected alerts in response to an enable command.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said user interface is further configured to disable said selected alerts in response to a disable command.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said alerts which were not selectively disabled for display by the user are displayed in an alert notification window to the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said alert notification window is configured to display the name of said component associated with one of said alerts.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said alert notification window is configured to display the recommended course of action associated with one of said alerts.

13. An apparatus for monitoring the operational status of components in a computer, comprising:

a first computer comprising a plurality of components, said first computer configured to generate a notification regarding the status of at least one of said components, said notification comprising a first code which contains data about said component, said first code having a first data length; and

a status module existing in a second computer, said status module configured to receive said notification unfiltered from said first computer, said status module further configured to allow a user to selectively disable or enable a future display of said notification by selecting or deselecting a corresponding notification type in a graphic display, said status module further configured to transform said notification into a user-friendly display message and automatically display the message, the message comprising a second data length, wherein said second data length is significantly greater than said first data length.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first computer and said second computer are connected by a computer network.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said computer network performs Simple Network Management Protocol transactions.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first code contains an index wherein said status module uses said index to identify said user-friendly display message.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said index is predefined by a management information base.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said management information base associates information about said component with said index.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said status module uses said information about said component from said management information base to generate said user-friendly display message.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said user-friendly display message provides a description of said notification.

21. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said user-friendly display message provides a recommended course of action for said notification.

22. An apparatus for monitoring the operational status of components in a computer, comprising:

a first computer comprising a plurality of components;

a management information base existing in a second computer, said management information base configured to associate a plurality of indexes with different operational parameters related to said components;

at least one alert, said alert providing information about a change in one of said operational parameters, said alert comprising one index of said indexes which identifies at least one of said operational parameters;

an alert module existing in said second computer, said alert module configured to receive said alert unfiltered from said first computer, said alert module further configured to allow a user to selectively disable or enable a future display of said alert by selecting or deselecting a corresponding alert type in a graphic display, said alert module further configured to access said management information base to transform said index into an automatically displayable user-friendly message.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said index is a variable in said first management information base.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said variable is compatible with a computer network which performs Simple Network Management Protocol transactions.

25. An apparatus for displaying a system management user interface, comprising:

an agent computer, said agent computer comprising a plurality of components, said agent computer configured to send a plurality of unfiltered alerts to a manager computer, said alerts associated with status information of said plurality of components;

a display executing in the manager computer, said display configured to allow a user to select at least two of said alerts; and

an alert manager module executing in the manager computer, said alert manager module configured to enable or disable a future display of any combination of selected said alerts in response to a single command from the user, said single command corresponding to a selection of an alert type in a graphic display by said user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said alerts are associated with the status of a plurality of components in a plurality of network servers.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said display allows the user to select at least two alerts corresponding to at least two servers.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein one of said alerts relates to the status of a central processing unit.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein one of said alerts relates to the status of a fan.

30. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein one of said alerts relates to the status of a temperature sensor.

31. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein one of said alerts relates to the status of a power supply.

32. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein one of said alerts relates to the status of a fault isolation unit.

33. An apparatus for monitoring the operational status of components in a computer, comprising:

a first and a second computer interconnected with a network, said first computer comprising a plurality of components;

a first means for associating a plurality of indexes with different operational parameters related to said components, portions of said first means existing in said second computer;

at least one alert, said alert providing information about a change in one of said operational parameters, said alert comprising one index of said indexes which identifies at least one of said operational parameters;

a second means existing in said second computer, said second means configured to receive said alert unfiltered from said first computer, said second means further configured to allow a user to selectively disable or enable a future display of said alert by selecting or deselecting a corresponding alert type in a graphic display, said second means further configured to access said first means to transform said index into an automatic user-friendly display message.

34. A manager system for monitoring alerts regarding the status of components in an agent computer, the manager system comprising:

at least one processor, said processor configured to display a plurality of alert types to a user in a graphic display, each of said alert types corresponding to a status of components in the computer, said processor further configured to receive a plurality of unfiltered alerts from the agent computer, said alerts corresponding to an alert type; and

a user interface providing a description of said alerts to the user, the user interface configured to allow a user to selectively disable automatic display of one or more of said alerts by selecting or deselecting in said user interface at least one alert type corresponding to said alerts.