Method and device for synchronizing databases in a network management system

• US 6,438,563 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kawagoe, Teruyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAYYAN, SUSAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/441,089
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/201, 707/202, 707/204, 707/223, 707/8, 707/21, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0873 Checking configuration conflicts between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A management information database (MIB) of network manager (NM) 200 and network elements (NE) 220-22N each store management information and database identifiers that indicate the update history of the management information. Database information is updated each time NM 200 sets or manipulates management information of each of NE 220-22N, and includes the identifiers of the NM and NE, that are subject to manipulation as well as access time 401 that indicates the time operations were carried out. When the management information database within the NM is substituted (overwritten) by back-up data due to, for example, damage, the database information stored by each of the NM and the NE is compared upon subsequent access of the NE, and in the event of discrepancies, the management information stored in the NE is uploaded and the management information stored in the management information database of the NM is updated by that management information to synchronize the management information of the MIB and the NE. The NE is then eliminated as a candidate for database information comparison.

Claims

1. A database synchronization method of a network management system in which a network manager manages each of a plurality of network elements by setting or updating each management information, which includes the relevant system configuration and definitions of offered service functions of each network element, by using an operation database, which contains information that corresponds to the management information of each of said network elements, and a storage device storing data for back-up of said operation database and renewed periodically;

comprising the steps of;

generating database information, which shows the update history of said each management information, and storing said database information into said operation database and the respective network element;

judging whether a matching check of data stored in said operation database is necessary or not, when the management information stored in said operation database is accessed;

in case of said matching check is judged to be necessary, acquiring the database information stored in the objective network element;

comparing and collating database information acquired from the network element with database information stored in the operation database, and detecting whether any discrepancy exists or not between them;

deciding which side of the network manager and the network element holds right data by analyzing the cause of detected discrepancy; and

amending the management information and database information stored in the side which is decided to hold not correct data by the data of the other side.

2. A database synchronization method of a network management system according to claim 1, further includes steps of registering all network elements under management of said network manager into a list of network elements which are necessary to check data-matching at every time when data stored in said storage device is renewed;

detecting that a subject network element is listed or not in said list of checking data-matching at every time before said network manager going to access to each network element;

applying the matching-check only to the network element which is found in said list; and

deleting the registration of said network element from said list of checking until next back-up data of the storage device is renewed.

3. A database synchronization method of a network management system according to claim 1, wherein said database information contains the access time when said network manager acesses to the management information stored in the network element, an access NM identifier which is an identifier of said accessing network manager, and an access NE identifier which is an identifier of said accessed network element;

and in deciding step of which side holds right data, deciding that;

if said access times are different, then the side holding newer time holds proper data;

if any one or both of said access NM identifiers and said access NE identifiers are different, then some change had occurred in the network element, and data hold in said network manager is proper; and

if only said database identifiers are different, then the data stored in said operation database is restored by the back-up data stored in said storage device, but data stored in said network element has not being accessed, and then renewing only the database identifier of said network element.

4. A database synchronization method of a network management system according to claim 1, wherein in case of said access from said network element to said network manager at a recovery of any discrepancy trouble of information data, judging whether the access is necessary to check in said step of judging the necessity of the matching check, and if any discrepancy is found in said step of comparing and collating, deciding that the data held in said operation database is proper and amending the data in said network element by downloading the data in said operation database.

5. A management information synchronization device of a network management system that is made up of:

a plurality of network elements that constitute a communication network and that each individually store management information, in which the system configuration and functions are defined, and database information, which shows the history of modifications of said management information; and

a network manager that is connected to said plurality of network elements by way of a control network and that performs control and management of each network element by setting and modifying the content of said management information of each of said network elements;

wherein said network manager comprises;

a management information database for operations for storing database information and management information corresponding to each of said network elements, and moreover, for periodically saving said stored information as back-up data;

network manager control unit for, when controlling each network element, both setting by modifying the content of said management information that is stored by that network element and updating the content of management information corresponding to that network element that is stored in said management information database to the same information content of said modification; and

a database information managing unit that, when executing control management of each network element after stored information of said management information database for operations is substituted by said back-up data, compares and collates said database information that is stored in the network element with database information corresponding to the network element that is stored in said management information database, and when a discrepancy is detected between the two, updates the management information corresponding to the network element that is stored in said management information database by means of the management information that is stored in the network element.

6. A management information synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 5 wherein said database information managing unit:

when executing control management of each network element after the stored content of said management information database for operations has been substituted by, said back-up data, compares and collates said database information that is stored in the network element with the database information corresponding to the network element that is stored in said management information database for operations before executing said control management,

and if discrepancy is detected in the database information comparison, updates the management information of the network element stored in said corresponding management information database by means of management information that is stored in said network element, and

eliminates the network element for which the database information comparison has been carried out as a subject for database information comparison until the stored information of said management information database for operations is again substituted by said back-up data.

7. A management information synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 5 wherein said database information managing unit:

if a network element for which management information is to be controlled or managed is a network element regarding which both reports of the occurrence and the recovery from failure have been received, compares database information that is stored in that network element with database information corresponding to that network element that is stored in said management information database for operations; and

if a discrepancy is detected, updates the management information of that network element by means of the management information corresponding to that network element that is stored in said management information database.

8. A management information synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 7 wherein said database information managing unit:

identifies a category of damage that is reported from said network elements;

when a predetermined category of damage is reported, upon receiving report of recovery from damage from the network element, compares the database information that is stored in that network element with database information corresponding to that network element that is stored in said management information database;

for operations; and

if a discrepancy is detected in the database information comparison, updates the management information of that network element using the management information that is stored in said database.

9. A database synchronization device of a network management system that is made up of:

a plurality of network elements that constitute a communication network and that each individually store management information, in which the system configuration and functions are defined, and database information, which shows the history of setting and updating of said management information; and

a network manager that is connected to said plurality of network elements by way of a control network and that performs control and management of each network element by setting and modifying the content of said management information of each of said network elements;

wherein said network manager comprises;

a management information database (MIB) for storing management information for managing network elements;

back-up means for conferring a database identifier to MIB data used by the network manager and storing back-up data in an external medium;

a network manager control unit for both accessing the management information of each network element and acquiring the database information from network elements; and

a database information managing unit for managing storage of database information for each network element;

said database information managing unit comprising;

means for, after back-up data has been restored to the operation database of the network manager, setting all network elements managed by that network manager as subject to database information comparison; and

before management information of each network element is set or manipulated, acquiring the database information of the network element that is subject to manipulation and comparing database information acquired from said network element with database information saved by the network manager;

means for determining that the management information of that network element has not been subjected to an updating process since the time of back-up if database information other than the database identifier matches, and eliminating that network element as a subject for management information comparison and immediately carrying out setting of management information of the network element; and

means for determining that the management information of the network element is the most recent since the time of back-up if database information other than the database identifier does not match;

uploading management information from that network element;

updating the management information of the network manager; and

after updating, eliminating that network element as a subject for database information comparison.

10. A database synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 9 wherein said network manager comprises:

means for detecting an event indicating an abnormal state in the network manager and the network elements; and

means for initiating synchronization of database information according to the detected event.

11. A database synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 9 wherein said network manager control unit comprises:

means for, when executing setting control of a network element, reading the necessary control content from a management information database that corresponds to operations relating to that network element and generating a control message; and

means for adding database information to the control message that includes an identifier of the database that is being operated by that network manager, identifiers for each of the network manager that executes the setting operation and the network element, and the transmission time, and transmitting the result.

12. A database synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 9 wherein said database information managing unit detects that the database identifier of database information that is saved in the operation database of the network manager has been changed to the identifier of back-up data, thereby detecting restoration of the database, and initiates synchronization of database information.

13. A database synchronization device of a network management system that is made up of:

a plurality of network elements that constitute a communication network and that each individually store management information, in which the system configuration and functions are defined, and database information, which shows the history of setting and updating of said management information; and

a network manager that is connected to said plurality of network elements by way of a control network and that performs control and management of each network element by setting and modifying the content of said management information of each of said network elements;

wherein said network manager comprises;

a management information database (MIB) for storing management information for managing said network elements;

back-up means for conferring a database identifier to MIB data operated by said network manager and for storing back-up data in an external medium;

a network manager control unit for both accessing the management information of each network element and acquiring database information from network elements; and

a database information managing unit that stores and manages database information, which is a history of access of management information between said network manager and said network elements, for each network element;

and wherein said database information managing unit comprises;

means for setting as the subject of database information comparison a network element that is predicted to be the source of discrepancy in management information, acquiring database information of that network element before executing setting of that network element, and comparing and collating the database information acquired from the network element with the database information of the network manager;

means for determining that the management information of that network element has not been updated since the time of back-up until the present when database information other than the database identifier matches, eliminating that network element as a subject of management information comparison, and then executing setting of that network element; and

means for determining that the management information of the network manager after the time of back-up is the most recent information when database information other than the database identifier does not match, downloading the management information of the network manager to that network element, updating the management information of that network element, and eliminating that network element as a subject of database information comparison.

14. A database synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 13 wherein said network manager comprises:

means for detecting an event that indicates an abnormality of management information relating to said network manager and network elements; and

means for initiating synchronization of database information corresponding to that event.

15. A database synchronization device of a network management system according to claim 13 wherein said network manager control unit comprises:

means for reading from the management information database the content of control that is required for setting and control of management information that are to be carried out for each network element and generating a control message; and

means for adding, to said control message, database information that includes an identifier of the database that is being operated by the network;

manager, identifiers of the network manager and that network element, and the time of sending that control message, and transmitting the result.