Arrangement and equipment for handling not-compatible messages between a management system and network elements controlled by the management system

• US 6,445,919 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Networks (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Suonvieri, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/501,567
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 455/560, 455/423, 455/424, 455/524, 455/507, 455/11.1, 455/14, 455/15, 370/389, 370/392, 370/466, 370/467, 370/401
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols

Abstract

The idea of this invention is to control different types of network elements with the same management system by connecting the network elements into the management system using a conversion element. The control messages such as alarms and acknowledgments transmitted by the network element via a modem and being dependent on the network element type are directed to the conversion element. The conversion element converts the message transmitted by the network element into a format understood by the management system and then transmits the converted message to the management system. Correspondingly, the management system transmits the configuration messages to the conversion element in its own format. The conversion element converts the message on the basis of the information about the identity of the receiving network element to the format used by the network element and transmits it forward. For the message format conversion, the conversion element uses a conversion file. The conversion file contains information about the message formats used by the different network elements and how the contents of the fields are to be converted from one format to another. When new types of network elements are added to the network, the conversion file is updated by adding the information required for converting the message format of the new network element type to the format understood by the management system.

Claims

1. Equipment for handling messages in a system including a network management system and network elements controlled by the network management system, the equipment comprising:

messages, concerning the management of a network, being used by the network management system, the messages being incompatible with the network management system'"'"'s network elements,

reception means for receiving messages,

identification means responsive to the reception means for identifying a network element identity,

selection means for selecting conversion data needed for a message, wherein the selection is made on the basis of the network element identity,

conversion means responsive to the identification means for converting the message to a message type used by a receiver, wherein the conversion means includes a conversion file, which links the network element identity with a conversion, and

transmission means responsive to the conversion means for transmitting the converted message to the receiver.

2. An arrangement for handling messages, concerning the management of network elements, in a system including a management system and network elements controlled by the management system, the arrangement comprising:

network elements, wherein the network elements use message formats incompatible with a message format used by a management system,

a message, transferred between the management system and a network element controlled by the management system, is routed to a conversion element storing conversion data for conversions to be performed between the message formats used by the network elements and management system, wherein conversion element information needed for converting the message is selected from said conversion data on the basis of the network element indicated in the message,

the information selected is used to convert the message into a format compatible with a message format of a receiver, and

the converted message is transmitted to the receiver.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein a type of the message is identified by comparing predetermined parts of the message, corresponding to message type blocks of the messages used in the system, to a message type information contained in the conversion data.

4. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the message conversion uses the conversion data, the conversion data further comprising the information required for converting a message type.

5. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the network element is a radio repeater.

6. A method for handling messages in a system including a network management system and network elements controlled by the network management system, the method comprising:

maintaining conversion data in a conversion element,

routing messages which are in different formats to the conversion element, and

in the conversion element,

selecting information from conversion data on the basis of the network element indicated in the message,

using the selected information for converting the message into a message format compatible with the message format used by a receiver of the message, and

transmitting the converted message to the receiver.