Method and apparatus for displaying health status of network devices

• US 6,456,306 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Chin, Jeff, Tran, Hanh, Leong, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, FRANCIS N
• Application Number:
  US09/668,586
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 345/810, 345/764-765, 345/788, 345/789, 345/792, 345/769, 345/804-805, 345/835-839, 345/855, 345/853, 345/977, 345/825, 345/811, 345/840, 370/401, 709/223-224, 716/11
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/977 Dynamic icon, e.g. animated or live action

Abstract

A method and apparatus for concurrently displaying from a single window on a network management station the health status of all network devices and objects of a computer network. The network devices may be categorized according to state or device type, as determined by the network manager. The method and apparatus provides a network manager with the ability to determine the current state of network devices and objects within an enterprise network and invoke further actions such as configuration, performance, fault, and security management tasks. The network manager can drag and drop icons from one network management system application window to another network management system application window to obtain fault information about network devices and objects, thus allowing multiple network management system applications to run concurrently on the same network management station. The network manager is further able to add new network devices and objects by dragging site, folder or device icons from one network management system application window to a second network management system application window for displaying the health status of the new devices. The dragged-in devices are added to the appropriate status panes within the second window according to the method of the present invention.

Claims

1. A network management station comprising:

a processor to process information and create multiple types of network device icons that represent at least two different network devices; and

a display device communicatively coupled to the processor, the display device to display a window featuring (i) a plurality of health status panes each associated with a unique severity level of health status and (ii) the multiple types of network device icons, each network device icon being displayed in one of the plurality of health status panes according to a health status of its corresponding network device, wherein the health status of a selected network device of the at least two different network devices is determined by the processor calculating a plurality of vectors of severity levels of the selected network device, the vectors of severity levels are based on health status values for a plurality of fault categories received from the selected network device.

2. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one hub and at least one bridge.

3. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one hub and at least one router.

4. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one hub and at least one switch.

5. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one bridge and at least one router.

6. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one bridge and at least one switch.

7. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the at least two different network devices include at least one router and at least one switch.

8. The network management station of claim 1 further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, the memory to store the network device icons and instructions to be executed by the processor.

9. The network management station of claim 1 wherein a health status value corresponding to each of the plurality of fault categories is equal to one of (i) a first value representing that the selected network device is fully operational, (ii) a second value representing that the selected network device is completely non-operational and (iii) a third value ranging between the first value and the second value representing that the selected network device is neither fully operational nor completely non-operational.

10. The network management station of claim 1 wherein an overall health status value of a selected network device is equal to the highest value of the plurality of vector of severity levels of the selected network device.

11. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the overall health status value of a selected network device is equal to the average value of the plurality of vector of severity levels of the selected network device.

12. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the processor displays a network device icon of the selected network device in an operational status pane of the plurality of health status panes if the vector of severity levels of the selected network device is equal to the first value.

13. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the processor displays a network device icon of the selected network device in a caution status pane of the plurality of health status panes if the vector of severity levels is approximately equal to ten-to-thirty percent of the difference between the first value and the second value.

14. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the processor displays a network device icon of the selected network device in a warning status pane of the plurality of health status panes if the vector of severity levels is approximately equal to half of the difference between the first value and the second value.

15. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the processor displays a network device icon of the selected network device in a critical status pane of the plurality of health status panes if the vector of severity levels is equal to at least two-thirds of the difference between the first value and the second value.

16. The network management station of claim 1 wherein the health status of a selected network device of the at least two different network devices is determined based on a fault category information gathered from the selected network device that indicates whether the selected network device is fully operational, completely non-operational or somewhere in between.

17. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium for gathering and simultaneously displaying a health status information for at least two different network devices from a single session, comprising:

a first application for displaying a window featuring a plurality of health status panes each associated with a unique severity level of health status; and

a second application for displaying a plurality of types of network device icons, each network device icon being displayed within one of the plurality of health status panes according to an overall health status of its corresponding network device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

a third application for determining the health status of a selected network device of the at least two different network devices by calculating a vector of severity levels of a selected network device, the vector of severity levels being based on health status values for a plurality of fault categories received from the selected network device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a health status value corresponding to each of the plurality of fault categories as determined by the third application is equal to one of (i) a first value representing that the selected network device is fully operational, (ii) a second value representing that the selected network device is completely non-operational and (iii) a third value ranging between the first value and the second value representing that the selected network device is neither fully operational nor completely non-operational .

20. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

a third application for moving a network device icon representing a selected network device of the at least two network devices from one health status pane to another when the overall health status level of the selected network device increases or decreases.

21. A method of gathering and displaying a health status information for at least two different network devices, comprising:

determining the health status of the at least two network devices according to a vector of severity levels;

displaying a window having a plurality of panes on a display device;

displaying a network device icon in one of the plurality of panes according to the vector of severity levels calculated for the network device represented by the network device icon; and

moving the network device icon from one of the plurality of panes to another when the vector of severity levels changes from a first value to a second value.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein prior to determining the health status of the at least two network devices, the method further comprises;

monitoring a plurality of fault categories from the at least two different network devices;

assigning a first health status value if the fault category is fully operational;

assigning a second health status value if the fault category is completely nonoperational;

assigning a third health status value ranging between the first value and the second value if the fault category is neither fully operational nor completely non-operational;

calculating a vector of severity levels assigned to each of the fault categories; and

determining an overall health status value of a selected network device according to a user-selectable criteria.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising;

assigning a color to each pane depending on a unique health status the pane represents; and

displaying the network device icon in the same color assigned to the pane in which the network device icon is displayed.

24. A method of providing health status information for network devices, the method comprising:

displaying a window having a plurality of panes on a display device;

displaying at least two network devices in the panes depending on a vector of severity levels;

displaying a tool bar having at least one tool application on the window;

selecting the network device icon from one of the pluralities of the panes and dragging and dropping the network device icon onto the tool application; and

launching an application associated with the tool application and displaying additional health status information about the selected network device in a pop-up window.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein, the at least one application is a tool that, when executed, displays a monitor level dialog box, selects one of a plurality of types of monitoring levels, and uses the selected type of monitoring level to monitor the selected network device.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the at least one tool application is a tool, the selection of which launches a fault summary application which displays a list of faults for the selected network device.

27. An apparatus for gathering and displaying a health status information for at least two different network devices, comprising:

means for determining the health status of the at least two network devices according to a vector of severity levels;

means for displaying a window having a plurality of panes on a display device;

means for displaying a network device icon in one of the plurality of panes according to the vector of severity levels calculated for the network device represented by the network device icon; and

means for moving the network device icon from one of the plurality of panes to another when the vector of severity levels changes from a first value to a second value.