Method and apparatus for graphical display of multiple network monitors over multiple intervals

• US 6,501,442 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Information Technologies Group LP (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Schunicht, Geoffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Application Number:
  US09/789,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/2.1, 345/2.2, 345/2.3, 345/3.1, 345/619, 345/650, 345/676, 713/320, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 345/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying multiple communication network monitors having multiple monitoring intervals on a single graphical display. A user, through an input device, selects an object relating to a network monitor to be displayed on a graph and a processor retrieves network data from a communication network pertaining to the selected object. The display values for a line on the graphical display represented by the monitor are calculated by the processor such that, the line and any previously existing lines, are coherent in that the displayed parameters are consistent across the lines. Once the display values are calculated, the line is displayed on an output device. The user may additionally modify parameters associated with the monitor or add or delete a monitor. If the user modifies a parameter, the processor modifies the parameter and updates the display. If the user adds a new monitor, the processor verifies that the new monitor is consistent with current monitors, and if so, the new monitor is added and the graphical display is updated. Otherwise, an error message is displayed. If the user deletes a monitor, the processor verifies that the line associated with the monitor is not the last line on the graph and removes the line. Otherwise, if the line is the last line, an error message is displayed.

Claims

1. A network computer system comprising:

an input device for selecting a plurality of monitored data sources;

a processor for generating a line on a graph for each of the plurality of monitored data sources wherein a plurality of lines are formed on a single graph, each of the lines having a monitoring interval independent of the other lines and representing historical activity of each of the plurality of monitored data sources; and

an output device for displaying the line of each of the plurality of monitored data sources on the single graph.

2. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein said processor further verifies whether a newly selected monitored data source is consistent with previously selected monitored data sources.

3. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein said input device is also for deleting at least one monitored data source.

4. The network computer system of claim 3, wherein said processor is also for ensuring that to be deleted the at least one monitored data source is not the last selected monitored data source.

5. The network computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of monitored data sources comprises an operating parameter.

6. The network computer system of claim 5, wherein said operating parameter is a polling data interval.

7. A method for displaying past activities of a plurality of monitored data sources, each of the plurality of monitored data sources generating a single line using one of a plurality of monitoring intervals on a single graphical display comprising:

selecting an object relating to a monitored data source to be displayed on a linear graph;

retrieving network data from a communication network pertaining to the selected object;

manipulating the retrieved network data so that it is coherent with previously retrieved and manipulated network data; and

displaying all manipulated data graphically on the linear graph.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said object comprises an operating parameter of a network device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said object comprises an operating parameter of a simple network management protocol manageable device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of selecting an object comprises the step of default monitoring parameters being selected by a processor.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of generating an error signal if retrieved network data cannot be manipulated to be coherent with previously retrieved and manipulated network data.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of modifying monitor parameters.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of deleting previously selected monitor objects.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of generating an error signal if an attempt is made to delete a last selected monitor object.

15. A computer system comprising:

an input device for selecting a plurality of monitored data sources, each one of the plurality of monitored data sources generating data that is represented by a line that is used to form a plurality of lines on a single graph;

a processor for generating the plurality of lines from all of the historical data that has been generated by the plurality of monitored data sources; and

an output device for displaying the plurality of lines on the single graph.