Role based management independent of the hardware topology

• US 6,539,021 B1
• Filed: 10/02/1998
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Ouellette, Kenneth W., Kennelly, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US09/165,508
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/356, 370/401, 370/389, 370/428, 370/419, 370/421, 370/466, 370/467, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/229, 709/201, 709/202, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/221, 345/433, 345/356, 345/357
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A network packet switch provides access to a network-based computer system. The network packet switch has a public access port and a private access port, and includes a computer-readable medium containing a computer program product for producing management objects that configure the network packet switch. The switch stores a set of management objects, determines attributes of an organization associated with one or more of the management objects, and defines a subset of management objects associated with the organization based on the attributes of the organization. The switch provides the user with the same access to a set of functions defined by the subset of management objects regardless of whether the user accesses the network packet switch by the public access port or the private access port.

Claims

1. A network packet switch for providing access to a network-based computer system, the network packet switch comprising:

a public access port and a private access port;

a computer-readable medium containing a computer program product for producing management objects used to configure the network packet switch, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the network packet switch to;

store a set of management objects;

determine attributes of an organization associated with one or more of the management objects;

define a subset of management objects associated with the organization based on the attributes of the organization;

provide the user with the same access to a set of functions defined by the subset of management objects regardless of whether the user accesses the network packet switch by the public access port or the private access port of the network packet switch.

2. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein at least one management object of the subset of management objects available to the user associated with the organization is unique from other management objects of the subset of management objects available to other users associated with the organization.

3. The network packet switch of claim 1 wherein at least one management object of the subset of management objects available to the user associated with the organization is unique from other management objects of the set of management objects available to other users of other organizations.

4. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein the subset of management objects define a plurality of graphical user interfaces.

5. The network packet switch of claim 4, wherein the plurality of graphical user interfaces have a first area based on a first programming language and a second area based on a second programming language.

6. The network packet switch of claim 5, wherein the first image is based on the JAVA programming language and the second image is based on the HTML programming language.

7. The network packet switch of claim 5, wherein the first image is based on the JAVA programming language and the HTML programming language.

8. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the switch to:

establish a request processor object to incorporate attributes of the user from a predefined data structure as variables of the request processor object, the data structure defining the attributes of the user, the variables defining the set of management objects associated with the user.

9. The network packet switch of claim 8, wherein the instruction further cause the packet switch to:

parse a data file, based on the attributes incorporated in the request processor object, to produce at least one management object unique to the user.

10. The network packet switch of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the packet switch to:

parse a plurality of indicator tags to associate data with the subset of management objects of the user based on the attributes of the user.

11. The network packet switch of claim 10, wherein the plurality of indicator tags comprise a security tag, a server side include tag, and a script tag.

12. The network packet switch of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the packet switch to:

parse a plurality of data files to dynamically produce the subset of management objects associated with the user.

13. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein the instruction further cause the packet switch to:

provide a graphical user interface based on the subset of management objects.

14. The network packet switch of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is one interface type of a plurality of interface types.

15. The network packet switch of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interface types includes a standard interface type.

16. The network packet switch of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interface types includes a services interface.

17. The network packet switch of claim 14, wherein the plurality of interface types includes a guided interface types.

18. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the switch to:

associate authorized data of a data file with the subset of management objects of a user; and

disassociate unauthorized data of the data file with the subset of management objects of a user.

19. The network packet switch of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the switch to:

establish a parser based on the attributes of the user and a data manager; and

wherein the data manager accepts data parsed by the parser to assemble the subset of management objects.

20. A method for managing a network packet switch for providing access to a network-based computer system, the method comprising:

accessing the network packet switch via either a public access port or a private access port of the network packet switch;

storing a set of management objects;

determining attributes of a user, wherein the user is associated with an organization, and the organization is associated with one or more of the management objects;

providing a customized management object from the set of management objects based on the attributes of the user;

displaying a graphic user interface based on the customized management object, with the customized management object providing the user with access to a set of functions to manage the network packet switch, and with user access to the set of functions and a user'"'"'s view of the set of functions being the same whether the user accesses the network packet switch via the private access port or the public access port of the network packet switch.