Method for operating network management system in a graphic user interface enviroment and network management system

• US 6,650,342 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Bum-Jong
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/344,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 345/736, 345/737, 345/738-739, 345/734-735, 345/771-773, 345/859-861, 345/748-749, 345/710, 345/766, 379/201, 709/206, 709/227, 709/223, 709/400, 713/100
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

In a network management system (NMS) and a method for operating the NMS in a graphic user interface (GUI) environment, the NMS communicates in a GUI environment requiring long-time interaction, and includes: an NMS GUI unit for displaying the status or progress of a communication procedure in real-time; and an NMS communication unit activated by the NMS GUI unit only as necessary. The NMS communication unit uses a message queue of the UNIX IPC as an information channel so as to exchange information with the NMS GUI unit. The disclosed method for includes the steps of: receiving a command input from a user via the NMS GUI unit; confirming whether the input is a communication command; displaying the status or communication progress by means of the NMS GUI unit and branching to a child process for the NMS communication unit and a parent process for the NMS GUI unit when a communication command is confirmed; determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID); generating a message queue for which the determined PID corresponds to an m-type queue, and sending a communication start command to the child process to display the status of waiting for the user'"'"'s input, and to display the status of communication; determining its own PID value by means of the branched child process; generating a message queue for which the determined PID corresponds to an m-type queue; receiving the communication start command from the parent process using the generated message queue; starting to communicate with the target system for management via the child process in response to the received communication start command; and informing the parent process of the result through the message queue by means of the child process, and terminating that process once communication with the target system for management has been completed.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network management system (NMS) in accordance with a graphic user interface (GUI) program for a communication apparatus having an NMS GUI unit and an NMS communication unit in an NMS system in a GUI environment, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a command input from a user by means of said NMS GUI unit;

(b) determining whether the command input is a communication command;

(c) when the command input is the communication command, displaying status data as to communication progress by means of said NMS GUI unit and branching to a child process for the NMS communication unit and a parent process for the NMS GUI unit;

(d) determining a value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) by means of the branched parent process;

(e) generating a message queue for which a determined PID corresponds to an m-type queue, and sending a communication start command to the child process by means of the parent process;

(f) after sending the communication start command, returning to the NMS GUI unit to display status data relative to waiting for a user'"'"'s input, and to display communication status data by means of the parent process;

(g) determining a PID value for the branched child process;

(h) generating a message queue for which the determined PID value corresponds to an m-type queue by means of the child process;

(i) using the generated message queue to receive the communication start command from the parent process by means of the child process;

(j) starting to communicate with the target system for management by means of the child process upon receipt of the communication start command; and

(k) when communication with the target system for management has been completed, informing the parent process of the result through the message queue by means of the child process, and terminating the child process.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sending status information to the parent process through the message queue when the child process performs communication with the corresponding target system for management; and

displaying status data as to communication progress with the target system in real-time by means of the parent process based on the sent status information.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the parent process displays, on a screen through the message queue in real-time, that communication has been completed, and then returns to a step of waiting for the user'"'"'s input for a communication order.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein said step of branching to the child process for the NMS communication unit and to the parent process for the NMS GUI unit comprises using a fork( ) call, one of UNIX system calls.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein said step of determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) be means of the branched parent process comprises determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) as a return value of the fork( ) call.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein said step of determining the PID value for the branched child process comprising using getid( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

7. The method as set forth claim 6, wherein the child process performs a process of said NMS communication unit using excel ( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the status information as to communication progress includes at least one of:

an order to start downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

an information reporting that the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has started, and reporting the total size of the download data and the size of data sent;

an order to stop the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

a message to terminate containing information as to a reason of failure when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has failed; and

a message to terminate containing results information when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has succeeded.

9. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein said step of branching to the child process for the NMS communication unit and to the parent process for the NMS GUI unit comprises using a fork( ) call, one of UNIX system calls.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said step of determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) by means of the branched parent process comprises determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) as a return value of using the fork( ) call.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said step of determining the PID value for the branched child process comprising using getid( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the child process performs a process of said NMS communication unit using excel( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the status information as to communication progress includes at least one of:

an order to start downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

an information reporting that the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has started, and reporting the total size of the download data and the size of data sent;

an order to stop the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

a message to terminate containing information as to a reason of failure when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has failed; and

a message to terminate containing results information when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has succeeded.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of branching to the child process for the NMS communication unit and to the patent process for the NMS GUI unit comprises using a fork( ) call, one of UNIX system calls.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said step of determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) by means of the branched parent process comprises determining the value of the child process'"'"'s ID (PID) as a return value of using the fork( ) call.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said step of determining the PID value for the branched child process comprising using getid( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the child process performs a process of said NMS communication unit using excel( ), another one of the UNIX system calls.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the status information as to communication progress includes at least one of:

an order to start downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

an information reporting that the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has started, and reporting the total size of the download data and the size of data sent;

an order to stop the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit;

a message to terminate containing information as to a reason of failure when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has failed; and

a message to terminate containing results information when the downloading from the NMS GUI unit to the NMS communication unit has succeeded.

19. A network management system (NMS) for performing a communication procedure requiring long-time interaction in a graphic user interface (GUI) environment, said NMS comprising:

NMS GUI unit means for displaying, in real-time, data relating to progress of the communication procedure; and

NMS communication unit means activated by said NMS GUI unit means for using a message queue of an inter-processor communication as an information channel for exchange of information with said NMS GUI unit means;

wherein said NMS GUI unit means receives a command input from a user, determines whether the command input is a communication command, and, when the command input is the communication command, displays status data as to the progress of the communication procedure;

wherein, when the command input is the communication command, said NMS GUI unit means operates as a parent processor, and said NMS communication unit means operates as a child processor subject to said parent processor; and

wherein said parent processor determines an identification value of said child processor, generates a message queue for which the determined identification value of the child processor corresponds to an m-type of message queue, sends a communication start command to the child processor, displays a status of waiting for a user input, and displays a communication status.

20. A network management system (NMS) for performing a communication procedure requiring long-time interaction in a graphic user interface (GUI) environment, said NMS comprising:

NMS GUI unit means for displaying, in real-time, data relating to progress of the communication procedure; and

NMS communication unit means activated by said NMS GUI unit means for using a message queue of an inter-processor communication as an information channel for exchange of information with said NMS GUI unit means;

wherein said NMS GUI unit means receives a command input from a user, determines whether the command input is a communication command, and, when the command input is the communication command, displays status data as to the progress of the communication procedure;

wherein, when the command input is the communication command, said NMS GUI unit means operates as a parent processor, and said NMS communication unit means operates as a child processor subject to said parent processor; and

wherein said child processor determines an identification value of said child processor, and said child processor generates a message queue for which the determined identification value of said child processor corresponds to an m-type of message queue.

21. The NMS as set forth in claim 20, wherein said child processor uses the generated message queue to receive a communication start command from the parent processor.

22. The NMS as set forth in claim 21, wherein said child processor receives the communication start command, and starts to communicate with a target system for management.

23. The NMS as set forth in claim 22, wherein said child processor informs the parent processor of the results of communication with the target system for management through the message queue, and then terminates operations.