Client-server computer network management architecture

• US 6,664,978 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1997
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Carlton, Eloise H., Lu, Grace N., Kekic, Miodrag M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US08/972,220
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/335, 345/339, 345/348-349, 345/356-357, 345/966, 345/969-970, 345/733, 345/738, 345/740, 345/763, 345/764, 345/765, 345/771-773, 345/835, 345/846, 345/866, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.49, 395/200.53, 395/200.54, 709/202-203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223-224
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• 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 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A client-server network management system includes: a plurality of managed computer network elements, a managed element server that executes on a first computer; and at least one managed element server client that typically executes on a second computer. The managed element server and managed element server client are computer processes that execute from memory of their respective computers. The client-server network management system is really two applications in one: a visual element manager builder and a manager. The manager provides the run-time environment in which element managers are executed to monitor and manage computer network behavior such as network throughput, collision rate, and number of duplicate IP packets, to name a few. The manager portion of managed element server is independent of any graphic user interface. The logic and structure of the manager of managed element server is cleanly separated from the graphic user interfaces. The visual element manager builder is a visual development environment in which device vendors or network managers may create standardized element management applications, called element managers. A user can build an element manager without writing any computer code. In addition, a user can edit an element manager without writing any computer code. A graphic user interface of this invention, that is displayed by the client, includes a visual image of a computer network element being managed. As a user looks at the visual display in the graphic user interface, the user is provided the same visual information as if the user where physically present at the location of the managed computer network element. Thus, at a glance, a user can obtain considerable information about the status of the computer network element as represented by the visual display.

Claims

1. A client-server network management system comprising:

at least one managed computer network element connected to a computer network;

a computer network management agent operating on said at least one managed computer network element;

a managed element server executing on a computer connected to said computer network wherein said managed element server uses said computer network management agent and an element manager object to manage operation of said at least one managed computer network element, and further wherein at least a portion of said managed element server is computer platform independent; and

a client executing on another computer connected to said computer network wherein said client configures said managed element server to manage operation of said at least one manage computer network element using a graphical user interface and further wherein at least a portion of said client is computer platform independent.

2. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

a manager having logic and structure independent of processes associated with generating a graphic user interface for a client process; and

a client process that includes said graphic user interface wherein said client process is downloaded to said another computer that executes said client process.

3. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

a plurality of element manager objects coupled to said manager wherein each of said plurality of element manager objects is associated with a computer network element managed by said manager, and each of said plurality of element manager objects includes information used by said manager in managing said associated computer network element.

4. The network management system as in claim 3 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises:

an active component hotspot representing an active component of said computer network element associated with said at least one element manager object.

5. The network management system as in claim 4 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises a state of said active component hotspot.

6. The network management system as in claim 4 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises a polling event associated with said active component hotspot.

7. The network management system as in claim 6 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises a rule associated with said polling event, and having a condition and an action wherein upon said manager determining that said condition of said rule is true, said manager causes said managed computer network element to perform said action of said rule.

8. The network management system as in claim 4 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises a trap event associated with said active component hotspot.

9. The network management system as in claim 8 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises a rule associated with said trap event, and having a condition and an action wherein upon said manager determining that said condition of said rule is true, said manager causes said managed computer network element to perform said action of said rule.

10. The network management system as in claim 3 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises:

an action button hotspot representing a switch of said computer network element associated with said at least one element manager object.

11. The network management system as in claim 3 wherein at least one element manager object in said plurality of element manager objects further comprises:

an embedded graph hotspot representing a component of said computer network element associated with said at least one element manager object.

12. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

a discovery engine, wherein upon activation of said discovery engine, said discovery engine finds each computer network element on a computer network that is capable of being managed by said managed element server.

13. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

a trap server coupled to a computer network wherein said trap server receives traps generated by computer network elements connected to said network and determines whether a trap event is from a computer network element managed by said managed element server.

14. The network management system of claim 13 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

an event engine coupled to said trap server wherein upon notification of a trap event from said trap server, said event engine determines a management action for the computer network element that generated the trap event.

15. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

a poll server coupled to a computer network wherein said poll server periodically sends poll requests to a computer network element connected to said network.

16. The network management system of claim 15 wherein said managed element server further comprises:

an event engine coupled to said poll server wherein upon notification of a response to a poll event from said poll server, said event engine determines a management action for the computer network element that was polled.

17. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said managed element server further comprises an alarm factory wherein said alarm factory maintains an alarm log.

18. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said graphic user interface comprises:

an element view area wherein said element view area displays a view of a managed computer network element that includes components of said managed computer network element; and

a navigation area having a navigation tree wherein said navigation tree includes a node for at least one component of said managed computer network element, and said node is a non-folder icon representing said computer network element.

19. The network management system of claim 18 wherein said display of said at least one component in said element view area has a color representing a state of said component.

20. The network management system of claim 18 wherein said display of said at least one component in said element view area has a blinking rate representing a state of said component.

21. The network management system of claim 18 wherein said graphic user interface further comprises

an alarm button, wherein said alarm button changes state to inform a user that an event has occurred in a managed computer network element that generated an alarm condition.

22. The network management system of claim 18 wherein said graphic user interface further comprises a plurality of element manager edit panels.

23. The network management system of claim 22 wherein said plurality of element manager edit panels further comprises:

a plurality of tabbed element manager edit panels.

24. The network management system of claim 18 wherein said graphic user interface further comprises:

a plurality of wizard element manager builder panels.

25. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said at least one managed computer network element comprises a hardware computer network element.

26. The network management system of claim 1 wherein said at least one managed computer network element comprises a software computer network element.