Trap control system

• US 6,721,791 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Qiao, Jingyu
• Primary Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US09/685,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223-224, 709/318, 345/734-737, 714/4, 714/47
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A manager issues a trap entry demand containing a self-address and effective time to an agent to be monitored, for entry therein, and issues a release demand or a time extension demand in response to a release validation demand. An agent receives a trap entry demand from the manager and enters an address of an object of trap and effective time into a database. Upon the occurrence of trap the agent refers to the database to issue a trap to a manager entered as the object of trap. When the effective time expires, the agent issues a release validation command. Receipt of a release demand as the response allows the agent to delete the entry of the object of trap. Receipt of a time extension demand allows it to update the effective time.

Claims

1. A trap control system including a manager and an agent which are connected via a network to each other, said agent issuing a trap to said manager for monitoring,

said manager comprising:

an entry demand processing unit issuing a trap entry demand containing a self-address and trap effective time to an agent to be monitored, for the entry as an object of trap;

an effective time management processing unit issuing a release demand for deleting the entry as the object of trap or issuing a time extension demand for continuing the entry as the object of trap, in response to a release validation demand from said agent; and

a trap monitor processing unit receiving and processing a trap from an agent which has made an entry demand as the object of trap;

said agent comprising;

a trap entry processing unit entering an address of the object of trap and trap effective time into a database upon the receipt of a trap entry demand from said manager;

a trap issuance processing unit referring to said database upon the occurrence of trap to issue a trap to said manager entered as the object of trap;

a timeout monitor processing unit issuing a release validation demand to a corresponding manager upon the timeout of the trap effective time of said database;

a release processing unit deleting the entry of a corresponding object of trap in said database upon the receipt of a release demand from said manager; and

a time extension processing unit updating a corresponding effective time in said database upon the receipt of a time extension demand from said manager.

2. The trap control system according to claim 1, wherein

in the absence of any response in spite of elapse of a certain period of time after the issuance of a release validation demand to said manager, said timeout monitor processing unit of said agent deletes the object of trap which has expired from said database.

3. The trap control system according to claim 1, wherein

said trap entry demand issued from said manager contains an authentication ID for an entry as an object of trap into said database of said agent, said entry as the object of trap being deleted from said database in case of coincidence by collation of said authentication ID upon the receipt of a release demand command.

4. The trap control system according to claim 1, wherein

said trap demand processing unit, said release processing unit and said time extension processing unit of said agent issue a demand success to said manager in case of having successfully processed a demand from said agent, but issues a demand failure to said manager in case of having failed to process said demand.

5. The trap control system according to claim 1, wherein

said trap entry processing unit and said time extension processing unit of said agent have threshold values in the form of the maximum effective time and the minimum effective time of trap effective time such that coincidence with said maximum effective time is made in case the demanded effective time exceeds said maximum effective time and that coincidence with said minimum effective time is made in case the demanded effective time is shorter than said minimum effective time.

6. A trap control system including a manager, an agent and a representative agent which are connected via a network to one another, said agent transferring a trap via said representative agent to said manager, for monitoring,

said manager comprising:

a trap entry demand processing unit issuing to said representative agent a trap entry demand which contains an address of an agent to be monitored, a self-address and trap effective time, for entry as an object of trap;

a time management processing unit issuing, with the designation of an agent address, a release demand for deleting the entry as the object of trap or a time extension demand for continuing the entry as the object of trap, in response to a release demand from said representative agent; and

a trap monitor processing unit receiving for processing from said representative agent a trap of an agent which has made an entry demand as the object of trap;

said representative agent comprising;

a database provided separately for each agent;

a trap entry processing unit which upon the receipt of a trap entry demand from said manager, enters an address as an object of trap and effective time into a database designated by an agent address;

a trap issuance processing unit referring to a corresponding database upon the post on a trap from said agent, to issue a trap to a manager entered as an object of trap;

a release validation processing unit issuing a release validation demand of a corresponding agent to manager upon the timeout of the trap effective time of said database;

a release processing unit deleting the entry of a corresponding object of trap in a database designated by an agent address, upon the receipt of a release demand from said manager; and

a time extension processing unit updating corresponding effective time in a database designated by an agent address, upon the receipt of a time extension demand from said manager.