Method and apparatus for use in specifying and insuring policies for management of computer networks

• US 6,732,168 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2000
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: van Moorsel, Aad Petrus Antonius, Lee, Woei-Jyh, Garg, Sachin, Bearden, Mark Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/610,631
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS

Abstract

A policy-based network management system is realized by enabling policy-based management programs to be defined via run-time loading of “policy packages” that are collections of reusable “policy components”. Such reusable policy components may be written by the vendor of the policy-based management system, or by system-administrators, who are the users of policy-based management systems or even by third-party people, who may be experts in the management of specific application domains such as vendors of network devices. In the latter case, these policy components can be assembled into a functionally complete policy package by system administrators. Alternatively, the system administrators can also load a pre-assembled policy package into a management server and only have to specify the desired service level goals.

Claims

1. A method for use in a policy-based management system comprising the steps of:

selecting a prescribed quality of service goal for a prescribed client and prescribed service and an enforcement domain for enforcing said selected goal, said selected goal representing the what of needs to be realized in terms of network/system behavior;

automatically selecting in accordance with prescribed criteria a policy package, having goal and enforcement domain template information and having one or more policy components selected from a plurality of policy components, that is valid for enforcing said selected quality of service goal, wherein said prescribed criteria is based on said goal and enforcement domain template information contained in the policy package, said one or more policy components representing how desired network/system behavior is realized; and

executing each of said one or more policy components in proper order in said selected policy package, wherein said selected quality of service goal is enforced in said enforcement domain.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said prescribed criteria includes selecting a policy package that is valid for enforcing said selected goal on said selected enforcement domain.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 further including steps of determining whether an enforcement status of said selected goal should be changed and, if so, determining whether a new enforcement status for said selected goal is enforced or not enforced.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 if said new enforcement status is enforced further including steps of defining an enforcement domain, selecting a suitable policy package based on said selected goal and said defined enforcement domain, wherein said policy package has one or more policy components, loading a new policy component instance for each of said one or more policy components in proper order, and activating each of said one or more loaded new policy component instances in proper order, whereby a new policy instance is created and said selected goal is in an enforced state.

5. The method as defined in claim 3 if said new enforcement status is not enforced further including steps of selecting an enforcement domain, selecting a policy instance for said selected goal and said selected enforcement domain which is currently enforcing said selected goal for said selected enforcement domain, wherein said policy instance includes one or more component instances, deactivating each of said one or more component instances in proper order, and unloading each of said one or more component instances in proper order, whereby said selected policy instance no longer exists and said selected goal is in a not enforced state.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further including steps of storing said quality of service goals and determining whether said stored quality of service goals should be updated.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 further including a step of updating said stored quality of service goals.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said quality of service goals is a service level quality of service goal.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein said step of updating includes steps of adding a service level quality of service goal to said stored quality of service goals, redefining a stored service level quality of service goal or removing a stored service level quality of service goal.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 further including a step of storing said policy packages.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 further including a step of determining whether said stored policy packages should be updated.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 further including a step of updating said stored policy packages.

14. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein said policy package has been used to create one or more policy instances and each of said policy instances includes one or more policy component instances, and further including a step of determining whether a policy component instance of said one or more policy component instances in a policy instance of said one or more policy instances should be replaced.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 further including steps of deactivating said policy component instance to be replaced in said policy instance and unloading said policy component instance to be replaced in said policy instance.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 further including steps of loading a replacement policy component instance in said policy instance and activating said loaded policy component instance replacement in said policy instance.

13. The method as defined in clam 12 wherein said step of updating includes steps of adding a policy package to said stored policy packages, redefining a stored policy package or removing a policy package.

17. Apparatus for use in a policy-based management system comprising:

first means for selecting a prescribed quality of service goal for a prescribed client and prescribed service including means for selecting an enforcement domain for enforcing said selected goal, said selected goal representing the what of needs to be realized in terms of network/system behavior;

second means for automatically selecting in accordance with prescribed criteria a policy package having goal and enforcement domain template information and having one or more policy components from a plurality of policy components, that is valid for enforcing said selected quality of service goal, wherein said prescribed criteria is based on said goal and enforcement domain template information contained in the policy package, said one or more policy components representing how desired network system behavior is realized; and

means for executing each of said one or more policy components in proper order in said selected policy package, wherein said selected quality of service goal is enforced.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 wherein said prescribed criteria includes selecting a policy package that is valid for said selected goal and said selected enforcement domain.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 further including means for determining whether an enforcement status of said selected goal should be changed, and means for determining whether a new enforcement status for said selected goal is enforced or not enforced.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 19 if said new enforcement status is enforced further including means for defining an enforcement domain, means for selecting a suitable policy package based on said selected goal and said defined enforcement domain, wherein said policy package has one or more policy components, means for loading a new policy component instance for each of said one or more policy components in proper order, and means for activating each of said one or more loaded new policy component instances in proper order, whereby a new policy instance is created and said selected goal is in an enforced state.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 19 if said new enforcement status is not enforced further including means for selecting an enforcement domain, means for selecting a policy instance for said selected goal and said selected enforcement domain which is currently enforcing said selected goal for said selected enforcement domain, wherein said policy instance includes one or more component instances, means for deactivating each of said one or more component instances in proper order, and means for unloading each of said one or more component instances in proper order, whereby said selected policy instance no longer exists and said selected goal is in a not enforced state.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 further including means for storing said selected quality of service goals and means for determining whether said stored quality of service goals should be updated.

23. The apparatus as defined in claim 22 further including means for updating said stored quality of service goals.

24. The apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein each of said quality of service goals is a service level quality of service goal.

25. The apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein said means for updating includes means for adding a service level quality of service goal to said stored quality of service goals, means for redefining a stored service level quality of service goal and means for removing a stored service level quality of service goal.

26. The apparatus as defined in claim 17 further including means for storing said policy packages.

27. The apparatus as defined in claim 26 further including means for determining whether said stored policy packages should be updated.

28. The apparatus as defined in claim 27 further including means for updating said stored policy packages.

29. The apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein said means for updating includes means for adding a policy package to said stored policy packages, means for redefining a stored policy package and means for removing a policy package.

30. The apparatus as defined in claim 26 wherein said policy package has been used to create one or more policy instances and each of said policy instances includes one or more policy component instances, and further including means for determining whether a policy component instance of said one or more policy component instances in a policy instance of said one or more policy instances should be replaced.

31. The apparatus as defined in claim 30 further including means for deactivating said policy component instance to be replaced in said policy instance and means for unloading said policy component instance to be replaced in said policy instance.

32. The apparatus as defined in claim 31 further including means for loading a replacement policy component instance in said policy instance and means for activating said loaded policy component instance replacement in said policy instance.