Telecommunications network with a distributive network management system

• US 6,782,420 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1999
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vangsness, Kurt A., Foley, Michael P., Barrett, Gary Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): KANG, PAUL H
• Application Number:
  US09/321,483
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/201, 709/316, 709/227, 709/208, 370/352
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/028 for synchronisation between service call and response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/045 comprising client-server management architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A telecommunications network(10) having a distributive network management system(20) for remotely managing the plurality of network elements(38) has a management computer, or work station(22) with a management program communicating through the Internet by via managed object commands. An element management server(24) communicates through the computer Internet with the plurality of network elements(38) via a simplified network management protocol, or SNMP, to communicate management information concerning the plurality of network elements(38). The managed objects are responsive to managed object commands from the management computer(22) to provide the management information to the management program and to take actions as directed. Commands are composed in EMAPI notation to render them independent of any protocol used between the element manager server(24) and the managed network elements(38). Communications between the management computer(22) and the element manager server(24) utilizes CORBA.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements, the improvement being a distributive network management system for remotely managing the plurality of network elements, comprising:

a management computer with a management program and means for enabling communications through the Internet by the management program of one or more parent commands; and

an element management server on the computer Internet with at least one managed object in communication through the computer Internet with the plurality of network elements via a simplified network management protocol to communicate management information concerning the plurality of network elements;

wherein the element management server processes a chain of commands that comprise a parent command of the one or more parent commands and one or more suboperations;

wherein the at least one managed object comprises a parent command object, wherein the element management server creates the parent command object upon receipt of the parent command from the management computer, wherein upon creation of the parent command object, the element management server communicates one or more of the one or more suboperations with the plurality of network elements to provide the management information to the management program and to take actions as directed, such that said plurality of network elements thereby comprise managed network elements.

2. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which the parent commands and the one or more of the one or more suboperations are composed in EMAPI notation to render them independent of any protocol used between the element manager and the managed network elements.

3. The telecommunication network of claim 2 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

4. The telecommunication network of claim 3 in which communications between the management computer and the element manager server utilizes CORBA.

5. The telecommunication network of claim 2 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

6. The telecommunication network of claim 5 in which communications between the management computer and the element manager server utilizes CORBA.

7. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

8. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

9. The telecommunication network of claim 8 in which communications between the management computer and the element manager server utilizes CORBA.

10. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which communications between the management computer and the element manager server utilizes CORBA.

11. The telecommunication network of claim 10 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

12. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes means for automatically polling the plurality of network elements for status information associated with the parent command object.

13. The telecommunications network of claim 12 which the means for polling includes means for communicating with the plurality of network elements via the simplified network management protocol.

14. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element network management server includes means for converting the parent command received from the management computer into corresponding set commands of the simplified network management protocol.

15. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes an event distributor for providing filtering, routing and distribution of simplified network management protocol traps, commands, command acknowledgments and command responses.

16. The telecommunications network of claim 1 including a logical managed object representative of a plurality of managed objects including the parent command object and which is not directly related to any of the plurality of network elements.

17. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes means for managing user sessions including means for maintaining a list of active client sessions when the management computer is actively communicating with the element management server.

18. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes means for managing user sessions including means for maintaining audits for user sessions that have terminated without communication of alarm notifications to the management computer.

19. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes an alarm manager for providing an indication of current active alarms within the plurality of network elements.

20. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes means for providing read-only access and change notification to a management information data base associated with an application processor of a network element being managed.

21. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes an element manager application program interface employing an interface description language to provide an interface to managed objects of the management program that functions independently of the simplified network management protocol.

22. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes a locale text formatting service for providing support for multiple human text base language communication from the management computer.

23. The telecommunication network of claim 1 in which the element management server has a plurality of managed objects including the parent command object respectively associated with a plurality of different management functions.

24. The telecommunications network of claim 1 in which the element management server includes means for generating an interactive web page with a graphic user interface with the parent command object for transmission to and display at the management computer.

25. The telecommunication network of claim 24 in which the web page has a menu of individual maintenance unit command options.

26. The telecommunications network of claim 24 in which the web page includes a system status summary page for each managed network element.

27. The telecommunications network of claim 24 in which the web page includes a list of active alarms for the plurality of network elements.

28. The method of claim 27 in which the parent commands and the one or more of the one or more suboperations are composed in EMAPI notation to render them independent of any protocol used between the element manager and the managed network elements.

29. The method of claim 28 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

30. The method of claim 29 in which communications between the management computer and the element manager server utilizes CORBA.

31. The telecommunication network of claim 1, wherein the element management server communicates the one or more of the one or more suboperations with the plurality of network elements in a parallel manner.

32. The telecommunication network of claim 1, wherein the element management server communicates the one or more of the one or more suboperations with the plurality of network elements in a serial manner.

33. The telecommunication network of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the one or more suboperations comprise a first suboperation and a second suboperation, wherein the element management server sends a first acknowledgment message to the parent command object to begin the first suboperation;

wherein the element management server obtains a response command from the parent command object upon completion of the first suboperation;

wherein the element management server sends a second acknowledgement message to the parent command object to begin the second suboperation.

34. The telecommunication network of claim 1, wherein upon failure of a suboperation of the one or more of the one or more suboperations, the element management server communicates a failure message for the chain of commands to the management computer.

35. The telecommunication network of claim 1, wherein a first network element of the plurality of network elements employs a first protocol and a second network element of the plurality of network elements employs a second protocol;

wherein the element management server employs a mediator to translate the managed object commands into the protocol of the network elements to allow the managed object to communicate with the first and second managed network elements.

36. In a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements, the improvement being a method for remote distributive network management of the plurality of network elements, comprising the steps of:

communicating through the Internet between a management program of a management computer by means of object commands with an element management server;

processing a chain of commands that comprise a parent command and one or more suboperations with the element management server;

creating a parent command object upon receipt of the parent command from a management computer;

communicating by means of an element management server on the computer Internet with the parent command object with the plurality of network elements via a simplified network management protocol to communicate management information concerning the plurality of network elements; and

responding with the one or more of the one or more suboperations to the parent command from the management computer to provide the management information to the management program and to take actions as directed with respect the network elements.

37. The method of claim 36 in which the managed network elements employ an SNMP protocol.

38. In a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements, the improvement being a method for remote distributive network management of the plurality of network elements, comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing at a network server a chain of commands that comprise a parent command, a first suboperation, and a second suboperation;

creating a parent command object upon receipt of the parent command from a management computer;

sending a first acknowledgment message to the parent command object to begin the first suboperation;

obtaining a response command from the parent command object upon completion of the first suboperation at a network element; and

sending a second acknowledgement message to the parent command object to begin the second suboperation at the network element;

wherein said network server with said parent command object in communication through a computer Internet with the plurality of network elements via a simplified network management protocol to communicate management information concerning the plurality of network elements.

39. In a telecommunications network having a plurality of network elements, the improvement being a distributive network management system for remotely managing the plurality of network elements, comprising:

a management computer with a management program and means for enabling communications through the Internet by the management program of one or more parent commands; and

an element management server on the computer Internet with at least one managed object in communication through the computer Internet with the plurality of network elements via a simplified network management protocol to communicate management information concerning the plurality of network elements;

wherein the element management server processes a chain of commands that comprise a parent command of the one or more parent commands and one or more suboperations;

wherein the at least one managed object comprises a parent command object, wherein the element management server creates the parent command object upon receipt of the parent command from the management computer, wherein upon creation of the parent command object, the element management server communicates one or more of the one or more suboperations with the plurality of network elements to provide the management information to the management program and to take actions as directed, such that said plurality of network elements thereby comprise managed network elements;

wherein the element management server includes means for automatically polling the plurality of network elements for status information associated with the parent command object.