Method and apparatus for automatic monitoring of simple network management protocol manageable devices

• US 6,832,247 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1998
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cochran, Charles W., York, Justin E., Schunicht, Geoffery A., Hansen, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phong
• Application Number:
  US09/098,027
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 709/226, 709/104, 709/206, 709/203, 709/207, 709/220, 709/222-224, 395/500, 707/100, 707/3, 379/34, 713/201, 705/9, 705/14
• 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 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically monitoring Simple Network Manageable Devices. A processor accesses a memory storage device to retrieve a device definition file and an interface definition file associated with each interface referenced in the device definition file. The processor creates a Device-Type-Specific Formula-Monitor Definitions (DTSFMD) data structure based on information contained within the device definition file and the interface definition files and stores the DTSFMD data structure in the storage device. The processor accesses a communication network to retrieve information used to identify the types of devices and associated interfaces located within the communication network. Based on the retrieved information, the devices are identified as a router, a switch, a repeater or a device for which no monitoring is to occur. Based on the retrieved information and requirements established in the DTSFMD, the processor determines which interfaces are to be monitored and how they are to be monitored and automatically performs monitoring to generate data for graphical displays and the setting and clearing alarms.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

an input device for selecting network devices to be monitored, the selected network devices having specific interfaces that exist based on present connectivity of the network device; and

a processor for automatically monitoring each selected device, the processor automatically monitoring based upon device identifying information retrieved from each of the network devices to be monitored and information contained within a device definition file that defines classes of devices and interfaces, and by creating a device-specific definitions data structure that is based on the information contained within the device definition file.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the device definition file comprises interface references, and wherein said processor also automatically monitors based upon retrieved interface definition files, which retrieved interface definition files define referenced interfaces.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor further comprises monitoring the selected device at poll interval persistence levels.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor generates alarms at a plurality of thresholds.

5. A method for automatically monitoring simple network management protocol manageable devices comprising:

selecting devices to be monitored from among the simple network management protocol manageable devices of a network;

automatically discovering a device from among the selected devices that is available to be monitored;

determining a class of the discovered device in order to select a particular device definition for the discovered device;

determining the discovered device'"'"'s unique interface characteristics based on its connectivity in the network;

retrieving device definition files that represent existing interfaces of the discovered device;

retrieving corresponding interface definition files;

creating a device-specific definitions data structure according to information in the device definition files and the interface definition files;

determining devices and interfaces to monitor according to the device-specific definitions data structure; and

based on interface level connectivity of a device, monitoring the device and selected interfaces of the device with thresholds and threshold deviation persistence calculated from the device-specific definitions data structure.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of setting alarms.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said alarms are set at one of a plurality of threshold values.

8. A method for automatically monitoring network manageable devices of a computer network comprising:

selecting network devices to be monitored from among the network manageable devices;

automatically discovering at least one of the selected network devices that are available to be monitored;

determining a class for the at least one selected network device;

determining unique interface characteristics for the at least one selected network device based on the at least one selected network device'"'"'s connectivity in the network;

retrieving device definition files that represent existing interfaces of the at least one selected network device;

retrieving corresponding interface definition files;

creating a device-specific definitions data structure according to information in the device definition files, and the interface definition files;

determining devices and interfaces to monitor according to the device-specific definitions data structure; and

based on interface level connectivity of a device, monitoring the device and selected interfaces of the device using thresholds and threshold deviation persistence calculated from the device-specific definitions data structure.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of setting alarms.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said alarms are set at one of a plurality of threshold values.