Shared management of a network entity

• US 6,847,609 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Salehi, Reza, Lakhwara, Anil, Sarnikowski, Scott, Vasani, Kanaiya, Hirani, Harry, Chinmulgund, Anirudha, Litster, John, Pandharpur, Sanmitra
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye, Alexander O.
• Application Number:
  US09/376,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/220, 370/221, 370/222, 370/230, 370/235, 370/241, 370/389, 370/338, 370/412, 370/413, 370/428, 370/245
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A telecommunications network is provided. The network includes at least one service delivery unit having a data port and a network interface port and a memory that stores data for managing the telecommunications network. The network interface port is coupled to a switch fabric. The data port is coupleable to at least one local area network. A network management station is communicatively coupled to the service delivery unit. The at least one service delivery unit is configurable to allow the network management station to view selected portions of the data in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit to facilitate management of selected aspects of the service delivery unit.

Claims

1. A telecommunications network comprising:

at least one service delivery unit having a data port and a network interface port and a memory that stores data for managing the at least one service delivery unit;

the network interface port coupled to a switch fabric;

the data port coupleable to at least one local area network;

a network management station communicatively coupled to the at least one service delivery unit; and

wherein the at least one service delivery unit is configurable to allow the network management station to view selected portions of the data in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit, over a range from none of the data to all of the data in the memory, to facilitate shared-management of the at least one service delivery unit.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the memory of the at least one service delivery unit stores data including at least one of configuration data, monitoring data, billing data, diagnostic data and control data.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the at least one service delivery unit uses passwords to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein a secure connection is provided between the network management station and the at least one service delivery unit to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein the at least one service delivery unit uses an address of the network management station to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein tunneling between the network management station and the at least one service delivery unit is used to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

7. The network of claim 1, and further including a policy server that is communicatively coupled to the at least one service delivery unit, the policy server including policies for bandwidth allocation stored on a computer readable medium, such that the at least one service delivery unit selectively allocates bandwidth to users based on the policies stored in the policy server.

8. The network of claim 1, wherein the at least one service delivery unit is configured to allow the network management station to view data related to management of physical and link layers.

9. The network of claim 1, wherein the at least one service delivery unit is further configurable to allow at least one additional network management station to view a second selected portion of the data stored in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the at least one service delivery unit is further configurable to allow at least one additional network management station to view a second, different selected portion of the data stored in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit.

11. A telecommunications network comprising:

a switch fabric;

at least one network entity having a memory that stores data for managing the at least one network entity;

the at least one network entity coupled to the switch fabric;

the at least one network entity further providing at least one port that is coupleable to at least one local area network;

a network management station communicatively coupled to the at least one network entity; and

wherein the at least one network entity is configurable to allow the network management station to view selected portions of the data in the memory of the at least one network entity to control the level of management of the at least one network entity allowed by the network management station.

12. The network of claim 11, wherein the at least one network entity comprises a service delivery unit that uses policy based bandwidth management.

13. The network of claim 11, wherein the at least one network entity comprises a service delivery unit with a memory that stores data including at least one of configuration data, control data, billing data, diagnostic data and management data.

14. The network of claim 11, wherein the at least one network entity uses at least one of passwords, encryption, tunneling or an address of the network management station to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

15. The network of claim 11, wherein the at least one network entity is configured to allow the network management station to view data related to management of physical and link layers.

16. The network of claim 11, wherein the at least one network entity is further configurable to allow at least one additional network management station to view a second selected portion of the data stored in the memory of the at least on service delivery unit.

17. An enterprise network, comprising:

a number of local area networks each coupleable to at least one network element of a service provider network; and

a network management terminal communicatively coupled to the at least one network element of the service provider network such that the network management terminal is operable to view a configurable portion of data stored in a memory of the at least one network element to facilitate management of selected aspects of the network element.

18. The network of claim 17, wherein the data stored in the memory of the at least one network element comprises at least one of configuration data, management data, billing data, diagnostic data and control data.

19. The network of claim 17, wherein the network management terminal further includes a policy server for use in policy based bandwidth management.

20. The network of claim 17, wherein the network management terminal views a configurable portion of the data using at least one of a password, encryption, tunneling or an address of the network management terminal.

21. A service provider network, comprising:

a switch fabric;

at least one service delivery unit having a memory that stores data for managing the at least one service delivery unit, the data including at least one of configuration data, monitoring data, billing data, diagnostic data and control data;

the at least one service delivery unit coupled to the switch fabric;

the at least one service delivery unit further providing at least one port that is coupleable to at least one local area network;

the at least one service delivery unit coupleable to a policy server that provides policies to the at least one service delivery unit to selectively allocate bandwidth in the switch fabric based on the policies stored in the policy server;

a network management station communicatively coupled to the at least one service delivery unit; and

wherein the at least one service delivery unit is configurable to allow the network management station to view selected portions of the data in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit to facilitate management of selected aspects of the at least one service delivery unit.

22. The network of claim 21, wherein the at least one service delivery unit uses passwords to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

23. The network of claim 21, wherein a secure connection is provided between the network management station and the at least one service delivery unit to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

24. The network of claim 21, wherein the at least one service delivery unit uses the address of the network management station to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

25. The network of claim 21, wherein tunneling between the network management station and the at least one service delivery unit is used to select viewable portions of the data in the memory for the network management station.

26. A service delivery unit, comprising:

a network interface port coupleable to a switch fabric;

a data port coupleable to at least one local area network;

a memory configured to store at least one of configuration data, control data, billing data, diagnostic data, and management data; and

a central processing unit, communicatively coupled to the network interface port, the data port and the memory, the central processing unit executing instructions to allow a first network management terminal to view a first, configurable portion of the data in the memory and to allow a second network management terminal to view a second, configurable portion of the data in the memory to allow shared management of the service delivery unit.

27. A method for providing bifurcated management of a network element, the method comprising:

monitoring operation of a telecommunications network at a network entity;

storing management data in a memory of the network entity;

allowing a first network management station of an enterprise network to view a first, configurable portion of the management data; and

allowing a second network management station of a service provider network to view a second, configurable portion of the management data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein allowing a first network management station of an enterprise network to view a first, configurable portion of the management data comprises using at least on of a password, encryption, tunneling or an address.

29. A service delivery unit, comprising:

a network interface port coupleable to a wide area network;

a data port coupleable to at least one local area network;

a memory configured to store data related to aspects of the management of the service delivery unit; and

a central processing unit, communicatively coupled to the network interface port, the data port and the memory, the central processing unit executing instructions to allow configurable access to the stored data to define a boundary between management by a service provider and management by an enterprise network.

30. A telecommunications network comprising:

at least one service delivery unit having a data port and a network interface port and a memory that stores data for managing the at least one service delivery unit;

the network interface port coupled to a switch fabric;

the data port coupleable to at least one local area network;

at least one service provider network management station communicatively coupled to the at least one service delivery unit; and

wherein the at least one service delivery unit is configurable to allow the service provider network management station to view selected portions of the data in the memory of the at least one service delivery unit, over a range from none of the data to all of the data in the memory, to facilitate shared-management of the at least one service delivery unit with an enterprise network management station.

31. An enterprise network, comprising:

a number of local area networks each coupleable to at least one network element of a service provider network; and

at least one enterprise network management terminal communicatively coupled to the at least one network element of the service provider network such that the enterprise network management terminal is operable to view a configurable portion of data stored in a memory of the at least one network element to facilitate shared management of the network element with at least one service provider network management terminal.

32. A service delivery unit, comprising:

a network interface port coupleable to a wide area network;

a data port coupleable to at least one local area network;

a memory configured to store data related to aspects of the management of the service delivery unit; and

a central processing unit, communicatively coupled to the network interface port, the data port and the memory, the central processing unit executing instructions to divide the stored data into a selected number of management domains to facilitate shared management of the service delivery unit between an enterprise network and a service provider network.