Enterprise management system and method which includes a common enterprise-wide namespace and prototype-based hierarchical inheritance

• US 6,895,586 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Brasher, Michael Eugene, Huebner, Roger Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/651,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/202, 709/226, 709/214, 709/201, 709/203, 719313-318
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/463 Naming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4553 Object oriented directories, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA] name server

Abstract

A system and method for providing an improved namespace and object description system for enterprise management are disclosed. The system and method employ a hierarchical namespace with objects including prototypes and instances where an instance inherits traits from a prototype, such as attribute values and/or child objects.

Claims

1. A method for managing an enterprise, wherein the enterprise comprises one or more networked computer systems, the method comprising:

providing a hierarchical namespace;

adding a plurality of objects to the namespace, wherein the objects relate to software and hardware of the one or more computer systems;

sharing the plurality of objects with a plurality of the one or more computer system, wherein at least one of the objects is a prototype and at least one of the objects is an instance, wherein the instance dynamically inherits traits from the prototype; and

wherein the values of the traits inherited from the prototype change dynamically.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein sharing the plurality of objects with the plurality of the one or more computer systems further comprises sharing data and events with the plurality of the one or more computer systems.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein sharing the plurality of objects with the plurality of the one or more computer systems further comprises mounting local objects and remote objects.

4. The method of claim 1,

defining an association of a plurality of objects which specifics a relationship between the objects.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the inherited traits comprise child objects.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the inherited traits comprise attribute values and child objects.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein each computer system of the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems stores an agent application, wherein the agent application is configurable to monitor the software and hardware of a computer system.

8. A method for managing an enterprise, wherein the enterprise comprises one or more networked computer systems, the method comprising:

distributing a plurality of objects across the one or more networked computer systems of the enterprise, wherein the objects relate to software and hardware of the one or more computer systems of the enterprise;

creating a namespace, wherein the namespace comprises a logical arrangement of the objects stored hierarchically;

sharing the namespace with the one or more computer systems of the enterprise, comprising sharing the objects with the one or more computer systems of the enterprise;

wherein at least one of the objects is a prototype and at least one of the objects is an instance, wherein the instance dynamically inherits traits from the prototype; and

wherein the values of the traits inherited from the prototype change dynamically.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein sharing the namespace with the one or more computer systems of the enterprise further comprises sharing data and events with te one or more computer systems of the enterprise.

10. The method of claim 8,

wherein sharing the namespace with the one or more computer systems of the enterprise further comprises mounting local objects and remote objects.

11. The method of claim 8,

wherein the inherited traits comprise child objects.

12. The method of claim 8,

wherein the inherited traits comprise attribute values and child objects.

13. The method of claim 8,

wherein each computer system of the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems stores an agent application, wherein the agent application is configurable to monitor the software and hardware of a computer system.

14. An application programming interface for managing an enterprise, wherein the application programming interface enables a first application to:

share a plurality of objects stored in a hierarchical namespace with a plurality of other applications;

designate a prototype, wherein the prototype is one of the plurality of objects;

designate an instance, wherein the instance is one of the plurality of objects, and wherein the instance dynamically inherits traits from the prototype; and

wherein the values of the traits inherited from the prototype change dynamically.

15. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein in enabling the first application to share the plurality of objects with a plurality of other applications, the application programming interface further enables the first application to share data and events with the plurality of other applications.

16. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein in enabling the first application to share the plurality of objects with a plurality of other applications, the application programming interface further enables the first application to mount local objects and remote objects.

17. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein the inherited traits comprise child objects.

18. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein the inherited traits comprise attribute values and child objects.

19. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein the first application and the plurality of other applications comprise agent applications, wherein each of the agent applications is configurable to monitor the software and hardware of a computer system.

20. The application programming interface of claim 14,

wherein the first application and the other applications are located on a plurality of networked computer systems.

21. A system for managing an enterprise, the system comprising:

one or more networked computer systems, wherein each of the networked computer systems comprises;

a CPU;

a system memory coupled to the CPU, wherein the system memory stores a plurality of objects in a hierarchical namespace, wherein the objects relate to software and hardware of the one or more networked computer systems;

wherein the system memory stores program instructions executable by the CPU, wherein the program instructions are executable to share the objects with a plurality of the one or more networked computer systems;

wherein the system memory of at least one of the networked computer systems stores;

a prototype, wherein the prototype is one of the plurality of objects stored in the system memory;

an instance, wherein the instance is one of the plurality of objects stored in the system memory, wherein the instance dynamically inherits traits from the prototype, and wherein the values of the traits inherited from the prototype change dynamically.

22. The system of claim 21,

wherein in sharing the objects with the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems, the program instructions are further executable to share data and events with the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems.

23. The system of claim 21,

wherein in sharing the objects with the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems, the program instructions are further executable to mount local objects and remote objects.

24. The system of claim 21,

wherein the system memory further stores an association of a plurality of objects which specifies a relationship between the objects.

26. The system of claim 21,

wherein the inherited traits comprise attribute values and child objects.

27. The system of claim 21,

wherein the system memory of each of the networked computer systems stores an agent application, wherein the agent application is configurable to monitor the software and hardware of a computer system.

25. The system of clam 21,

wherein the inherited traits comprise child objects.

28. A carrier medium comprising program instructions for managing an enterprise, wherein the enterprise comprises one or more networked computers, wherein the program instructions comprising instructions to:

provide a hierarchical namespace;

add a plurality of objects to the namespace, wherein the objects relate to software and hardware of the one or more computer systems;

share the plurality of objects with a plurality of the one or more computer systems, wherein at least one of the objects is a prototype and at least one of the objects is an instance, wherein the instance inherits traits from the prototype; and

wherein the values of the traits inherited from the prototype change dynamically.

29. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the instructions to share the plurality of objects with the plurality of the one or more computer systems, further comprising program instructions executable to implement sharing data and events with the plurality of the one or more computer systems.

30. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the instructions to share the plurality of objects with the plurality of the one or more computer systems, further comprising program instructions executable to implement mounting local objects and remote objects.

31. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the inherited traits comprise child objects.

32. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the inherited traits comprise attribute values and child objects.

33. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein each computer system of the plurality of the one or more networked computer systems stores an agent application, wherein the agent application is executable to monitor the software and hardware of a computer system.

34. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the carrier medium comprises a memory medium.

35. The carrier medium of claim 28,

wherein the carrier medium comprises a transmission medium.