Generic and dynamic mapping of abstract syntax notation (ASN1) to and from interface definition language for network management

• US 6,915,324 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2000
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Angal, Rajeev, Allavarpu, Sai V.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/556,069
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/200, 709/203, 709/313, 717/146, 717/100, 717/120, 707/101, 707/102, 345/700, 345/733, 345/734, 345/736
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]

Abstract

A system and method for generic and dynamic mapping of managed object metadata. The data to be mapped may include type information about an attribute, action, or notification of a managed object. The first data type is entered into the mapping system, and then a corresponding second data type is determined and returned. In this manner, data types related to the attributes, events, or other parameters of managed objects are converted between various data description languages, such as OMG IDL and ASN1. A single interface is defined to describe substantially all data types and all managed objects. Having a single object interface for all TMN managed objects saves significant resources in that there is no need to statically compile and store separate interfaces for the many objects, which may increase the scalability of a network management system dramatically.

Claims

1. A method for mapping managed object metadata, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of communications each pertaining to a different one of a plurality of managed objects from a management server for the managed objects, wherein each communication comprises data typed according to an abstract syntax notation, wherein respective communications pertaining to each of two or more of the plurality of managed objects comprise differently typed data; and

accessing a converter interface for each communication for converting the abstract syntax notation data types of each communication to interface definition language data types, wherein the same converter interface is accessed for each of the managed objects such that said converting is generic to the managed objects, wherein said converting comprises;

inputting a first data type from a first set of data types, wherein the first set of data types is expressed in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises a language for describing data;

determining a corresponding second data type from a second set of data types, wherein the second set of data types is expressed in the interface definition language, wherein the interface definition language comprises a language for implementing interfaces to managed objects, wherein the interface definition language is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages, and wherein the interface definition language is class independent; and

returning the second data type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a telephone system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a network switch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises type information about an attribute of one of the managed objects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises type information about an action of one of the managed objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises type information about a notification of one of the managed objects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data type comprises a primitive data type in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the second data type comprises a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the second data type comprises a sequence of a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation, wherein the second data type comprises a choice structure of the interface definition language, and wherein the choice structure comprises:

a generic value field;

a plurality of data types; and

a selector, wherein the selector is an index whose value determines which of the plurality of data types is used to interpret the value in the generic value field.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Abstract Syntax Notation One.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Guidelines for Managed Objects (GDMO).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface definition language is operable to provide a mapping which is applicable to any managed object class.

13. A method for mapping managed object metadata, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of communications each pertaining to a different one of a plurality of managed objects from a manager for the managed objects, wherein each communication comprises data typed according to an interface definition language, wherein respective communications pertaining to each of two or more of the plurality of managed objects comprise differently typed data;

accessing a converter interface for each communication for converting the interface definition language data types of each communication to abstract syntax notation data types, wherein the same converter interface is accessed for each of the managed objects such that said converting is generic to the managed objects, wherein said converting comprises;

inputting a first data type from a first set of data types, wherein the first set of data types is expressed in the interface definition language, wherein the interface definition language comprises a language for implementing interfaces to managed objects, wherein the interface definition language is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages, and wherein the interface definition language is operable to provide a mapping which is applicable to any managed object class;

determining a corresponding second data type from a second set of data types, wherein the second set of data types is expressed in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises a language for describing data; and

returning the second data type.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a telephone system.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a network switch.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises type information about an attribute of one of the managed objects.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises type information about an action of one of the managed objects.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises type information about a notification of one of the managed objects.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data type comprises a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language, and wherein the second data type comprises a primitive data type in the abstract syntax notation.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data type comprises a sequence of a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language, and wherein the second data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data type comprises a choice structure of the interface definition language, wherein the choice structure comprises:

a generic value field;

a plurality of data types; and

a selector, wherein the selector is an index whose value determines which of the plurality of data types is used to interpret the value in the generic value field; and

wherein the second data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Abstract Syntax Notation One.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Guidelines for Managed Objects (GDMO).

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface definition language is operable to provide a mapping which is applicable to any managed object class.

25. A computer system for mapping managed object metadata, wherein the system comprises:

a CPU;

a memory coupled to the CPU, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the CPU, and wherein the program instructions are executable to implement a generic converter for converting abstract syntax notation data types to interface definition language data types for metadata pertaining to a plurality of different managed objects, wherein respective metadata pertaining to two or more of the plurality of different managed objects comprises different abstract syntax notation data types, wherein the same converter interface is accessed for each of the managed objects, wherein the generic converter is configured to;

input a first data type from a first set of data types, wherein the first set of data types is expressed in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises a language for describing object data;

determine a corresponding second data type from a second set of data types, wherein the second set of data types is expressed in the interface definition language, wherein the interface definition language comprises a language for implementing interfaces to managed objects, wherein the interface definition language is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages, and wherein the data types in the interface definition language are class independent; and

return the second data type.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a telephone system.

27. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the managed object metadata comprises metadata concerning a network switch.

28. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Abstract Syntax Notation One.

29. The computer system of claim 25, wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises Guidelines for Managed Objects (GDMO).

30. The computer system of claim 25, wherein in determining the corresponding second data type from the second set of data types, the program instructions are executable to look up the second data type in one or more lookup tables.

31. A carrier medium comprising program instructions for mapping managed object metadata, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

receiving a plurality of communications each pertaining to a different one of a plurality of managed objects from a management server for the managed objects, wherein each communication comprises data typed according to an abstract syntax notation, wherein respective communications pertaining to each of two or more of the plurality of managed objects comprise differently typed data;

accessing a converter interface for each communication for converting the abstract syntax notation data types of each communication to interface definition language data types, wherein the same converter interface is accessed for each of the managed objects such that said converting is generic to the managed objects, wherein said converting comprises;

inputting a first data type from a first set of data types, wherein the first set of data types is expressed in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises a language for describing data;

determining a corresponding second data type from a second set of data types, wherein the second set of data types is expressed in the interface definition language, wherein the interface definition language comprises a language for implementing interfaces to managed objects, wherein the interface definition language is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages, and wherein the interface definition language is class independent; and

returning the second data type.

32. The carrier medium of claim 31, wherein the first data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the second data type comprises a sequence of a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language.

33. A carrier medium comprising program instructions for mapping managed object metadata, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

receiving a plurality of communications each pertaining to a different one of a plurality of managed objects from a manager for the managed objects, wherein each communication comprises data typed according to an interface definition language, wherein respective communications pertaining to each of two or more of the plurality of managed objects each comprise differently typed data;

accessing a converter interface for each communication for converting the interface definition language data types of each communication to abstract syntax notation data types, wherein the same converter interface is accessed for each of the managed objects such that said converting is generic to the managed objects, wherein said converting comprises;

inputting a first data type from a first set of data types, wherein the first set of data types is expressed in the interface definition language, wherein the interface definition language comprises a language for implementing interfaces to managed objects, wherein the interface definition language is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages, and wherein the interface definition language is operable to provide a mapping which is applicable to any managed object class;

determining a corresponding second data type from a second set of data types, wherein the second set of data types is expressed in the abstract syntax notation, and wherein the abstract syntax notation comprises a language for describing data; and

returning the second data type.

34. The carrier medium of claim 33, wherein the first data type comprises a sequence of a generic primitive data type in the interface definition language, and wherein the second data type comprises an object data type in the abstract syntax notation.