Decentralized management architecture for a modular communication system
First Claim
1. A module for operating in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected modules including a base module and at least one non-base module, the module comprising:
- at least one management database; and
management/control logic, wherein the management/control logic comprises;
database interface logic operably coupled to the at least one management database for maintaining a number of module-specific objects and parameters and a number of stack-wide objects and parameters comprising at least one network management object, the stack-wide objects and parameters being common to the base module and the at least one non-base module;
management interface logic operably coupled to enable the management/control logic to communicate with a network manager;
inter-module communication logic operably coupled to enable the management/control logic to communicate with the plurality of interconnected modules;
local handlers operably coupled to process network management information received from the network manager via the management interface logic and from other interconnected modules via the inter-module communication logic, and to send network management information to the other interconnected modules; and
service logic operably coupled to receive a protocol message from the management interface logic and to direct the protocol message to the local handlers, if the module is the base module or the protocol message is not one of a number of protocol messages requiring synchronization or mutual exclusion among various interconnected modules, and direct the protocol message to the base module via the inter-module communication logic, if the module is a non-base module and the protocol message is one of the number of protocol messages requiring synchronization or mutual exclusion among various interconnected modules.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A decentralized management model enables a plurality of interconnected modules to be managed and controlled as an integrated unit without requiring any one of the interconnected modules to operate as a fully centralized manager. One of the interconnected modules is configured to operate as a base module, which coordinates certain network management operations among the interconnected modules. Each of the interconnected modules is capable of sending and receiving management and control information. Each of the interconnected modules maintains a segmented management database containing network management parameters that are specific to the particular module, and also maintains a shadowed management database containing network management parameters that are common to all of the interconnected modules in the stack. Management and control operations that do not require synchronization or mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules are typically handled by the module that receives a management/control request. Management and control operations that require synchronization or mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules are handled by the base module.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A module for operating in a communication system having a plurality of interconnected modules including a base module and at least one non-base module, the module comprising:
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at least one management database; and management/control logic, wherein the management/control logic comprises; database interface logic operably coupled to the at least one management database for maintaining a number of module-specific objects and parameters and a number of stack-wide objects and parameters comprising at least one network management object, the stack-wide objects and parameters being common to the base module and the at least one non-base module; management interface logic operably coupled to enable the management/control logic to communicate with a network manager; inter-module communication logic operably coupled to enable the management/control logic to communicate with the plurality of interconnected modules; local handlers operably coupled to process network management information received from the network manager via the management interface logic and from other interconnected modules via the inter-module communication logic, and to send network management information to the other interconnected modules; and service logic operably coupled to receive a protocol message from the management interface logic and to direct the protocol message to the local handlers, if the module is the base module or the protocol message is not one of a number of protocol messages requiring synchronization or mutual exclusion among various interconnected modules, and direct the protocol message to the base module via the inter-module communication logic, if the module is a non-base module and the protocol message is one of the number of protocol messages requiring synchronization or mutual exclusion among various interconnected modules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for managing a module operating among a plurality of interconnected modules including a base module and at least one non-base module, the computer program comprising:
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database interface logic programmed to maintain a number of module-specific objects and parameters and a number of stack-wide objects and parameters comprising at least one network management object in a management database, the stack-wide objects and parameters being common to the base module and the at least one non-base module; management interface logic programmed to communicate with a network manager; inter-module communication logic programmed to communicate with the plurality of interconnected modules; local handlers programmed to process network management information received from the network manager via the management interface logic and from the other interconnected modules via the inter-module communication logic, and to send network management information to the other interconnected module; and service logic programmed to receive a protocol message from the management interface logic and to direct the protocol message to the local handlers, if the module is the base module or the protocol message is not one of a number of protocol messages requiring synchronization of mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules, and to the base module via the inter-module communication logic, if the module is a non-base module and the protocol message is one of the number of protocol messages requiring synchronization or mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification