Configurable fault recovery policy for a computer system

• US 6,983,362 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2000
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Kidder, Joseph D., Sullivan, Jr., Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elamin, A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/574,352
• Time in Patent Office: 2,054 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 714/2, 714/3, 714/5, 714/7, 707/2, 707/6, 707/202, 707/5
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Computer systems and methods of data processing are disclosed in which fault/event management is carried out in accordance with a configurable fault recovery policy. In addition, computer systems and methods of data processing are disclosed in which hierarchical levels of fault management (or more generally “event” management) are provided in accordance with the configurable fault policy.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a default event policy defining responses to detected events indicative of selected faults,

a configurable event policy for modifying the default event policy to define responses to one or more of said detected events that are different than default responses, and

a hierarchical event management system using the default event policy and the configurable event policy to determine a required response to a particular event.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a configuration database, wherein the configurable event policy is stored within the configuration database.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the configuration database notifies one or more event managers of modifications made to the default event policy.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the default event policy and the configurable event policy include hierarchical descriptors.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system comprises a network device.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein events include resource consumption notifications.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein said resource comprises memory assigned to one or more applications.

8. A method of operating a computer network device comprising:

providing a default event policy;

providing a configurable event policy;

providing a hierarchical event management system using the default event policy and the configurable event policy to determine a required response to a particular event;

using the configurable event policy to modify the default event policy;

detecting an event indicative of any of a failure or a resource consumption notification;

responding to the detected event in accordance with the default event policy as modified by the configurable event policy; and

using the hierarchical event management system to implement an appropriate response.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein responding to the detected event includes:

taking actions less severe than those in the unmodified default policy.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein responding to the detected event includes:

taking actions more severe than those in the unmodified default policy.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein responding to the detected event includes:

taking different actions than those in the unmodified default policy.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein responding to the detected event includes:

taking new actions not defined in the unmodified default policy.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the default event policy and the configurable event policy include hierarchical descriptors.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the default event policy with the configurable event policy includes:

masking one or more particular events.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein masking one or more particular events includes:

taking actions less severe than those in the unmodified default policy.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a second configurable event policy;

modifying the default event policy with the second configurable event policy;

detecting an event; and

responding to the detected event in accordance with the default event policy as modified by the second configurable event policy.

17. In a network device, a fault management system, comprising:

a default event policy defining responses to selected events indicative of failures or resources usage,

a configurable event policy for augmenting said default policy with definitions of responses to events, indicative of failures or resource usage, other than those events identified in the default policy, and

a hierarchical event management system utilizing the default event policy and the configurable event policy to determine a required response to a particular event.