Embedded database for computer system management

• US 7,051,097 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Pecina, Chrisine
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US09/574,435
• Time in Patent Office: 2,194 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709220-226, 709217-219, 707/10, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention provides a network device having an internal configuration database process for managing configuration of internal resources within the network device in response to configuration input provided by an external Network Management System (NMS) process. In one aspect, the invention provides a communications system having a network device, and a computer system. The network device includes an internal configuration database process for managing configuration of internal resources within the device. The computer system includes an input mechanism for receiving configuration input data from a network manager, and an NMS process for responding to the configuration input data and for sending configuration data to the configuration database process within the network device, where the configuration database process within the network device configures internal resources of the network device in response to the configuration data received from the NMS.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a network device comprising;

an internal configuration database for managing configuration of internal resources within the network device;

a computer system comprising;

an input mechanism for receiving configuration input data from a network manager; and

a Network Management System (NMS) process for responding to the configuration input data and for sending configuration data to the configuration database within the network device;

an NMS database maintained on said computer system in synchrony with said internal configuration database of the network device;

wherein the configuration database process within the network device configures internal resources of the network device in response to the configuration data received from the NMS and wherein the configuration database supports an active query feature and the NMS database is configured to establish an active query for all records within the configuration database to synchronize the NMS database with the configuration database and wherein for any change to the configuration data stored by the configuration database, the configuration database sends a notification of the chance to the NMS database within the computer system to synchronize the NMS database with the configuration database,

wherein said internal configuration database process utilizes assigned process identification numbers for flexible naming of said network device that allows applications to use data in the configuration database to determine the names of other applications and configurable objects, wherein the re-start or upgrade of said network device or one of said plurality of modular processes is transparent to other said plurality of modular processes, with the exception of being notified of new process identification numbers.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the internal NMS database comprises a process for tracking configuration information stored by the configuration database within the network device.

3. The communications system of claim 2, wherein the change notification sent to the NMS database by the configuration database includes data representing the change to the configuration data.

4. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the NMS process communicates with the configuration database through a standard database protocol.

5. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the NMS process also communicates with the NMS database through the standard database protocol.

6. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the standard database protocol comprises a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) protocol.

7. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprises a workstation.

8. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the computer system comprises a personal computer.

9. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the network device is a switch.

10. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the network device is a router.

11. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the network device is a hybrid switch-router.

15. The network system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said processes establishes an active query with the internal configuration database to receive a notification therefrom upon occurrence of one or more changes in said internal database.

12. A method of configuring a network device, comprising:

receiving configuration input data from a network manager through an input mechanism on a computer system independent of the network device,

assigning process identification numbers for flexible naming of said network device that allows applications to use data in the configuration database to determine the names of other applications and configurable objects, wherein the re-start or upgrade of said network device or one of a plurality of modular processes is transparent to other said plurality of modular processes,

operating on the received configuration input data to generate configuration data;

sending the configuration data to a configuration database process within the network device for storage in a configuration database;

configuring internal resources within the network device in response to the generated configuration data,

maintaining an NMS database within said network manager in synchronization with said configuration database,

establishing an active query for all records within the configuration database for the NMS database, and

sending notifications of changes to data stored within the configuration database to a Network Management System (NMS) database process executing on the computer system to synchronize the NMS database with the configuration database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sending the generated configuration data to the configuration database process includes using a standard database protocol.

14. A network system comprising:

an internal configuration database process for managing configuration of internal resources within a network device in response to configuration input provided by an external Network Management System (NMS),

a plurality of modular processes executing on said network device that communicate with the internal configuration database to access configuration data, wherein the processes use the configuration data to modify execution behavior,

a database maintained by said external NMS for storing a copy of data contains in said internal configuration database,

wherein said internal configuration database supports an active query feature and the NMS database is configured to establish an active query for one or more records within the internal configuration database such that the internal database sends a notification to the NMS database upon occurrence of a change in any of said records so as to synchronize the NMS database with the internal configuration database,

wherein said internal configuration database process utilizes assigned process identification numbers for flexible naming of said network device that allows applications to use data in the configuration database to determine the names of other applications and configurable objects, wherein the re-start or upgrade of said network device or one of said plurality of modular processes is transparent to other said plurality of modular processes, with the exception of being notified of new process identification numbers.