System and method for converting management models to specific console interfaces

• US 7,065,744 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2002
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thorpe, James, Sweitzer, John W., Salahshoor, Mohamad R., Diller, John E., Hedstrom, Margaret M., Gay, James L., Barker, Kevin S., Persche, Carol J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan A.
• Application Number:
  US10/047,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 717100-109, 717113-117, 717174-178, 717/144, 717/147, 717/136, 717/120, 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/102, 707/103, 709223-224, 709/216, 709/246, 705/1, 705/7, 705/64, 715/264, 715/835
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

A system and method for converting management models to specific console interfaces is provided. A plug-in builder process is used to read a management definition object. The plug-in builder process derives display information and method information from the management definition object. Console interface information is used to take the management definition object and transform it into a format suitable for the selected consoles. The management definition object information includes information used to display tree nodes in a management console. The plug-in builder process retrieves methods from the management definition object that corresponds to the displayed nodes. In this manner, when a user selects a tree node from a management console, the method included in the management definition object that was written to support the displayed node is executed. National language files can be used by the plug-in builder process in order to support various national languages used by users.

Claims

1. A method of converting management models to one or more console interfaces, said method comprising:

receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selecting one of the identified object classes;

selecting one of the associations that include the selected object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

locating one or more second association corresponding to the identified target class;

determining a layout format based on the number of located second associations; and

creating an extension file that includes the the layout format and that is adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the management definition object includes a common information model managed object format file.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the extension file includes a plug-in file adapted to interface with the selected console interface.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the target class name in response to determining that there is one second association; and

displaying the association role in response to determining that there are more than one second associations.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving user interface data from the management definition object; and

generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the retrieved user interface data.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving user interface data from the management definition object;

converting the user interface data to one or more national languages;

storing the converted user interface data in one or more national language files;

selecting one of the national languages;

retrieving one of the national language files corresponding to the selected national language; and

generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the converted user interface data retrieved from the national language file.

7. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

creating a tree node displayable on a management console corresponding to the selected console interface;

creating a popup menu corresponding to the tree node, wherein the popup menu includes one or more menu selections; and

associating a method to each of the menu selections.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the generic management object includes a display panel that displays information regarding a program product, wherein the management definition object is adapted to manage the program product.

9. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

a nonvolatile storage area accessible by the processors; and

a conversion tool stored in the memory and executed by the processors for converting generic management data to specific console interfaces, the conversion tool including;

receiving logic for receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identification logic for identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieval logic for receiving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one or of the identified console algorithms;

identification logic for identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selection logic for selecting one of the identified object classes;

selection logic for selecting one of the associations that include the selected object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identification logic for identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

identification logic for locating one or more second associations corresponding to the identified target class;

layout determination logic for determining a layout format based on the number of located second associations; and

creation logic for creating an extension file that includes the layout format and that is adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface.

10. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the management definition object includes a common information model managed object format file.

11. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the extension file includes a plug-in file adapted to interface with the selected console interface.

12. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising:

display logic for displaying the target class name in response to determining that there is one second association and for displaying the association role in response to determining that there are more than one second associations.

13. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising:

retrieval logic for retrieving user interface data from the management definition object; and

code generation logic for generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the retrieved user interface data.

14. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising:

retrieval logic for retrieving user interface data from the management definition object;

conversion logic for converting the user interface data to one or more national languages;

storage logic for storing the converted user interface data in one or more national language files;

selection logic for selecting one of the national languages;

retrieval logic for retrieving one of the national language files corresponding to the selected national language; and

code generation logic for generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the converted user interface data retrieved from the national language file.

15. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising:

display logic for displaying a tree node on a management console corresponding to the selected console interface; and

display logic for displaying a popup menu corresponding to the tree node, wherein the popup menu includes one or more menu selections, and wherein each menu selection includes an associated method.

16. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the generic management object includes a display panel that displays information regarding a program product, wherein the management definition object is adapted to manage the program product.

17. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium that includes computer instructions that, when executed by a data processing system, causes the data processing system to perform actions that include:

receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selecting one of the identified object classes;

selecting one of the associations that include the selected object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

locating one or more second associations corresponding to the identified target class;

determining a layout format based on the number of located second associations; and

creating an extension file that includes the layout format and that is adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the management definition object includes a common information model managed object format file.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the extension file includes a plug-in file adapted to interface with the selected console interface.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 17 further comprising computer instructions that perform actions that include:

displaying the target class name in response to determining that there is one second association; and

displaying the association role in response to determining that there are more than one second associations.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 17 further comprising computer instructions that perform actions that include:

retrieving user interface data from the management definition object; and

generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the retrieved user interface data.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 17 further comprising computer instructions that perform actions that include:

retrieving user interface data from the management definition object;

converting the user interface data to one or more national languages;

storing the converted user interface data in one or more national language files;

selecting one of the national languages;

retrieving one of the national language files corresponding to the selected national language; and

generating one or more graphical user interfaces using the converted user interface data retrieved from the national language file.

23. The computer program product as described in claim 17 further comprising computer instructions that perform actions that include:

creating a tree node displayable on a management console corresponding to the selected console interface;

creating a popup menu corresponding to the tree node, wherein the popup menu includes one or more menu selections; and

associating a method to each of the menu selections.

24. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the generic management object includes a display panel that displays information regarding a program product, wherein the management definition object is adapted to manage the program product.

25. A method of converting management models to one or more console interfaces, said method comprising:

receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

creating an extension file adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface, the extension file including a layout format;

identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selecting one of the identified object classes;

selecting one of the associations that include the object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

locating one or more second associations corresponding to the identified target class; and

determining the layout format based on the number of located second associations.

26. A method of converting management models to one or more console interfaces, said method comprising:

receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

creating an extension file adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface, the extension file including one or more graphical user interfaces;

retrieving user interface data from the management definition object;

converting the user interface data to one or more national languages, wherein the national languages are specified in one or more classes included in the management definition object;

storing the converted user interface data in one or more national language files;

selecting one of the national languages;

retrieving one of the national language files corresponding to the selected national language; and

generating one or more of the graphical user interfaces using the converted user interface data retrieved from the national language file.

27. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by the processors;

a nonvolatile storage area accessible by the processors; and

a conversion tool stored in the memory and executed by the processors for converting generic management data to specific console interfaces, the conversion tool including;

receiving logic for receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identification logic for identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieval logic for receiving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

creation logic for creating an extension file adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface, the extension file including a layout format;

identification logic for identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selection logic for selecting one of the identified object classes and for selecting one of the associations that include the object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identification logic for identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

location logic for locating one or more second associations corresponding to the identified target class;

determination logic for determining the layout format based on the number of located second associations; and

display logic for displaying the target class name in the layout format in response to determining that there is one second association and for displaying the association role in response to determining that there are more than one second associations.

28. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium that includes computer instructions that, when executed by a data processing system, causes the data processing system to perform actions that include:

receiving a console selection corresponding to one of the console interfaces;

identifying one or more console algorithms corresponding to the console selection;

retrieving a generic management object from a management definition object that corresponds to at least one of the identified console algorithms;

creating an extension file adapted to perform the generic management object on the selected console interface, the extension file including a layout format;

identifying one or more object classes and one or more object associations that include the object classes based on the retrieved generic management object;

selecting one of the object classes;

selecting one of the identified associations that include the object class, wherein the association includes a simple association;

identifying one or more target classes corresponding to the selected association;

locating one or more second associations corresponding to the identified target class;

determining a layout format based on the number of located second associations;

displaying the target class name in the layout format in response to determining that there is one second association; and

displaying the association role in the layout format in response to determining that there are more than one second associations.