Method, system, and apparatus for utilizing device-specific diagnostic settings within a standard management platform

• US 7,114,099 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends International, LLC
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Vengateswaran, Ganesan, Rhea, Paul A., Righi, Stefano, Bhattacharjee, Saikat
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US10/352,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/31
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for performing a diagnostic test on one or more managed system elements. The system includes a managed system element upon which the diagnostic test may be performed, a diagnostic setting object, and a diagnostics control module. The diagnostic setting object is derived from an industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype and includes one or more properties specified by the prototype and a device-specific settings property identifying one or more settings for the diagnostic test specific to the managed system element. The diagnostics control module performs the diagnostic test on the managed system element and customizes the test according to the device-specific settings property in the diagnostic setting object. The diagnostic setting object may also include a precedence property that indicates whether the device-specific settings property should be utilized by the diagnostics control module rather than any default properties specified by the industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype.

Claims

1. A system for performing a diagnostic test on one or more managed system elements, the system comprising:

a managed system element upon which a diagnostic test may be performed;

a diagnostic setting object derived from an industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype, the diagnostic setting object comprising one or more properties for the diagnostic test specified by the industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype and a device-specific settings property identifying one or more properties for the diagnostic test specific to the managed system element; and

a diagnostics control module for performing the diagnostic test on the managed system element, the diagnostics control module operative to customize the diagnostic test according to the device-specific settings property.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more properties for the diagnostic test specified by the industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype include one or more default properties for the diagnostic test and wherein the diagnostic setting object further comprises a precedence property indicating whether the device-specific settings property should be utilized by the diagnostics control module rather than the default properties.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the diagnostics control module is further operative to determine whether the device-specific settings property or the default properties should be utilized based on the precedence property.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the device-specific settings property is expressed as a string containing extensible markup language.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the string includes extensible markup language elements identifying the managed system element.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the string includes extensible markup language elements identifying the diagnostics test.

7. A method for performing a diagnostic test on one or more managed system elements, the method comprising:

receiving the identity of a managed system element and a diagnostic test to be performed on the managed system element;

receiving the identity of a device-specific settings property for the diagnostic test specific to the managed system element;

determining whether to use the device-specific settings property for the diagnostic test specific to the managed system element or to use one or more properties for the diagnostic test specified by an industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype when performing the diagnostic test; and

executing a diagnostics control module for performing the diagnostic test on the managed system element, the diagnostics control module operative to customize the diagnostic test according to the device-specific settings property.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more properties for the diagnostic test specified by the industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype include one or more default properties for the diagnostic test and

wherein determining whether to use the device-specific diagnostic settings object specific to the managed system element or to use the one or more default properties when performing the diagnostic test further comprises examining a precedence property indicating whether the device-specific settings property should be utilized by the diagnostics control module rather than the default properties.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device-specific settings property is expressed as a string containing extensible markup language.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the string includes one or more extensible markup language elements identifying the managed system element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the string includes one or more extensible markup language elements identifying the diagnostics test.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 7.

13. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 7.

14. A computer-readable medium having an extensible markup language data structure stored thereon for use in performing a diagnostic test on a managed system element, the data structure comprising:

a device name tag identifying the device category of the managed system element;

a field name tag identifying the managed system element;

a test name tag identifying the diagnostic test;

one or more device-specific setting tags identifying one or more properties for the diagnostic test specific to the managed system element; and

the data structure being configured for use by a diagnostic setting object derived from an industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype, the diagnostic setting object comprising one or more properties for the diagnostic test specified by the industry-standard diagnostic setting object prototype and a device-specific settings property comprising the data structure.