Method and system for broadcasting alarm messages to selected users of an IP network

• US 7,136,919 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Foncarnier, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Philip C.
• Application Number:
  US09/407,738
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 707/513, 340/506
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system broadcast alarm messages from a server to a list of users among a plurality of multi-platform users sharing the server in a data transmission network which operates under Internet Protocol (IP) and uses the Java language. The system comprises a profile table containing the profiles of each user, a processing unit and a message sender enabling an administrator associated with the server to transmit alarm messages to the users of the list wherein the users have been selected by selecting profiles in the profile table. The alarm messages are displayed on the screen of the workstation associated with each selected user if this workstation is running.

Claims

1. System for broadcasting alarm messages from a server to a list of users among a plurality of multi-platform users sharing the server in a data transmission network operating under Internet Protocol (IP) and using Java language, said system being characterized in that it comprises:

a profile table containing profiles of each one of said plurality of users; and

processing and transmitting means enabling an administrator associated with said server to transmit alarm messages to the list of users wherein said users have been selected from said profile table, said alarm messages being displayed on a screen of a workstation associated with each selected user if said workstation is running, wherein said processing and transmitting means comprise a processing unit operating under the control of a Java alarm program and a message sender transmitting directly said alarm messages over said network.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm messages are written and manually sent by the administrator when necessary.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm messages previously written by the administrator are automatically sent by said processing and transmitting means at the occurrence of a condition or an event.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent when any specific resource monitored by a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) via a SNMP interface comes down or becomes unavailable.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent at the occurrence of an event scheduled in an alarm scheduler by said administrator.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said alarm messages are standalone alarm functions used to detect when said server is out of work.

19. The system according to claim 1, said system being characterized in that it further comprises:

selection means for selecting, in response to a condition or an event, a list of users based on profile information in the profile table wherein the list of users is a subset of the plurality of users.

7. A method of broadcasting alarm messages from a server to a list of users among a plurality of multi-platform users sharing the server in a data transmission network operating under Internet protocol (IP) and using Java, comprising the steps of:

profiling in a profile table each one of said plurality of users;

processing an alarm message by an administrator associated with the server; and

transmitting said alarm message to the list of users wherein said users have been selected from said profile table, said alarm message being displayed on a screen of a workstation associated with each selected user if said workstation is on, wherein said steps of processing and transmitting comprise operating a processing unit under the control of a Java alarm program and a message sender transmitting directly said alarm messages over said network.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said alarm messages are written and manually sent by the administrator when necessary.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein alarm messages previously written by the administrator are automatically sent at the occurrence of a condition or an event.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent when any specific resource monitored by a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) via a SNMP interface comes down or is unavailable.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent at the occurrence of an event scheduled in an alarm scheduler by said administrator.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein said alarm messages are standalone alarm functions used to detect when said server is out of work.

20. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

selecting, in response to a condition or an event, a list of users based on profile information in the profile table wherein the list of users is a subset of the plurality of users.

13. A computer program product recorded on computer readable medium for broadcasting alarm messages from a server to a list of users among a plurality of multi-platform users sharing the server in a data transmission network operating under Internet Protocol (IP) and using Java language, comprising:

computer readable means for creating a profile table containing profiles of each one of said plurality of users; and

computer readable means for processing and for transmitting to enable an administrator associated with said server to transmit alarm messages to the list of users wherein said users have been selected from said profile table, said alarm messages being displayed on a screen of a workstation with each selected user if said workstation is running, wherein said computer readable means for processing and for transmitting comprise a processing unit operating under the control of a Java alarm program and a message sender transmitting directly said alarm messages over said network.

14. The program product according to claim 13, wherein said alarm messages are written and manually sent by the administrator when necessary.

15. The program product according to claim 13, wherein said alarm messages previously written by the administrator are automatically sent by said computer readable means for processing and for transmitting at the occurrence of a condition or an event.

16. The program product according to claim 15, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent when any specific resource monitored by a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) via a SNMP interface comes down or becomes unavailable.

17. The program product according to claim 15, wherein said alarm messages are automatically sent at the occurrence of an event scheduled in an alarm scheduler by said administrator.

18. The program product according to claim 13, wherein said alarm messages are standalone alarm functions used to detect when said server is out of work.

21. The program product according to claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable means for selecting, in response to a condition or an event, a list of users based on profile information in the profile table wherein the list of users is a subset of the plurality of users.