Method and system for management of multiple network resources

• US 7,299,274 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rajarajan, Vij, Ganesan, Anandha, Hayes, Andrew, Kiernan, Casey, MacMahon, Mel, Zimnicks, Audrius, Bhatia, Brijesh, Robison, Jeff, Nedungadi, Kishnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US10/014,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,170 Days
• Field of Search: 709/104, 709/203, 709/217, 709220-226, 709/229, 719/315, 719/316
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 : Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 : Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/969 : Network layout and operation interface

Abstract

A method and system for management of a plurality of resources in a network environment. The system uses web technology, preferably XML-technology, to receive and store information related to back-end resources and to provide a framework by which client computer systems can manage the plurality of back-end resources in a uniform manner. Using these communications, the management system uniformly associates information from the various resources via various multi-step, scenario-based functions, such as, for example, searches, monitoring, scripting, software deployment, etc. That is, the management system is able to provide easier, higher-level operation options to the administrator based on the associated information related to the various resources.

Claims

1. A distributed system for managing two or more resources, the distributed system comprising:

one or more objects, the one or more objects comprising information;

two or more resources, wherein each resource is operable to manage the information of one or more objects, the two or more resources comprising one or more resources of differing type;

two or more datastores, each datastore in electrical communication with one of the resources, each datastore storing objects associated with an associated resource;

a management module in communication with the two or more resources;

the management module operable to receive a request to access information from one or more of the resources, the management module operable to access the information from the one or more resources;

wherein two or more resources, of differing type, manage the information of a same object;

wherein the information relates to one or more clients that use the two or more resources;

wherein each object comprises;

one or more attributes, each attribute having a data field and a value;

one or more associated tasks that may be performed on the object; and

wherein the management module accesses attribute and task information from the associated resources in response to a request to access information.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein the management module comprises a configuration manager for receiving information from two or more resources and a configuration store for storing predetermined information for the two or more resources.

3. A system as defined in claim 2 wherein the configuration manager installs resources such that the management module can modify configuration information for the two or more resources.

4. A system as defined in claim 3 wherein each of the resources provides information to the configuration manager in XML format.

5. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein the attribute information for an object is provided by more than one resource.

6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein each object is defined by a property sheet and the attribute information is a property page in the property sheet.

7. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein the task information for an object is provided by more than one resource.

8. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein each object is defined by a property sheet and the task information is in a property page associated with the property sheet.

9. A system as defined in claim 5 further comprising:

a configuration manager for receiving and storing information from two or more resources relating to managed objects; and

a property sheet manager for receiving and storing property sheet information related to managed objects.

10. A system as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a configuration manager for receiving information from two or more resources, each resource having associated objects;

a configuration store for storing predetermined information for the two or more resources; and

a search manager adapted to receive predetermined search information from the two or more resources;

a search data store adapted to store predetermined search information for the two or more resources; and

wherein the search manager searches the two or more resources in response to a single search request.

11. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein the management layer further comprises:

a configuration manager for receiving information from two or more resources, each resource having associated objects;

a configuration store for storing predetermined information for the two or more resources; and

a task manager, wherein the task manager receives task information from the configuration manager related to tasks that may be completed in managing the two or more resources.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the two or more resources comprises one of printer, workstation, server, databases, security systems, email account, or user account.

13. A method of managing a two or more resources, each resource having one or more managed objects, wherein each of the one or more managed objects has associated attribute and task information, the method comprising:

receiving information from a first resource related to attribute information for one or more associated tasks that may be performed on the first managed object for a first managed object;

storing the information received from the first resource with the first managed object;

receiving information from a second resource related to attribute information for one or more associated tasks that may be performed on the first managed object for the first managed object, wherein the second resource is a different type than the first resource;

separately storing the information received from the second resource with the information received from the first resource in association with the first managed object;

receiving a request to access information related to the first managed object;

upon receiving the request to access information related to the first managed object, accessing the first managed object; and

retrieving, from the accessed object, information stored by the first resource and separately stored by the second resource;

wherein the attribute information of the accessed object includes a data field and a value;

wherein the retrieved information includes attribute information and task information from the first resource and second resource in response to a request to access information.

14. A method as defined in claim 13 wherein the information received from the first resource comprises a first property page and wherein the information received from the second resource comprises a second property page and wherein the method further comprises:

creating a property sheet for the first managed object;

associating the first property page with the property sheet; and

associating the second property page with the property sheet.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a search request from a client computer system; and

searching two or more resources in response to the single search request using information associated with the property sheet.

16. A method as defined in claim 15 further comprising the act of sharing search information between resources.

17. A method as defined in claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a task request from a client computer system; and

in response to the task request, requesting task completion from two or more resources.

18. A method as defined in claim 17 wherein the act of requesting task completion from two or more resources comprises:

identifying two or more resources to configure in response to the task request; and

performing the task by accessing the two or more resources identified to perform a task from a client'"'"'s computer system.

19. A method as defined in claim 13 wherein the act of receiving information from the first and second resources is performed by a configuration manager and wherein the method further comprises:

notifying a search manager that search information has been received.

20. A method as defined in claim 13 wherein the act of receiving information from the first and second resources is performed by a configuration manager and wherein the method further comprises:

notifying a task manager that search information has been received.