Alert management data infrastructure and configuration generator

• US 7,409,403 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Faraldo, David D. II
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US10/020,123
• Time in Patent Office: 2,471 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/102, 707/3, 707/5, 707/200, 707/2, 705/8, 705/14, 705/10, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/216, 713/200, 713/201, 715/513, 348/478, 718/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described for the generation of an alert configuration file. According to one embodiment, configuration information is stored in a relational database which a configuration generator uses to generate a text configuration file. The configuration information being stored in the relational database allows for access control and data validation. At periodic intervals, the text configuration file is compiled to reinitialize an alerts serve with the updated configuration information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

validating configuration information specified by at least one user for a plurality of business sites, the configuration information pertaining to alert messages to be sent to a plurality of destinations via a plurality of notification methods, the configuration information defining groups of destinations from the plurality of destinations to facilitate transmission of alert messages to destinations in a group via a single command;

storing the validated configuration information concerning the plurality of business sites in a database, wherein the database associates each of the plurality of destinations with one or more of the plurality of notification methods, and further associates each destination group with one or more of the plurality of the notification methods;

extracting at least a subset of the configuration information from the database based on an extraction parameter identifying one of the plurality of business sites; and

generating a text-based configuration file containing the extracted configuration information for the one of the plurality of business sites.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes configuration keyword information recognizable by a messaging application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the database is a relational database.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

configuring a messaging application using the configuration file.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodically generating additional text-based configuration files according to a schedule.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the database includes configuration information for the plurality of business sites across a plurality of networks.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information is used by at least one messaging application to transmit the alert messages to the plurality of destinations.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a contact.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a contact notification method.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a method type.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a contact group.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a contact group member.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a schedule.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a strategy.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information includes a pager type.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating at least one include file for a plurality of sections within the configuration file.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

compiling the configuration file into a compiled file at a later time.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating the configuration information stored in the database through a portal.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracting is performed over a secure communication pathway.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein validating configuration information comprises:

performing at least one of a referential check, a value validation check and a typographical error check.

21. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause said processor to perform a method comprising:

validating configuration information specified by at least one user for a plurality of business sites, the configuration information pertaining to alert messages to be sent to a plurality of destinations via a plurality of notification methods, the configuration information defining groups of destinations from the plurality of destinations to facilitate transmission of alert messages to destinations in a group via a single command;

storing the validated configuration information concerning the plurality of business sites in a database, wherein the database associates each of the plurality of destinations with one or more of the plurality of notification methods, and further associates each destination group with one or more of the plurality of the notification methods;

extracting at least a subset of the configuration information from the database based on an extraction parameter identifying one of the plurality of business sites; and

generating a text-based configuration file containing the extracted configuration information for the one of the plurality of business sites.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the configuration information includes configuration keyword information recognizable by a messaging application.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the database is a relational database.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises configuring a messaging application using the configuration file.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the generating of the text-based configuration file is performed periodically according to a schedule.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the database includes configuration information for the plurality of business sites across a plurality of networks.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the configuration information is used by at least one messaging application to transmit the alert messages to the plurality of destinations.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the configuration information includes a set of one or more contacts, contact notification methods, method types, contact groups, contact group members, schedules, strategies, and pager type.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

creating at least one include file for a plurality of sections within the configuration file.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

compiling the configuration file into a compiled file at a later time.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

updating the configuration information stored in the database through a portal.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the receiving is performed over a secure communication pathway.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a database to store configuration information pertaining to alert messages to be sent to a plurality of destinations via a plurality of notification methods, the configuration information being specified by at least one user for a plurality of business sites, the configuration information defining groups of destinations from the plurality of destinations to facilitate transmission of alert messages to destinations in a group via a single command, the database associating each of the plurality of destinations with one or more of the plurality of notification methods, and further associating each destination group with one or more of the plurality of the notification methods; and

a configuration generator to validate the configuration information to be saved in the database, to extract at least a subset of the configuration information over a communication pathway from the database based on an extraction parameter identifying one of the plurality of business sites, and to generate at least one text-based configuration file including the extracted configuration information for the one of the plurality of business sites.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

a portal to provide access to a user to update the configuration information.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the configuration information includes configuration keyword information recognizable by a messaging application.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the configuration information includes a set of one or more contacts, contact notification methods, method types, contact groups, contact group members, schedules, strategies, and pager type.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the database is a relational database.

38. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

a compiler to generate a binary configuration file after generation of the configuration file.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the generation of the binary configuration file is executed from a scheduling tool.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the scheduling tool is at least one from a group consisting of a windows scheduler or a unix cron.

41. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the configuration generator is further to generate at least one include file for a plurality of sections within the configuration file.

42. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the communication pathway is a secure communication pathway.

43. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device having a database to store configuration information pertaining to alert messages to be sent to a plurality of destinations via a plurality of notification methods, the configuration information being specified by at least one user for a plurality of business sites, the configuration information defining groups of destinations from the plurality of destinations to facilitate transmission of alert messages to destinations in a group via a single command, the database associating each of the plurality of destinations with one or more of the plurality of notification methods, and further associating each destination group with one or more of the plurality of the notification methods; and

a processor coupled with the storage device over a communications pathway, the processor to validate the configuration information to be saved in the database, to extract at least a subset of the configuration information from the database based on an extraction parameter identifying one of the plurality of business sites, and to generate at least one text-based configuration file including the extracted configuration information for the one of the plurality of business sites.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the configuration information includes configuration keyword information recognizable by a messaging application.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the configuration information includes a set of one or more contacts, contact notification methods, contact groups, schedules, strategies, and pager type.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the storage device is a relational database.

47. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising:

a compiler to generate a binary configuration file after generation of the configuration file.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the generation of the binary configuration file is executed from a scheduling tool.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the scheduling tool is one from a group consisting of a windows scheduler or a unix cron.

50. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the processor is further to generate at least one include file for a plurality of sections within the configuration file.

51. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein the communication pathway is a secure communications pathway.