Method for efficiently extracting status information related to a device coupled to a network in a multi-protocol remote monitoring system

• US 7,533,167 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): England; David E
• Application Number:
  US10/460,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226, 710/15
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for efficiently extracting status information related to a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a network, including determining requested first status values to be obtained from the device using a first communication protocol among a plurality of communication protocols; determining requested second status values to be obtained from the device using a second communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols; accessing the device to extract the requested first status values using the first communication protocol; storing, in a device status map, each extracted first status value in association with a respective unique identifier; and accessing the device using the second communication protocol to extract those status values of the requested second status values not stored in the device status map.

Claims

1. A method of extracting status information related to a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a monitoring device through a network, the monitoring device monitors and controls the remotely monitored device, the method comprising:

determining, at the monitoring device, first status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a first communication protocol among a plurality of communication protocols;

determining, at the monitoring device, second status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a second communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols;

transmitting a request by the monitoring device to the remotely monitored device using the first communication protocol for a data string that contains status information of the remotely monitored device;

receiving by the monitoring device, in response to the request, the data string transmitted by the monitored device using the first communication protocol, wherein said data string is obtained from a MIB of the remotely monitored device or webpage from a server of the remotely monitored device;

extracting, by the monitoring device, the first status values from the data string by using a data structure that includes a string key, a tag based value indicating a position in the data string where the first status values are located, and a delimiter used to extract the first status values;

storing, in a storage unit at the monitoring device, each extracted first status value in association with a respective unique identifier;

comparing, by the monitoring device, the second status values to the first status values stored in the storage unit to check for redundancies;

storing, in a first data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the first status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the first communication protocol;

storing, in a second data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the second status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the second communication protocol;

deleting, from the list of the second status values at the monitoring device, those status values previously extracted from the remotely monitored device by use of the first communication protocol and stored in the storage unit; and

transmitting another request by the monitoring device to the remotely monitored device using the second communication protocol to request that the monitored device transmit the second status values not stored in the storage unit and included in the list of the second status values after the deleting to avoid extracting first status values already stored in the storage unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is SNMP and the second communication protocol is HTTP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting includes using position information included in a field of the data structure to determine which data string, relative to a previous data string, the first status values are located in.

4. A system for efficiently extracting status information, comprising:

a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a monitoring device through a network, the monitoring device monitors and controls the remotely monitored device;

the monitoring device including

a first data structure configured to store a list of first status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using a first communication protocol among a plurality of communication protocols,

a second data structure configured to store a list of second status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using a second communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols, and

a processor configured to (1) transmit a request to the remotely monitored device using the first communication protocol for a data string that contains status information of the remotely monitored device, (2) receive, in response to the request, the data string transmitted by the monitored device using the first communication protocol, wherein said data string is obtained from a MIB of the remotely monitored device or webpage from a server of the remotely monitored device, (3) extract the first status values from the data string by using a data structure that includes a string key, a tag based value indicating a position in the data string where the first status values are located, and a delimiter used to extract the firs status values, (4)store, in a storage unit, each extracted first status value in association with a respective unique identifier, (5) compare the second status values to the first status values stored in the storage unit to check for redundancies, (6)delete, from the list of the second status values at the monitored device, those status values previously extracted from the remotely monitored device by use of the first communication protocol and stored in the storage unit, and (7) transmit another request to the remotely monitored device using the second communication protocol to request that the monitored device transmit the second status values not stored in the storage unit and included in the list of the second status values after the deletion to avoid extracting first status values already stored in the storage unit.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first communication protocol is SNMP and the second communication protocol is HTTP.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to use position information included in a field of the data structure to determine which data string, relative to a previous data string, the first status values are located in.

7. A computer program product residing on a storage medium including instructions, which when executed by computer causes the computer to perform a method of extracting status information related to a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a monitoring device through a network, the monitoring device monitors and controls the remotely monitored device, the method comprising:

determining, at the monitoring device, first status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a first communication protocol among a plurality of communication protocols;

determining, at the monitoring device, second status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a second communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols;

transmitting a request by the monitoring device to the remotely monitored device using the first communication protocol for a data string that contains status information of the remotel monitored device;

receiving by the monitoring device, in response to the request, the data string transmitted by the monitored device using the first communication protocol, wherein said data string is obtained from a MIB of the remotely monitored device or webpage from a server of the remotely monitored device;

extracting, by the monitoring device, the first status values from the data string by using a data structure that includes a string key, a tag based value indicating a position in the data string where the first values are located, and a delimiter used to extract the first status values;

storing, in a storage unit at the monitoring device, each extracted first status value in association with a respective unique identifier;

comparing the second status values to the first status values stored in the storage unit to check for redundancies;

storing, in a first data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the first status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the first communication protocol;

storing, in a second data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the second status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the second communication protocol;

deleting, from the list of the second status values at the monitoring device, those status values previously extracted from the remotely monitored device by use of the first communication protocol and stored in the storage unit; and

transmitting another request by the monitoring device to the remotely monitored device using the second communication protocol to request that the monitored device transmit the second status values not stored in the storage unit and included in the list of the second status values after the deleting to avoid extracting first status values already stored in the storage unit.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol is SNMP and the second communication protocol is HTTP.

9. The computer program product of residing on the storage medium of claim 7, wherein the extracting includes using position information included in a field of the data structure to determine which data string, relative to a previous data string, the first status values are located in.

10. A system for extracting status information, comprising:

a remotely monitored device communicatively coupled to a monitoring device through a network, the monitoring devices monitors and controls the remotely monitored device;

the monitoring device includes

means for determining first status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a first communication protocol among a plurality of communication protocols,

means for determining second status values to be obtained from the remotely monitored device using a second communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols,

means for transmitting a request to the remotely monitored device using the first communication protocol for a data string that contains status information of the remotely monitored device;

means for receiving, in response to the request, the data string transmitted by the monitored device using the first communication protocol, wherein said data string is obtained from a MIB of the remotely monitored device or webpage from a server of the remotely monitored device;

means for extracting the first status values from the data string by using a data structure that includes a string key, a tag based value indicating a position in the data string where the first status values are located, and a delimiter used to extract the first status values;

means for storing, in a storage unit, each extracted first status value in association with a respective unique identifier;

means for comparing the second status values to the first status values stored in the storage unit to check for redundancies;

means for storing, in a first data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the first status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the first communication protocol;

means for storing, in a second data structure at the monitoring device, a list of the second status values that identify what status values can be obtained from the remotely monitored device by the monitoring device using the second communication protocol;

means for deleting, from the list of the second status values at the monitoring device, those status values previously extracted from the remotely monitored device by use of the first communication protocol and stored in the storage unit; and

means for transmitting another request to the remotely monitored device using the second communication protocol to request that the monitored device transmit the second status values not stored in the storage unit and included in the list of the second status values after the deleting to avoid extracting first status values already stored in the storage unit.