Information management system, information management apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

• US 7,761,520 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fujimori, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gupta; Muktesh G
• Application Number:
  US11/020,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 726/6, 709/206, 709/220, 709/224, 370/252
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• 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

Abstract

A server system has a function to send management information in response to a management information transmission order from an external manager as well as relates to a server which is a component of the server system. It is capable of acquiring object management information by specifying the same object ID both when a manager acquires server management information via a management section and when the manager instructs a server directly to send management information. Not only the management section, but also the servers use SNMP proxy functions. Also, the same objects as those defined in the MIB tree of the management section are defined in the MIB tree of each server and SNMP proxy settings are made for each server in such a way as to convert the OIDs of the defined objects into desired OIDs in the MIB tree of the server itself.

Claims

1. An information management system comprising:

at least one information processing apparatus; and

a management information acquiring apparatus which acquires management information stored in the at least one of information processing apparatuses;

each information processing apparatus including at least the following,

a management information acquisition section to acquire management information stored in the information processing apparatus, and

a communications section to receive a management information transmission order containing a first ID and a management information transmission order containing a second ID,

the first ID being an ID of a requested object and including an ID of the information processing apparatus, the ID of the information processing apparatus being usable to distinguish the information processing apparatus from another one of the at least one information processing apparatus,

the second ID being an ID of the requested object and including an ID of a common information processing apparatus, the ID of the common information processing apparatus not being usable to distinguish between the information processing apparatuses, and

a first ID conversion section to convert the first ID into the second ID which represents the same requested object represented by the first ID,

the management information acquisition section acquires the management information, which is the requested object identified by the second ID, and

the communications section sends the management information acquired by the management information acquisition section to an orderer of the management information,

the management information acquiring apparatus including at least the following,

a first communications section to receive a management information transmission order containing a third ID from an external manager,

the third ID being an ID of the requested object and including an ID of one of the at least one information processing apparatus,

a second ID conversion section to convert the third ID contained in a management information transmission order received by the first communications section into the second ID, and

a second communications section to send a management information transmission order containing the second ID obtained by the second ID conversion section to the one of the at least one information processing apparatus and to receive management information returned from the one of the least one information processing apparatus,

the first communications section sends the management information received by the second communications section to the external manager which is the orderer of the management information, and

the communications section of each of the at least one information processing apparatus is capable of directly receiving, from the external manager, without intervention of the management information acquisition section, the management information transmission order containing the first ID.

2. The information management system according to claim 1 wherein:

the first ID conversion section comprises;

a first conversion table which associates the ID of the information processing apparatus with the ID of the common information processing apparatus, and

a first system table which contains the ID of the information processing apparatus and the ID of the common information processing apparatus and describes a system of IDs of objects which are targets whose management information is transmitted, the system of the IDs being linked to the ID of the common information processing apparatus and being common among all of the at least one information processing apparatus; and

the first ID conversion section converts the first ID into the second ID with reference to the first conversion table and the first system table.

3. The information management system according to claim 1 wherein:

the second ID conversion section comprises;

a second conversion table which associates a communications address of each of the at least one information processing apparatus, the ID of each of the at least one information processing apparatus, and the ID of the common information processing apparatus, and

a second system table which contains the ID of each of the at least one information processing apparatus and the ID of the common information processing apparatus and describes a system of IDs of objects which are targets whose management information is transmitted, the system of the IDs being linked to the ID of the common information processing apparatus and being common among all the at least one information processing apparatus; and

the second ID conversion section converts the third ID into the second ID with reference to the second conversion table and the second system table.

4. The information management system according to claim 3 wherein:

the management information acquiring apparatus comprises;

a correspondence table which associates the communications address of each of the at least one information processing apparatus and the information processing apparatus ID of each of the at least one information processing apparatus with each other, and

a second conversion table creating section which creates the second conversion table with reference to the correspondence table.

5. The information management system according to claim 4 wherein the second conversion table creating section manages the correspondence table and makes additions/updates to the second conversion table in accordance with additions/updates to the correspondence table.

6. The information management system according to claim 4 wherein:

the first ID conversion section comprises;

a first conversion table which associates the ID of the information processing apparatus with the ID of the common information processing apparatus, and

a first system table which contains the ID of the information processing apparatus and the ID of the common information processing apparatus and describes a system of the IDs of objects which are targets whose management information is transmitted, the system of the IDs being linked to the ID of the common information processing apparatus and being common among all of the at least one information processing apparatus;

the first ID conversion section converts the first ID into the second ID with reference to the first conversion table and the first system table; and

each of the at least one information processing apparatus comprises a first conversion table creating section which creates the first conversion table with reference to the correspondence table in the management information acquiring apparatus.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information processing apparatus and the management information acquiring apparatus function according to a common protocol, and the first ID, second ID and third ID are consistent with the common protocol.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the common protocol is Simple Network Management Protocol.

7. An information processing apparatus in an information management system having at least one information processing apparatus and a management information acquiring apparatus which acquires management information stored in the at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a management information acquisition section to acquire management information stored in the information processing apparatus;

a communications section to receive a management information transmission order containing a first ID and a management information transmission order containing a second ID,

the first ID being an ID of a requested object and including an ID of the information processing apparatus, the ID of the information processing apparatus being usable to distinguish the information processing apparatus from another one of the at least one information processing apparatus,

the second ID also being an ID of a requested object and including an ID of a common information processing apparatus, the ID of the common information processing apparatus not being usable to distinguish between the information processing apparatuses; and

a first ID conversion section to convert the first ID contained in a management information transmission order received by the communications section into the second ID which represents the same requested object represented by the first ID,

wherein the management information acquisition section acquires the management information, which is the requested object identified by the second ID, and

the communications section sends the management information acquired by the management information acquisition section to an orderer of the management information, and

the communications section of the information processing apparatus is capable of directly receiving, from an external manager, without intervention of the management information acquisition section, the management information transmission order containing the first ID.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

the first ID conversion section comprises;

a first conversion table which associates the ID of the information processing apparatus with the ID of the common information processing apparatus, and

a first system table which contains the ID of the information processing apparatus and the ID of the common information processing apparatus and describes a system of the IDs of objects which are targets whose management information is transmitted, the system of the IDs being linked to the ID of the common information processing apparatus and being common among all of the at least one information processing apparatus; and

the first ID conversion section converts the first ID into the second ID with reference to the first conversion table and the first system table.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the management information acquiring apparatus comprises;

a correspondence table which associates the communications address of each of the at least one information processing apparatus and the ID of each of the at least one information processing apparatus with each other, and

a second conversion table creating section which creates the second conversion table with reference to the correspondence table.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing an information providing program that is executed in a first computer of an information management system that includes the first computer and a second computer that acquires management information stored in the first computer, the information providing program being executed in the first computer to cause the first computer to perform the following operations:

acquiring management information stored in the first computer;

receiving a management information transmission order containing a first ID and management information transmission order containing a second ID,

the first ID being an ID of the requested object and including a first computer ID of the first computer ID, the first computer ID being usable to distinguish the first computer from other computers,

the second ID also being an ID of the requested object and including a common ID, the common ID not being usable to distinguish between the first computer from the other computers; and

converting the first ID contained in a management information transmission order received by a communications section into a second ID,

wherein the acquiring management information acquires management information, which is the given object identified by the second ID,

the communications section sends the acquired management information to an orderer of the management information, and

the first computer is capable of directly receiving, from an external manager, without intervention of the second computer, the management information transmission order containing the first ID.

11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the program being executed in the first computer further causes the first computer to perform:

associating the first computer ID with the common ID;

storing the associations in the first conversion table;

storing a first system table which contains the first computer ID of the first computer and the common first computer ID and describes a system of the IDs of objects which are targets whose management information is transmitted, the system of the IDs being linked to the common first computer ID; and

the converting converts the first ID into the second ID with reference to the first conversion table and the first system table.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11, wherein the second computer stores a correspondence table which associates the communications address of the first computer and the other computers with each other, and a second conversion table creating section which creates the second conversion table with reference to the correspondence table.