Graphical display of status information in a wireless network management system

• US 7,916,690 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Jain, Jyoti, Vulpala, Madhavi, Doshi, Bhautik, Nakashima, Roy Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor; Barry W
• Application Number:
  US12/269,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 455/446, 455/566
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to, or facilitating, the graphical display of status information in wireless network management systems. In one implementation, the present invention provides a graphical user interface that allows a network administrator to readily ascertain the overall status of a wireless network, and quickly identify the network element(s) within the network that are associated with any potential problem or condition. In another implementation, the present invention provides a graphical user interface that provides status icons that efficiently convey status information for corresponding access points. In another implementation, the present invention provides a hierarchical network model that facilitates network data management, configuration and display tasks associated with wireless network management systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising

gathering wireless network status information from a plurality of wireless access points;

maintaining, in a database, a network model data structure, said network model data structure including the wireless network status information, wherein the network model data structure comprises a map of a physical region and location information identifying locations of the plurality of wireless access points within the physical region;

constructing a graphical user interface showing status information for one or more of the plurality of wireless access points, wherein the graphical user interface comprises at least a portion of the map of the physical region and a graphical boundary overlaid on the map defining a sub-region of the physical region; and

identifying, based on the location information of the hierarchical network data model, one or more of the plurality of wireless access points within the sub-region defined by the graphical boundary;

accessing the wireless network status information in the database to determine a status associated with the identified wireless access points; and

modulating an attribute of the graphical boundary to indicate the status of one or more of the identified wireless access points located within the sub-region defined by the graphical boundary.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary, comprises selecting an attribute state from a plurality of predefined attribute states.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute is a color of the graphical boundary.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the attribute is a line style of the graphical boundary.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary comprises identifying a most critical status among the identified wireless access points and using the most critical status in modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary.

6. A method comprising

gathering wireless network status information from a plurality of wireless access points;

storing, in a memory, a hierarchical network model data structure, said hierarchical network model data structure including the wireless network status information, wherein the hierarchical network model data comprises

a map of a network environment;

a graphical boundary encompassing a region within the map;

a campus node corresponding to a geographic region;

a building node, wherein the building node is a child of the campus node; and

a floor node, wherein the floor node is a child of the building node, and wherein the floor node contains an area map, wherein the area map is associated with an image depicting a physical area within the geographic region, and includes information specifying the location of at least one access point within the physical location;

retrieving the wireless network status information from the memory; and

presenting a graphical user interface comprising the map of the network environment and the graphical boundary; and

modulating an attribute of the graphical boundary to indicate status of one or more access points located within the region encompassed by the graphical boundary.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the campus node is associated with an image data file containing an image of the map of the network environment.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the building node includes coordinate data describing the location and extent of a bounded region within the image of the geographic region corresponding to the campus node.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the hierarchical network model is implemented in a relational database.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary, comprises selecting an attribute state from a plurality of predefined attribute states.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the attribute is a color of the graphical boundary.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the attribute state is a color selected from the group including red, yellow and green.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein the attribute is a line style of the graphical boundary.

14. The method of claim 6 wherein the status is the most critical status among the one or more access points within the region encompassed by the physical boundary.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein the status is selected from one of a plurality of predefined status types.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the plurality of predefined status types are critical, minor, and no fault.

17. The method of claim 6 wherein modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary comprises identifying a most critical status among the identifies wireless access points and using the most critical status in modulating the attribute of the graphical boundary.

18. A wireless network management system for monitoring a plurality of access points within a wireless network, comprising

a database comprising

one or more building objects, each comprising a building status attribute, region parameters defining the location and extent of a region within a campus, and an identifier to a parent campus object;

one or more access point objects, each of the access point objects associated with a building object of the one or more building objects and comprising a status attribute, location coordinates; and

a campus object comprising the one or more building objects, a campus status attribute, and a campus map of a network environment;

a data gathering engine operative to

gather information from the plurality of access points;

depending on the gathered information, update the value of the corresponding status attributes for the access points in the database;

update, based on the status attributes, the value of the building status attributes corresponding to the respective access points objects; and

a network management application operative to

present a graphical user interface comprising

the campus map of the network environment;

a graphical boundary encompassing a region within the map of the network environment, the location and extent of the graphical boundary within the campus map defined by the region parameters of the building object, wherein the building status attribute of the building object controls the state of a physically observable attribute of the graphical boundary.

19. The wireless network management system of claim 18 wherein the database further comprises one or more floor level objects, each comprising a floor level status attribute, an area map, and an identifier to a parent building object, wherein the data gathering engine is further operative to update, based on the status attributes, the value of the floor level status attributes corresponding to the respective parent floor level objects of the access points;

and update, based on the floor level status attributes, the value of the building status attributes corresponding to the respective parent building objects of the floor level objects; and

wherein the network management application is further operative to

present a second graphical user interface comprising

the area map of a selected floor level object of the one or more floor level objects; and

an access point status icon associated with the selected floor level object, wherein the state of the access point status icon corresponds to the status attribute of the corresponding access point object.

20. The wireless network management system of claim 19 wherein the location of the access point status icon within the area map is based on the location coordinates of the corresponding access point object.

21. The wireless network management system of claim 19 wherein the network management application selects a state for the access point status icon from a plurality of predefined states based on the status attribute of the corresponding access point object.

22. The wireless network management system of claim 21 wherein the state is a color of the access point status icon.

23. The wireless network management system of claim 22 wherein the attribute state is a color selected from the group including red, yellow and green.