Network management using short message service

• US 8,065,402 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Jin C J, Wang, Hao B J, Song, Song
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter; Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US11/039,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20050160165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709227-229, 709/245, 709/206, 709220-222
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting

Abstract

A network management method and system and a computer that provides added security against hackers. A network management command is sent to the computer via short message service (SMS). The computer performs corresponding network configuration according to the network management command. Thus, a safe network management can be assured based on the secure capabilities of SMS.

Claims

1. A network management method for securely managing a computer resource from a remote user terminal, comprising:

receiving a network management command in said computer resource from said remote user terminal, wherein both said remote user terminal and said computer resource comprise a Short Message Service (SMS) interface, said network management command being transmitted from said remote user terminal to said computer resource as an SMS message comprising a flag identifying said SMS message as a network management message, said network management command comprising a network address corresponding to said remote user terminal;

in response to a determination that said computer resource is able to identify said network address corresponding to said remote user terminal, executing the network management command with said computer resource to establish a network connection between said remote user terminal and said computer resource using said network address; and

in response to a determination that said computer resource is unable to identify said network address corresponding to said remote user terminal, transmitting a network address of said computer resource to said remote user terminal.

2. The network management method according to claim 1, wherein said network address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

3. The network management method according to claim 1, wherein the network management command further comprises at least one of the following:

an Internet access command, an Internet disconnection command, a network connection command, a firewall configuration command, a resource reservation command, and an authorization command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said network management command in said computer resource with said SMS interface comprises decrypting said network management command from an encrypted SMS message.

5. A network management system, comprising:

a computer resource and a user terminal, wherein said computer resource and said user terminal each comprise a Short Message Service (SMS) message interface configured to send and receive SMS messages; and

wherein said computer resource further comprises;

an SMS message converter configured to identify a network address corresponding to said user terminal in a received network management command, said network management command having been received as an SMS message from said user terminal, said SMS message comprising a flag identifying said SMS message as a network management message; and

a manager configured to;

establish a network connection between said computer resource and said user terminal using said network address according to an instruction in said network management command in response to a determination that said SMS message converter is able to identify said network address corresponding to said user terminal from said network management command; and

transmit a network address of said computer resource to said user terminal via SMS in response to a determination that said SMS message converter is unable to identify said network address corresponding to said user terminal from said network management command.

6. The network management system according to claim 5, wherein the computer resource and user terminal each include a user input interface for accepting an instruction entered by a user;

wherein the manager generates an event according to the instruction entered by the user;

the SMS message converter converts the event into a second SMS message; and

the SMS message interface sends the second SMS message to a counterpart to be managed.

7. The network management system of claim 5, wherein said computer resource and said user terminal each comprise a mobile phone that comprises said SMS message interface.

8. The network management system of claim 5, wherein said network address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

9. The network management system of claim 5, wherein said SMS message converter is further configured to convert received SMS messages from said user terminal into network management events and said network management system further comprises a network management event distributor configured to distribute said network management events among a plurality of network management modules in said computer resource.

10. The network management system according to claim 9, wherein said network management modules comprise at least one of the following:

a network connection manager for establishing a network connection according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

a firewall configuration manager for setting firewall rules according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

an authorization manager for setting authorization information according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

a resource reservation manager for reserving resources according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

an Internet access manager for accessing the Internet according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS; and

an Internet access manager for disconnecting from the Internet according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS.

11. The network management system of claim 5, wherein said network address corresponding to said user terminal is encrypted within said SMS message.

12. A computer, comprising:

a Short Message Service (SMS) message interface for receiving SMS messages;

an SMS message converter configured to identify a network address corresponding to a user terminal in a received network management command, said network management command having been received in an SMS message from said user terminal, said SMS message comprising a flag identifying said SMS message as a network management message; and

a manager configured to;

establish a network connection between said computer resource and said user terminal using said network address according to an instruction in said network management command in response to a determination that said SMS message converter is able to identify said network address corresponding to said user terminal from said network management command; and

transmit a network address of said computer resource to said user terminal via SMS in response to a determination that said SMS message converter is unable to identify said network address corresponding to said user terminal from said network management command.

13. The network computer of claim 12, wherein said SMS message converter is further configured to convert received SMS messages from said user terminal into network management events and said network management system further comprises a network management event distributor configured to distribute said network management events among a plurality of network management modules in said computer resource.

14. The computer according to claim 13, wherein the said network management modules comprise at least one of the following:

a firewall configuration manager for setting firewall rules according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

an authorization manager for setting authorization information according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

a resource reservation manager for performing resource reservations according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS;

an Internet access manager for accessing the Internet according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS; and

an Internet access manager for disconnecting from the Internet according to distributed network management events received from said user terminal via SMS.

15. The computer according to claim 12, further comprising a user input interface for accepting an instruction entered by a user, wherein the manager generates an event according to the instruction entered by the user;

the SMS message converter converts the event into a second SMS message; and

the SMS message interface sends the second SMS message.

16. The computer of claim 12, wherein said computer resource comprises a connection with a mobile phone that comprises said SMS message interface.

17. The network computer of claim 12, wherein said network address comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) address.