Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to control network element management traffic

• US 8,131,811 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: West, Earle, Freeman, Brian D., Shannon, Irene M., Sokolik, Bryan Patrick, Talamo, Salvatore, Velazquez, Robert Urbina, Wechsler, Chesla C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/637,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/206, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to control network element management traffic are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus to process an element management system (EMS) query message includes a receiver to receive the EMS query message from a managed network element, the EMS query message being redirected from an EMS server, a responder to select a pre-determined response to the EMS query message and discard EMS information contained in the EMS query message, wherein the pre-determined response is to delay the managed network element from resending the EMS query message to the EMS server for a time period, and a transmitter to send the pre-determined response to the managed network element.

Claims

1. An apparatus to process an element management system query message, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver to receive the element management system query message from a managed network element, the element management system query message being redirected from an element management system server, the element management system query message sent by the managed network element to the element management system server comprising at least one of a status update to update a status of the managed network element, a connectivity check to confirm communicatively coupling of the managed network element to the element management system server, or a configuration request to receive configuration data from the element management system server; and

a responder to select a response to the element management system query message based on a type of the element management system query message, the responder to;

when the element management system query message comprises the status update or the connectivity check, discard element management system information contained in the element management system-query message and to send an acknowledgement to the managed network element to indicate to the managed network element that the element management system query message was processed by the element management system server to prevent the managed network element from resending the element management system query message; and

when the element management system query message comprises the configuration request, discard element management system information contained in the element management system query message and to ignore the element management system query message such that an acknowledgement is not sent to the managed network element to cause the managed network element to resend the element management system query message at a later time,

wherein at least one of the receiver or the responder is implemented with hardware.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the responder is to select the response without reference to any element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein discarding the element management system information comprises at least one of not retaining any of the element management system information contained in the element management system query message or not updating a state of the managed network element based on the element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is implemented remotely from the element management system server.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a database to record an identifier associated with the managed network element when the response is sent to the managed network element.

6. A method comprising:

receiving an element management system query message from a managed network element, the element management system query message having been redirected from an element management system the element management system query message been sent by the managed network element to the element management system server and comprising at least one of a status update to update a status of the managed network element, a connectivity check to confirm communicatively coupling of the managed network element to the element management system server, or a configuration request to receive configuration data from the element management system server;

when the element management system query message comprises the status update or the connectivity check, sending a response to the managed network element to indicate to the managed network element that the element management system query was processed by the element management system server and to prevent the managed network element from resending the element management system query message to the element management system server;

when the element management system query message is the configuration request, ignoring the element management system query message such that an acknowledgement is not sent to the managed network element to cause the managed network element to resend the element management system query message at a later time; and

discarding element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the response is to prevent the network element from resending the element management system query message to the element management system server until at least one of the load, the status or the availability of the element management system server is resolved.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising selecting the response without reference to element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

9. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein discarding the element management system information comprises at least one of not retaining any of the element management system information contained in the element management system query message or not updating any state of the network element based on any of the element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

10. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising recording an identifier representative of the managed network element.

11. A tangible article of manufacture excluding propagating signals and storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive an element management system query message from a network element, the element management system query message having been redirected from an element management system server based the element management system query message sent by the network element to the element management system server and comprising at least one of a status update to update a status of the network element, a connectivity check to confirm communicatively coupling of the managed network element to the element management system server, or a configuration request to receive configuration data from the element management system server;

when the element management system query message comprises the status update or the connectivity check, send a response to the managed network element to indicate to the network element that the element management system query was processed by the element management system server and to prevent the network element from resending the element management system query message to the element management system server;

when the element management system query message is the configuration request, ignore the element management system query message such that an acknowledgement is not sent to the network element to thereby cause the network element to resend the element management system query message at a later time; and

discard element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

12. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to select the response without reference to element management system information contained in the element management system query message.

13. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 11, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to discard the element management system information by at least one of not retaining any of the element management system information contained in the element management system query message or not updating any state of the network element based on any of the element management system information contained in the element management system query message.