Network device management with self learning capability to extract information from a device

• US 8,438,273 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnan, Rajeshwari
• Application Number:
  US12/888,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/232, 370/245, 710/8
• 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 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for extracting information from a network device. The method includes retrieving first device information from the network device using a first communication protocol, and attempting to determine a parameter value of interest based on the first device information. When the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is unsuccessful, second device information is retrieved from the network device using a second communication protocol, and an attempt is made to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information and the second device information.

Claims

1. A method of extracting information from a network device, comprising:

retrieving, by a management device, first device information from the network device using a first communication protocol;

attempting, by the management device, to determine a parameter value of interest based on the first device information; and

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is unsuccessful,

retrieving second device information from the network device using a second communication protocol,

attempting, by the management device, to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information, and

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information is successful,

determining whether necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol, and

storing in a memory, extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting the necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device based on the determination by the step of determining, and information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is successful,

retrieving the second device information from the network device using the second communication protocol, and

attempting to verify the determined parameter value of interest based on the second device information.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

when the determined parameter value of interest is successfully verified in the step of attempting to verify, storing the extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting device information necessary to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device via the first communication protocol, and the information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the step of retrieving the first device information comprises retrieving the first device information using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP);

and

the step of retrieving the second device information comprises retrieving at least one web page of the network device using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining identification information from the network device using the first communication protocol;

determining whether the extraction information for the network device is stored in the memory, based on the obtained identification information; and

when the step of determining whether the extraction information for the network device is stored determines that the extraction information for the network device is not stored in the memory, performing the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol, comprises:

determining whether the parameter value of interest can be determined from the first device information.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of extracting information from a network device, comprising:

retrieving first device information from the network device using a first communication protocol;

attempting to determine a parameter value of interest based on the first device information; and

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is unsuccessful,

retrieving second device information from the network device using a second communication protocol,

attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information, and

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information is successful,

determining whether necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol, and

storing in a memory, extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting the necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device based on the determination by the step of determining, and information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

when the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is successful,

retrieving the second device information from the network device using the second communication protocol, and

attempting to verify the determined parameter value of interest based on the second device information.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, further comprising:

when the determined parameter value of interest is successfully verified in the step of attempting to verify, storing the extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting device information necessary to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device via the first communication protocol, and the information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein

the step of retrieving the first device information comprises retrieving the first device information using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP);

and

the step of retrieving the second device information comprises retrieving at least one web page of the network device using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining identification information from the network device using the first communication protocol;

determining whether the extraction information for the network device is stored in the memory, based on the obtained identification information; and

when the step of determining whether the extraction information for the network device is stored determines that the extraction information for the network device is not stored in the memory, performing the step of attempting to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining whether necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol, comprises:

determining whether the parameter value of interest can be determined from the first device information.

13. A management device for extracting information from a network device, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured

to retrieve first device information from the network device using a first communication protocol;

to attempt to determine a parameter value of interest based on the first device information; and

when the attempt by the processor to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is unsuccessful,

to retrieve second device information from the network device using a second communication protocol,

to attempt to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information, and

when the attempt by the processor to determine the parameter value of interest based on both the first device information and the second device information is successful,

to determine whether necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol; and

to store in the memory, extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting the necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device based on the determination by the processor, and information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

14. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured

when the attempt by the processor to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information is successful,

to retrieve the second device information from the network device using the second communication protocol, and

to attempt to verify the determined parameter value of interest based on the second device information.

15. The management device according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured

when the attempt to verify the determined parameter value of interest by the processor is successful, to store the extraction information for the network device including a method of extracting device information necessary to determine the parameter value of interest from the network device via the first communication protocol, and the information on how to determine the parameter value of interest from the extracted necessary device information.

16. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured

to retrieve the first device information using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP);

and

to retrieve the second device information, which comprises at least one web page of the network device, using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

17. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured

to obtain identification information from the network device using the first communication protocol;

to determine whether the extraction information for the network device is stored in the memory, based on the obtained identification information; and

when the processor determines that the extraction information for the network device is not stored in the memory, to attempt to determine the parameter value of interest based on the first device information.

18. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to attempt to determine the parameter value of interest based on a first value included in the first device information and a second value included in the second device information.

19. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to attempt to compute the parameter value of interest based on a first value included in the first device information and a second value included in the second device information.

20. The management device according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the necessary device information to determine the parameter value of interest can be extracted using the first communication protocol based on whether the parameter value of interest can be determined from the first device information.