Agile information technology infrastructure management system

• US 8,725,853 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sellers, Russell E., Guillot, Jeffrey, Carter, Gregory H., Atkins, Nathan W., Pausback, Nicholas J., Engle, Matthew R., Young, Paul T., Roffers, Craig R., Herrneckar, Adam D., Ballard, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Van Kim T
• Application Number:
  US11/229,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,162 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

The agile information technology infrastructure management system and related methods and processes provide a solution with the required flexibility to effectively and efficiently monitor and manage a wide-variety of disparate information technology and network infrastructure deployed in businesses and enterprises throughout a region or the world.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of fault events from a plurality of network elements within an information technology infrastructure, wherein the plurality of fault events are received from;

a plurality of data providers that include at least a first data provider that defines a first management channel protocol that communicates management information with a first type of element, a second data provider that defines a second management channel protocol that communicates management information with a second type of element, wherein the first management channel protocol and the second management channel protocol are different, wherein the plurality of data providers is operable to receive a query, to poll an element of the information technology infrastructure using one of the plurality of data providers in response to the query, and to receive a result of the query from the element; and

a protocol independent command processor operable to receive a command associated with a schedule for polling the element of the information technology infrastructure, to generate the query in response, to communicate the query to the plurality of data providers, to receive the result of the query from the element from the plurality of data providers, and to take an action based upon the command and the result of the query;

wherein the schedule for polling the element of the information technology infrastructure is based on a management descriptor containing a profile of the element;

generating and displaying, based on the plurality of fault events, a graphical user interface display that comprises an infrastructure health value, a reliability value, and a security value;

wherein the infrastructure health value, the reliability value, and the security value are calculated based upon the plurality of fault events;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the infrastructure health value, the reliability value, and the security value represent combined measures of infrastructure health, reliability, and security for a combined information technology infrastructure that comprises at least two infrastructures selected from the group consisting of WAN infrastructure, LAN infrastructure, IP telephony infrastructure, server infrastructure, and security infrastructure.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display comprises a first graphical icon representing a reliability trend for the information technology infrastructure.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first graphical icon is displayed using a shape and a color that are selected based upon a combination of a trend in infrastructure reliability in combination with a current average reliability value.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display comprises a second graphical icon representing a security trend for the information technology infrastructure.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the second graphical icon is displayed using a shape and a color that are selected based upon a combination of a trend in infrastructure security in combination with a current average security value.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform:

receiving a plurality of fault events from a plurality of network elements within an information technology infrastructure, wherein the plurality of fault events are received from;

a plurality of data providers that include at least a first data provider that defines a first management channel protocol that communicates management information with a first type of element, a second data provider that defines a second management channel protocol that communicates management information with a second type of element, wherein the first management channel protocol and the second management channel protocol are different, wherein the plurality of data providers is operable to receive a query, to poll an element of the information technology infrastructure using one of the plurality of data providers in response to the query, and to receive a result of the query from the element; and

a protocol independent command processor operable to receive a command associated with a schedule for polling the element of the information technology infrastructure, to generate the query in response, to communicate the query to the plurality of data providers, to receive the result of the query from the element from the plurality of data providers, and to take an action based upon the command and the result of the query;

wherein the schedule for polling the element of the information technology infrastructure is based on a management descriptor containing a profile of the element;

generating and displaying, based on the plurality of fault events, a graphical user interface display that comprises an infrastructure health value, a reliability value, and a security value;

wherein the infrastructure health value, the reliability value, and the security value are calculated based upon the plurality of fault events.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the infrastructure health value, the reliability value, and the security value represent combined measures of infrastructure health, reliability, and security for a combined information technology infrastructure that comprises at least two infrastructures selected from the group consisting of WAN infrastructure, LAN infrastructure, IP telephony infrastructure, server infrastructure, and security infrastructure.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface display comprises a first graphical icon representing a reliability trend for the information technology infrastructure.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the first graphical icon is displayed using a shape and a color that are selected based upon a combination of a trend in infrastructure reliability in combination with a current average reliability value.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface display comprises a second graphical icon representing a security trend for the information technology infrastructure.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 11, wherein the second graphical icon is displayed using a shape and a color that are selected based upon a combination of a trend in infrastructure security in combination with a current average security value.