MECHANISM FOR INTEGRATION OF MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONALITY IN COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS
First Claim
1. A network management system for managing a communications network, said management system comprising:
- at least one processor; and
a data storage device, wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, and at least one association links classes of said managed objects representing said functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said resources.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There is presented a method for integrating management functionality in communications networks by virtue of a design model for constructing a management information base in a communications network management system. A unit of manageable physical resources is represented in the management information base by a management unit. The management unit comprises a collection of managed objects representing actual physical and logical resources in the communications network, the managed objects arranged such that functionality provided by the physical and logical resources is represented separately and independently from the actual physical and logical resources themselves, in the particular way in which those resources are implemented. A unit of manageable functionality and resources is represented in the management information base by a management unit. A management unit comprises an Application Model, which represents functionality of those resources, and an Implementation Model, which represents the actual specific implementation of how that functionality is carried out. The Application Model and Implementation Model are related to each other by a set of associations, presented in the disclosure, termed “realisation associations”. A collection of realisation associations which link an Application Model to an implementation form a realisation model. Division and representation of physical and logical resources in the management information base by the management unit method may enable substitution of physical and logical resources by different implementations of similar resource components without requiring re-configuration of parts of the management information base which represent the functionality provided by those physical resources. Greater reuse of design and development effort may be achieved by configuring the management information base in the method disclosed, and easier maintenance and replaceability of physical and logical components may be achieved.
17 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A network management system for managing a communications network, said management system comprising:
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at least one processor; and
a data storage device, wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, and at least one association links classes of said managed objects representing said functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said resources. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5)
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4. A method of creating a network management system for managing a communications network wherein functionality and resources of said communications network are represented by managed objects, said method comprising the step of:
creating at least one association linking classes of said management objects representing said network functionality with classes of said managed objects representing said network resources.
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6. A design method for creating a management system for managing a plurality of physical and logical resources, said design method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a unit of said resources to be managed as a whole;
at least one function is carried our by said managed unit;
for each of said managed units, representing said functions by a “
black box”
representation in which said functionality is represented as a set of managed objects, independently of the specific physical resources which provide said functionality;
for each said “
black box”
managed object representation of functionality, representing physical and logical resources which implement said functionality by at least one “
white box”
managed object representation; and
associating said “
black box”
managed object representations with their corresponding “
white box”
representations by means of a plurality of associations. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. In a management system for managing a plurality of physical and logical resources co-operating to provide communications functionality, said management system comprising a data processing means and a data storage means, a method of representing said physical resources by a plurality of managed object models comprising:
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a management unit object model, said management unit object model comprising a model of “
black box”
managed objects representing a functionality provided by said resources independently of implementation of said functionality;
a plurality of “
white box”
managed objects, said “
white box”
managed objects representing implementation of said functionality by said plurality of physical resources; and
a plurality of associations, said associations connecting a plurality of endpoints and capabilities of said “
black box”
managed objects with a corresponding set of end points and capabilities of said “
white box”
managed objects. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification