System and method for managing video network devices

• US 20030028679A1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vtel Corporation
• Inventors: Babka, James Joseph, Seebaldt, Kurtis L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/241 Operating system [OS] processes, e.g. server setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

A video network platform manages video network devices with management applications, such as scheduling, monitoring and diagnostics applications, by representing the devices as interface objects that support a network interface module, and application objects used by the management applications and created by an adapter engine that creates an application object for each corresponding video network device interface object. A network interface module associated with the video network platform invokes the adapter engine to create an application object associated with a device. The application object uses its dynamic attribute query capabilities to build an interface object in the network interface module and thus obtain device attributes such as device address information. The application module populates itself with device information for supporting management applications, thus allowing conventional network interface modules to cooperate with application specific objects.

Claims

1. A video network platform for managing video network devices, the video network platform comprising:

a network interface module operable to interface with the devices and to represent a device as an interface object;

one or more management applications operable to manage a device represented as an application object; and

an adapter engine associated with the network interface module, the adapter engine operable to create an application object for a device, the application object corresponding to the interface object for the device.

2. The video network platform of claim 1 further comprising:

an override interface object associated with the network interface, the override object operable to accept a request meant for an interface object and to direct the request to an application object corresponding to the interface object.

3. The video network platform of claim 1 further comprising:

a discovery engine associated with the network interface, the discovery engine operable to detect devices and initiate creation of an object to represent a detected device.

4. The video network platform of claim 3 wherein the discovery engine initiates creation of an application object by the adapter engine, the adapter engine further operable to initiate creation of a corresponding interface object by the network interface.

5. The video network platform of claim 4 wherein the adapter engine incorporates attributes of the interface object into the corresponding application object.

6. The video network platform of claim 1 wherein the interface object comprises a managed object.

7. The video network platform of claim 1 wherein the application object comprises a Management Bean.

8. The video network platform of claim 1 wherein the management application comprises a scheduling application.

9. The video network platform of claim 1 wherein the management application comprises a diagnostics application.

10. The video network platform of claim 1 wherein the management application comprises a monitoring application.

11. A method for managing video network devices, the method comprising:

detecting a video device interfaced with the network;

creating an application object for the device;

applying the application object to build an interface object corresponding to the application object, the interface object obtaining interface information from the device;

forwarding the interface information to the application object; and

populating the application object with device information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the application object comprises a Java management bean.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the application object comprises a Web NMS Managed Object.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

interfacing a management application with a device through the application object corresponding with the device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the management application comprises a scheduling application.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the management application comprises a diagnostics application.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the management application comprises a monitoring application.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein applying the application object to build an interface object further comprises:

applying dynamic attribute query capabilities to populate a corresponding interface object.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein applying the application object to build an interface object further comprises:

creating an interface object that corresponds to the application object.