Method and apparatus for providing multiple management interfaces to a network device

• US 20070288558A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Land, Robert Simon
• Original Assignee: Robert Land, Robert Simon
• Inventors: Simon, Robert, Land, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,533,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a network access device is provided. Embedded within the access device are three distinct software layers. The first layer is a combined text-interface generator and Hypertext Transport Protocol client. The second layer is a combined Hypertext Transport Protocol server and Simple Network Management Protocol manager. The third layer is a Simple Network Management Protocol agent that has direct access to the configuration data of the access device. A user can manage the device through the embedded text-interface generator, by using an external HTTP client to communicate with the embedded HTTP server, or by using an external SNMP manager to communicate with the embedded SNMP agent. Techniques are disclosed for embedding SNMP information in messages passed between HTTP clients and servers.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method comprising:

receiving from a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) client a message that identifies a management information base (MIB) item;

reading MIB information to determine a type of said MIB item;

requesting a current value from a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent for said MIB item;

automatically generating a hypertext mark-up language (HTML) page which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to generate a display that indicates the current value for said MIB item; and

transmitting the HTML page to the HTTP client.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

receiving from an HTTP client a message that identifies a MIB item includes receiving a message that identifies a row in a MIB table;

reading said MIB information to determine a type of said MIB item includes reading said MIB information to determine the type for each MIB variable in the row;

requesting a current value from an SNMP agent for said MIB item includes requesting current values for each MIB variable in the row;

automatically generating an HTML page includes generating an HTML page which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to generate a display that indicates the current values for at least one MIB variable in the row.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising reading from a string of text arguments of the message that identifies the MIB item.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein automatically generating said HTML page includes replacing text from a template HTML page with text that is based on said arguments.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein automatically generating said HTML page includes inserting into an anchor of said HTML page text that is based on said arguments.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein automatically generating said HTML page includes generating an anchor in said HTML page that includes a command.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving the command from the HTTP client when a user selects a hypertext link associated with the anchor; and

transmitting a request for an SNMP operation to the SNMP agent in response to receiving the command from the HTTP client.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the anchor further includes an identifier of a second MIB item and a value.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein transmitting a request for an SNMP operation to the SNMP agent includes transmitting a request for the variable corresponding to the second MIB item to be set to said value.

37. An access device comprising:

means for receiving from an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) client a message that identifies a management information base (MIB) item;

means for reading MIB information to determine a type of said MIB item;

means for requesting a current value from a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent for said MIB item;

means for automatically generating a hypertext mark-up language (HTML) page which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to generate a display that indicates the current value for said MIB item; and

means for transmitting the HTML page to the HTTP client.

38. The access device of claim 37, wherein:

the means for receiving from an HTTP client a message that identifies a MIB item includes means for receiving a message that identifies a row in a MIB table;

the means for reading said MIB information to determine a type of said MIB item includes means for reading said MIB information to determine the type for each MIB variable in the row;

the means for requesting a current value from an SNMP agent for said MIB item includes means for requesting current values for each MIB variable in the row;

the means for automatically generating an HTML page includes means for generating an HTML page which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to generate a display that indicates the current values for at least one MIB variable in the row.

39. The access device of claim 37, further comprising means for reading from a string of text arguments of the message that identifies the MIB item.

40. The access device of claim 39, wherein the means for automatically generating said HTML page includes means for replacing text from a template HTML page with text that is based on said arguments.

41. The access device of claim 39, wherein the means for automatically generating said HTML page includes means for inserting into an anchor of said HTML page text that is based on said arguments.

42. The access device of claim 37, wherein the means for automatically generating said HTML page includes means for generating an anchor in said HTML page that includes a command.

43. The access device of claim 42, further comprising:

means for receiving the command from the HTTP client when a user selects a hypertext link associated with the anchor; and

means for transmitting a request for an SNMP operation to the SNMP agent in response to receiving the command from the HTTP client.

44. The access device of claim 43, wherein the anchor further includes an identifier of a second MIB item and a value.

45. The access device of claim 44, wherein the means for transmitting a request to the SNMP agent includes means for transmitting a request for the variable corresponding to the second MIB item to be set to said value.

46. A network device configured:

(a) to receive from a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) client a first message that identifies a management information base (MIB) item;

(b) to request a current value of the MIB item from a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent;

(c) to automatically generate a second message which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to generate a display that indicates the current value of the MIB item; and

(d) to transmit the second message to the HTTP client.

47. The network device of claim 46, wherein the network device is further configured:

(e) to receive from the HTTP client a third message that indicates a new value for the MIB item; and

(f) to request that the SNMP agent set the current value of the MIB item based on the new value in the third message.

48. The network device of claim 46, wherein the second message comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page.

49. The network device of claim 47, wherein the second message comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page.

50. The network device of claim 46, wherein:

the first message indicates a row in a MIB table;

the request for the SNMP agent includes a request for a current value for each MIB variable in the row; and

the second message indicates the current value for at least one MIB variable in the row.

51. The network device of claim 50, wherein the second message comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page.

52. The network device of claim 46, wherein the network device is further configured to read from the message that identifies the MIB item a string of text arguments.

53. The network device of claim 52, wherein the network device is further configured to automatically generate the second message by replacing text from a template document with text that is based on the arguments.

54. The network device of claim 52, wherein the network device is further configured to automatically generate the second message by inserting into an anchor of the second message text that is based on the arguments.

55. The network device of claim 46, wherein the network device is further configured to automatically generate the second message by generating an anchor in the second message that includes a command.

56. The network device of claim 55, wherein the network device is further configured:

(e) to receive the command from the HTTP client when a user selects a hypertext link associated with the anchor; and

(f) to transmit a request for a SNMP operation to the SNMP agent in response to receiving the command from the HTTP client.

57. The network device of claim 56, wherein the anchor further includes an identifier of a second MIB item and value.

58. The network device of claim 57, wherein the request for a SNMP operation to the SNMP agent includes a request that the variable corresponding to the second MIB item be set to the value.

59. A network device for managing a network device, the system comprising a network device configured:

(a) to receive a first message from a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) client;

(b) to request from a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent a current value associated with at least one management information base (MIB) item;

(c) to generate a second message which, when decoded by the HTTP client, causes the HTTP client to display the current value of the at least one MIB item; and

(d) to transmit the second message to the HTTP client.

60. The network device of claim 59, wherein the network device is further configured:

(e) to receive from the HTTP client a third message that indicates a new value for the MIB item; and

(f) to set the current value of the MIB item based on the new value in the third message.

61. The network device of claim 59, wherein the second message comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page.

62. The network device of claim 60, wherein the second message comprises a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page.