System for using object-oriented hierarchical representation to implement a configuration database for a layered computer network communications subsystem

• US 5,414,812 A
• Filed: 08/26/1994
• Issued: 05/09/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sydir, Jaroslaw J., Kramer, Jeffrey C., Shih, Charles C., Filip, Michael J., Karunungan, Kathy L., Lee, Lucille C., Moore, Danielle L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERVEEN, REHANA
• Application Number:
  US08/296,990
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 395/700, 395/200, 395/600
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An object-oriented, hierarchical model of a computer network layered communications subsystem is implemented in a configuration database subsystem to create and maintain a configuration database and to provide configuration data to the layered communications subsystem. The layered communications subsystem is represented by a set of defined object classes, each object class corresponding to one or more functions defined at each of the communications subsystem layers, the object classes being related in a hierarchical relationship which preserves the functional relationship among the various functions in the various layers making up the layered communications subsystem. The configuration database subsystem provides a user interface for command and data input, a configuration support module which implements command processing, validation and object support programs which execute the input commands and allow a configuration database to be built and maintained while ensuring the integrity of the configuration data and the hierarchical relationship, and a database for storing the configuration database.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a configuration database which uses an object-oriented, hierarchical model for an Open Systems Interconnects (OSI) communications subsystem comprising the following steps:

defining a plurality of object classes, each of said object classes corresponding to at least one function of a plurality of functions defined for a layered computer network communications subsystem, each of said defined functions being associated with at least one layer of said layered computer network communications subsystem;

defining a plurality of objects for each of said object classes, the objects in each object class being associated with said corresponding function, each of said objects being defined by a set of unique attributes associated with said object;

defining a hierarchical relationship between said plurality of object classes, said hierarchical relationship corresponding to a functional relationship between said plurality of functions, said functional relationship defining the relationship of each said function associated with a layer to at least one other of said functions associated with layers above or below said layer in said layered communications subsystem;

defining a set of rules for creating and maintaining a configuration database for providing configuration data to said layered computer network communications subsystem, said set of rules determining a hierarchical relationship among data entered in said configuration database corresponding to said hierarchical relationship between said object classes;

defining a set of operations to be performed on said data entered in said configuration database, each of said operations defined for each of said object classes; and

defining a set of object support programs, each of said object support programs associated with at least one operation of said set of operations, each said object support program for performing configuration database tasks defined by said associated operation wherein all the definitions stated above builds the configuration database.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein each of said set of object support programs includes a set of validation rules for validating said configuration database tasks to be performed and ensuring that said hierarchical relationship among said data entered in said configuration database is maintained.

3. A method as in claim 1 including the further step of defining a plurality of sets of validation rules, each said set of validation rules associated with at least one of said object classes, each said set of validation rules for validating configuration database tasks as defined by said defined operations to be performed on said data entered in said configuration database.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein each said set of validation rules includes validation rules for ensuring that said hierarchical relationship among said data entered in said configuration database is maintained.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein said defined set of operations comprises the operations of ADD, REMOVE, CHANGE, GET and LIST, each said operation being defined for each of said defined object classes.

6. A computer system implementing a communications subsystem coupling said computer system to a computer network, said computer system comprising:

at least one user application implemented by said computer system for providing one or more desired user services;

communications support means coupled to said user application for implementing a layered computer network communications subsystem, said layered computer network communications subsystem coupling said computer system to said computer network and providing communications services between said user application and other computer systems on said computer network; and

a configuration database subsystem coupled to said communications support means for building and maintaining a configuration database and for providing configuration data to said communications support means for configuration of said layered computer network communications subsystem, said configuration database subsystem implementing an object-oriented, hierarchical presentation of said layered computer network communications subsystem, said object-oriented, hierarchical presentation comprising a plurality of object classes, each of said object classes corresponding to at least one function of a plurality of functions defined for said layered computer network communications subsystem, each of said functions being associated with at least one layer of said layered computer network communications subsystem each said object class being defined by a set of attributes, said plurality of object classes being related in a hierarchical relationship corresponding to a functional relationship defining the relationship of each said function associated with a layer to at least one other of said functions associated with layers above or below said layer in said layered communications subsystem the attributes of a higher level object class including one or more lower level object classes.

7. A computer system as in claim 6 wherein said configuration database subsystem comprises:

user interface means for inputting selected commands, said commands representative of defined operations on data entered in a configuration database;

configuration support means coupled to said user interface and implementing said object-oriented, hierarchical presentation, said configuration support means for executing said input commands and performing configuration database tasks as required by said defined operations; and

database means coupled to said configuration support means and to said communications support means for storing data representative of said configuration database and for providing selected data responsive to received requests.

8. A computer system as in claim 7 wherein said configuration database subsystem further includes database server means coupled to said configuration support means and to said database means for translating data from a command data structure to a database structure and for storing data in and retrieving data from said database means.

9. A computer system as in claim 6 wherein said layered computer network communications subsystem comprises an Open Systems Interconnects (OSI) communications subsystem.

10. In a computer system coupled to a computer network, a configuration database subsystem comprising:

user interface means for inputting selected commands, said commands representative of defined operations on data entered in a communications subsystem configuration database;

configuration support means coupled to said user interface and implementing an object-oriented, hierarchical presentation of a layered communications subsystem, said object-oriented, hierarchical presentation comprising a plurality of object classes, each of said object classes corresponding at least one function of a plurality of functions defined for said layered communications subsystem, each of said functions being associated with at least one layer of said layered communications subsystem, said plurality of object classes being related in a hierarchical relationship corresponding to a functional relationship among said plurality of functions, said functional relationship defining the relationship of each said function associated with a layer to at least one other of said functions associated with layers above or below said layer in said layered communications subsystem; and

database means coupled to said configuration support means for storing data representative of said configuration database and for providing selected data responsive to received requests.

11. A computer system as in claim 10 wherein said configuration database subsystem further includes database server means coupled to said configuration support means and to said database means for translating data from a command data structure to a database data structure and for storing data in and retrieving data from said database means.