System for administration and management of network from remote or central station through an operator interface which prepares and stores the management orders for execution

• US 5,619,655 A
• Filed: 01/24/1994
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Woerndle, Friedrich, Weng, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Ki S.
• Application Number:
  US08/185,242
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 395/650, 395/700, 395/800, 395/200.09, 395/200.06, 395/200.1, 395/200.11, 395/200.13, 395/375, 395/600, 364/191, 364/192, 364/130, 364/242.94, 364/269.4, 364/281.3
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13525 GUI - graphical user interface, inc. for service creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/545 using a stored programme

Abstract

In a network management central (NMZ), which is connected to communication systems (KS) for remote control administration via a communication network (KM), prepared administration program modules (APM'"'"') are selected under the control of the user interface with the assistance of an interrogation routine (AFR). Operator-prescribable administration and maintenance parameters (p) as well as job-associated information (ksi, afi, ati) for the communication systems (KS) to be administered are interrogated under the control of the user interface and are entered into the prepared administration program module (APM'"'"') for the purpose of forming an administration order program module (APM). With the assistance of a job management routine (AVR), the administration order program modules (APM) formed in this fashion are communicated via the communication network (KN) to the communication systems (KS) to be administered and are processed in this communication system.

Claims

1. A method for forming administration order program modules in a network management central that is connected to an operating control and which is connectable to communication systems for a remote control administration via a communication network, comprising the steps of:

storing an operator task list, including allocated prepared administration program modules and representing different operator tasks, in the network management central;

selecting an operator task under control of a user interface, said operator task being selected from the operator task list visualized at the operating control using an interrogation routine implemented in the operating control, and interrogating operator-prescribable administration and maintenance parameters and job-associated information for the communication systems to be administered under control of the user interface and entering said parameters and said job-associated information into a respective prepared administration program module for forming an administration order program module;

said job-associated information consisting of at least communication system information identifying the communication system to be administered, job information defining the respective operator task, and type of job information determining the type of the administration order, and being stored in a job library file;

storing the allocated administration order program module, in a job file memory of the network management central;

due to the job library file entry of a job management routine, informing the allocated administration order program module that the administration order program modules are transmitted using the job management routine to the communication systems identified by the communication system information, that the administration and maintenance instructions of the administration order program modules are supplied to the administration program modules in the appertaining communication systems that interpret and process the administration and maintenance instructions; and

communicating results of the processing via the communication network to the network management central and storing the communicating results in the network management central.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operator tasks, the job-associated information about the communication systems to be administered, and the administration and maintenance parameters to be inserted into the administration order program modules are each respectively selected by user interface controlled inputs using the interrogation routine and using interrogation masks controlled at the user interface of the operating control, the operating masks being fashioned in view of operator prompting such that a minimal user interface controlled input is effected.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein status information that indicates processing status of the administration order program module is entered in a job library file in the network management central using the job management routine.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the type of job information is one of:

time information defining a next possible point in time of transmission of a respective administration order program module;

transmission time information defining a point in time of transmission of a respective administration order program module;

job display information visualizing current job information of a selected or of a plurality of administration order program modules at a display means of the operating control;

erase information that erases a job;

editing information that enables an editing of an administration order program module at the user interface;

or

job status information that visualizes a current processing status of an administration order program module at the user interface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein type of job processing is modified by the type of job information, the job information and the communication system information recited in an updating message by entry of the current type of job information into the job library file or the entered status information of a job defined by the communication system information and job information is interrogated and visualized.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the following are effected in the interrogation routine:

the user interface is controlled by a keyboard program module;

prescribed stored texts are forwarded to a display means at the user interface by a text program module;

help information that informs and prompts the user is forwarded to the display means by a help program module;

administration order program module can be edited by an editing program module;

the job-associated information is managed by a data management program module;

a list of available operative tasks is managed by an operated task program module;

generation of administration order program modules is effected by a generation program module; and

entry and reading of the job-associated information in the job library file is effected by a job library program module.

7. A method for forming administration order program modules in a network management central that is connected to an operating control and which is connectable to communication systems for a remote control administration via a communication network, comprising the steps of:

storing an operator task list, including allocated prepared administration program modules and representing different operator tasks, in the network management central;

selecting an operator task under control of a user interface, said operator task being selected from the operator task list visualized at the operating control using an interrogation routine implemented in the operating control, and interrogating operator-prescribable administration and maintenance parameters and job-associated information for the communication systems to be administered under control of the user interface and entering said parameters and said job-associated information into a respective prepared administration program module for forming an administration order program module;

said job-associated information consisting of at least communication system information identifying the communication system to be administered, job information defining the respective operator task, and type of job information determining the type of the administration order, and being stored in a job library file;

storing the allocated administration order program module in a job file memory of the network management central;

due to the job library file entry of a job management routine, informing the allocated administration order program module that the administration order program modules are transmitted using the job management routine to the communication systems identified by the communication system information, that the administration and maintenance instructions of the administration order program modules are supplied to the administration program modules in the appertaining communication systems that interpret and process the administration and maintenance instructions;

communicating results of the processing are communicated via the communication network to the network management central and storing the communicating results in the network management central;

selecting the type of job information from the group of type of job information consisting of;

time information defining a next possible point in time of transmission of a respective administration order program module;

transmission time information defining a point in time of transmission of a respective administration order program module;

job display information visualizing current job information of a selected or of a plurality of administration order program modules at a display means of the operating control;

erase information that erases a job;

editing information that enables an editing of an administration order program module at the user interface;

or

job status information that visualizes a current processing status of an administration order program module at the user interface;

the following being effected in the interrogation routine;

the user interface is controlled by a keyboard program module;

prescribed stored texts are forwarded to a display means at the user interface by a text program module;

help information that informs and prompts the user is forwarded to the display means by a help program module;

administration order program module can be edited by an editing program module;

the job-associated information is managed by a data management program module;

a list of available operative tasks is managed by an operated task program module;

generation of administration order program modules is effected by a generation program module; and

entry and reading of the job-associated information in the job library file is effected by a job library program module.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the operator tasks, the job-associated information about the communication systems to be administered, and the administration and maintenance parameters to be inserted into the administration order program modules are each respectively selected by user interface controlled inputs using the interrogation routine and using interrogation masks controlled at the user interface of the operating control, the operating masks being fashioned in view of operator prompting such that a minimal user interface controlled input is effected.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein status information that indicates processing status of the administration order program module is entered in a job library file in the network management central using the job management routine.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein type of job processing is modified by the type of job information, the job information and the communication system information recited in an updating message by entry of the current type of job information into the job library file or the entered status information of a job defined by the communication system information and job information is interrogated and visualized.