Management of multiple non-standard networks and systems with smart agents

• US 6,799,211 B1
• Filed: 08/25/1998
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, David, Sharma, Raju, Gohil, Purvajit
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, ISAAC M
• Application Number:
  US09/139,182
• Time in Patent Office: 2,226 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 709/224, 709/225, 709/250, 709/203, 709/230
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing network resources that include and involve a plurality of communications modules configured to communicate with a corresponding plurality of network resources. Each network resources is configured to generate operational data related to processing therein and to transmit that operational data based on a particular protocol. The systems and methods also include and involve an extraction module configured to communicate with the communications modules based on each particular protocol used thereby to receive the operational data from the plurality of network resources to extract management data from the operational data, and to transmit the management data. An interface module is also included and involved which is configured to receive the management data from the extraction module, to generate standardized data based on the management data and based on a standard protocol, and to transmit the standardized data to an external system for processing (e.g., processing related to network management and monitoring, etc.).

Claims

1. A network monitoring agent comprising:

a plurality of communications modules configured to communicate with a corresponding plurality of network resources, each network resource of said plurality of network resources configured to generate operational data related to processing therein and to communicate said operational data using a protocol that is associated with the network resource, other than a protocol that is associated with at least one other network resource;

an interpretation module configured to communicate with said plurality of communications modules using each associated protocol to receive said operational data from said plurality of network resources, to parse said operational data for management data, and to transmit said management data; and

an interface module configured to receive said management data from said interpretation module, to generate standardized data based on said management data, and to transmit said standardized data to a management system for processing.

2. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of communications modules, said interpretation module, and said interface module are executable computer software sub-systems operable within an automatic data processing environment accessible via a networked data processing environment.

3. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of communications modules, said interpretation module, and said interface module are executable computer software sub-systems operable within a distributed data processing environment accessible via a networked data processing system.

4. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said operational data is system performance data.

5. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said operational data is application performance data.

6. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said interpretation module operates based on a set of parsing rules based on the associated protocols corresponding to said plurality of network resources.

7. The network monitoring agent according to claim 6, wherein said parsing rules include at least one extraction filter.

8. The network monitoring agent according to claim 6, wherein said parsing rules include at least one extraction filter based on a business rule related to data generated by at least one network resource of said plurality of network resources.

9. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said interface module transmits said standardized data to said external management system for management processing based on a standard protocol.

10. The network monitoring agent according to claim 9, wherein said standard protocol is TCP/IP protocol.

11. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein said operational data includes application statistics and said management data includes application run-time statistics.

12. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein each network resource includes a network resource other than a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) resource.

13. The network monitoring agent according to claim 1, wherein each network resource is a network resource other than an agent managing a Management Information Base (MIB).

14. A network monitoring agent comprising:

a plurality of communications modules configured to communicate with a corresponding plurality of network resources, each network resource of said plurality of network resources configured to generate operational data related to processing therein and to communicate said operational data using a protocol that is associated with the network resource, other than a protocol that is associated with at least one other network resource;

an extraction module configured to communicate with said plurality of communications modules using each associated protocol to receive said operational data from said plurality of network resources, to extract management data from said operational data, and to transmit said management data; and

an interface module configured to receive said management data from said extraction module, to generate standardized data based on said management data and based on a standard protocol, and to transmit said standardized data to a management system for processing.

15. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of communications modules, said interpretation module, and said interface module are executable computer software sub-systems operable within an automatic data processing environment accessible via a networked data processing environment.

16. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of communications modules, said interpretation module, and said interface module are executable computer software sub-systems operable within a distributed data processing environment accessible via a networked data processing system.

17. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said operational data is system performance data.

18. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said operational data is application performance data.

19. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said interpretation module operates based on a set of parsing rules based on the particular protocols corresponding to said plurality of network resources.

20. The network monitoring agent according to claim 19, wherein said parsing rules include at least one extraction filter.

21. The network monitoring agent according to claim 19, wherein said parsing rules include at least one extraction filter based on a business rule related to data generated by at least one network resource of said plurality of network resources.

22. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said interface module transmits said standardized data to said external management system for management processing based on a standard protocol.

23. The network monitoring agent according to claim 22, wherein said standard protocol is TCP/IP protocol.

24. The network monitoring agent according to claim 14, wherein said operational data includes application statistics and said management data includes application run-time statistics.

25. A method for managing network resources by a network monitoring agent, the method comprising the steps of:

generating operational data related to a plurality of network resources, each network resource of said plurality of network resources generating said operational data based on a protocol that is associated with the network resource, other than a protocol that is associated with at least one other network resource;

transmitting said operational data;

receiving, by an interpretation module, said operational data generated by said plurality of network resources;

extracting, by the interpretation module, management data from said operational data;

transmitting said management data;

receiving said management data;

generating standardized data based on said management data and based on a standard protocol; and

transmitting said standardized data to a management system for processing.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said operational data is network resource performance data.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein said operational data is application performance data.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein said extracting step further comprises the step of parsing said operational data for said management data based on a parsing rule.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said parsing rule is text analysis rule based on a filtering string.

30. The method according to claim 25, wherein said generating step generates said standardized data by formatting said management data based on said standard protocol.

31. The method according to claim 25, wherein said operational data is originally formatted based on the associated protocol used by the network resource that generates said operational data.

32. The method according to claim 25, wherein said operational data includes application statistics and said management data includes application run-time statistics.

33. A common communication agent comprising:

a plurality of communication modules, wherein a first one of the plurality of communication modules is configured to communicate with a first network resource according to a first communication protocol associated with the first network resource and a second one of the plurality of communication modules is configured to communicate with a second network resource according to a second communication protocol associated with the second network resource, wherein each of the first and second network resources is configured to generate operational data related to processing therein and to communicate the operational data according to the respective first and second communication protocols, wherein the first and second communication protocols are distinct;

a common interpretation module configured to communicate with the first and second communication modules based on a format other than Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) format, and to receive said operational data from the first and second network resources, to parse the operational data for management data, and to transmit the management data; and

an interface module configured to receive the management data from the interpretation module, to generate standardized data based on the management data, and to transmit the standardized data to a management system for processing.

34. The common communication agent according to claim 33, wherein the first communication module includes one of an Internet Protocol (IP) communication module, an X.25 communication module, a teletypewriter (TTY) communication module, and a log-process monitoring module.

35. The common communication agent according to claim 33, wherein the first communication protocol includes a proprietary communication protocol.

36. The common communication agent according to claim 33, wherein a format of the standardized data includes one of a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) format, a Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) format, and an Interface Definition Language (IDL) format.

37. A method for monitoring network resources by a common communication agent, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a common interpretation module, according to a format other than a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) format, first operational data generated by a first network resource according to a first communication protocol associated with the first network resource, and second operational data generated by a second network resource according to a second communication protocol associated with the second network resource and distinct from the first communication protocol;

extracting, by the common interpretation module, management data from the first and second operational data;

receiving, by an interface module, the extracted management data;

generating, by the interface module, standardized management data based on the extracted management data, wherein the standardized management data includes standardized management data formatted according to a standard management data format; and

transmitting, by the interface module, the standardized management data to a management system.