Communication techniques for simple network management protocol

• US 7,093,008 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Agerholm, Alex O., Jensen, Kell Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/734,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224, 709/231, 709/246, 709/230, 713/201, 714/4, 714 47- 48, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

Simple network management protocol or SNMP is encapsulated into HTTP traffic. The HTTP traffic is in a form that allows it to pass through a firewall. At one end, and SNMP request is encapsulated and sent to a remote computer. The remote computer de-encapsulates the request and responds to the SNMP request. The SNMP response is encapsulated as an HTTP response, and sent to the management station which interprets the results.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining, at a first node, information indicative of a network condition;

encapsulating said information into an HTTP protocol; and

sending said HTTP protocol to a network managing node.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said information is SNMP information.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said HTTP protocol is an HTTPs protocol.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said encapsulating comprises forming an HTTP message including said information therein.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said information is textual information, and wherein said encapsulating comprises forming an HTTP message including said textual information therein.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said HTTP message includes tags indicating SNMP information.

7. A system, comprising:

a first, monitoring computer, to run a first program that monitors a network condition;

a second, monitored computer, to run a second program which allows said first program to monitor the network condition;

a connection between said first and second computers, said connection including a firewall which blocks at least a first kind of non-HTTP communications but does not block HTTP communications; and

at least one of said first and second computers to run a third program that encapsulates network information indicative of the network condition into HTTP protocol.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein said third program is part of one of said first and second programs.

9. A system as in claim 7 wherein said first and second programs each operate based on SNMP protocol.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein said encapsulating comprises forming tags in the HTTP protocol which represent said SNMP protocol.

11. A system as in claim 7 wherein said HTTP protocol is HTTPs.

12. A method, comprising:

forming an SNMP request for information from a remote computer, in a management station computer;

changing said SNMP request to a form which will be passed by a firewall, wherein said changed SNMP request is encapsulated into HTTP protocol; and

sending said changed SNMP request to said remote computer through said firewall.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein said HTTP protocol includes a secure socket layer.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein said changed SNMP request includes tags in a style usually used by said HTTP protocol.

15. A method as in claim 12 further comprising:

receiving said changed SNMP request in said remote computer; and

changing said changed SNMP request into a standard SNMP request.

16. A method as in claim 15, further comprising:

in said remote computer, preparing an SNMP response;

encapsulating said SNMP response as a changed SNMP response; and

sending said changed SNMP response through said firewall to said management station computer.

17. A method as in claim 16 further comprising, at said management station computer, changing said changed SNMP response to a standard SNMP response.