System and method for configuring a network device

• US 7,246,162 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Focus Global Solutions LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Intelliden, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Tindal, Glen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot; Bharat
• Application Number:
  US11/216,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709220-224, 709238-242, 710/10, 719/318
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0273 using web services for network management, e.g. simple object access protocol [SOAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0859 by keeping history of different configuration generations or by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0863 by rolling back to previous configuration versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0879 Manual configuration through operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A system and method for communicating with network devices without regard to the device type and/or manufacturer is described. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a global graphical user interface (GUI) for communicating with various network devices. The global GUI includes an intuitive interface driven by a template library. For each device type and each device manufacturer, this template library can store both the attribute fields required for device configuration and the format for communicating those attribute fields. When a network administrator wants to communicate with a particular network device, the template associated with that device can be retrieved from the template library. The network administrator can then populate the attribute fields of that template with the appropriate data. This attribute data can be formatted and provided to the network device.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a network device, the method comprising:

receiving a message indicating a network event has occurred, the network event affecting communications among the network device and other network devices;

comparing the network event with a collection of policies to determine a response to the network event;

retrieving a command-format template corresponding to the network device, wherein the command-format template indicates how to construct a device-specific command for the network device and includes an attribute field;

identifying, in accord with the determined response to the network event, attribute data corresponding to the attribute field;

generating the device-specific command for the network device using the retrieved command-format template and the identified attribute data; and

providing the generated device-specific command to the network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the command-format template comprises the step of:

retrieving the command-format template from a central repository, wherein the central repository is configured to store a plurality of command-format templates, each of which correspond to at least one of a plurality of network devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of retrieving the command-format template comprises the step of:

traversing a data repository to identify the command-format template in the plurality of command-format templates that corresponds to the received network device identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving the command-format template comprises the step of:

retrieving formatting data associated with the command-format template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of populating the attribute field comprises the step of:

receiving the attribute data from a network administrator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of populating the attribute field comprises the step of:

receiving the attribute data from a network information system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the device-specific command comprises the step of:

forming an XML message comprising at least an indication of the formatted attribute data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating the device-specific command comprises the step of:

forming an HTTP message comprising at least an indication of the network device identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the device-specific command comprises the step of:

forming a frame comprising the XML message and the HTTP message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the device-specific command comprises the step of:

forming a frame comprising at least an indication of the formatted attribute data and at least an indication of the network device identifier; and

comparing the generated frame to a desired configuration template result.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of providing the generated device-specific command to the network device comprises the step of:

pushing the frame to the network device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

extracting the attribute data from the frame.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

altering the operation of the network device in accordance with a desired configuration template so as to generate an altered configuration record;

comparing the altered configuration record to an expected altered configuration template;

returning the network device to a previous operational state if the comparing indicates the alteration is not implemented correctly; and

storing the altered configuration record in a data repository.