Remote system administration and seamless service integration of a data communication network management system

• US 7,580,999 B1
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mann, Joseph F., Thomas, Leslie Alan, Sitaraman, Aravind, Deng, Mingqi
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong; Oanh
• Application Number:
  US10/682,751
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229, 709/250, 709/232, 714/1, 714/2, 714/4, 714/48, 714/51, 719/315
• 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 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

A method for providing remote management and maintenance of a node or service within a data communications network that is activated by the data communications network management system'"'"'s receipt of signals of an abnormal condition at a node or service or failure to receive operational status signals from a node or service. A control adapter running on a node within a Point of Presence is started. The control adapter is capable of starting all service adapters associated with all services running on the node. Operational status signals and abnormal condition signals are transmitted from the control adapter and service adapters on to an information bus. If a network management control host receives abnormal condition signals, notification is sent to a remote system administrator that alerts of an error experienced by a node or service. If a network management control host fails to receive operational status signals, notification is sent to a remote system administrator that no signals are being received from a node or service. The system administrator can take appropriate remote action to rectify the problem. The integration of a manually started node or service into a data communications network management system is achieved by manually implementing, at a Point of Presence within a data communications network, a node or service that has an adapter running on it and is in communication with an information bus. The node or service begins signalling operational status upon implementation. These signals are not recognized by network management control hosts. The network management control host transmits signals asking the newly started node or service for identification. The node or service receives the identity request and transmits signals back to the network management control host.

Claims

1. A method for remote management of a node in a data communications network, the method comprising:

starting, via a control adapter, a separate service adapter for each of services running on the node, the each separate service adapter publishing first heartbeat events onto an information bus, the first heartbeat events indicating that the services are operational, the information bus coupling a network operation center (NOC) and the control adapter included in the node;

monitoring, by the control adapter, state and status of the node and restarting, by the control adapter, the services if the services has been failed, the control adapter publishing second heartbeat events onto the information bus, the second heartbeat events indicating that the node is operational, wherein the node includes a master process associated with the control adapter, the master process starts the control adapter initially and restarts the control adapter when the control adapter stops the publishing second heartbeat events, and a network control console at the NOC recognizes that the node stopped and signals the master process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subscribing, at the service adapter, to the second heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subscribing, at the control adapter, to the first heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically polling, by the control adapter, the services; and

automatically restarting a service if the service has been failed.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

publishing, at the control adapter, an exception event onto the information bus after performing the automatically restarting a predetermined number of times.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing, at the service adapter, exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the corresponding service.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the exception events includes a classification and a level thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

publishing, at the control adapter, exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the node.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the exception events includes a classification and a level thereof.

10. A node for remote management in a data communications network, the node comprising:

a memory;

service adapters embedded in the memory, each of the service adapters associated with a separate service running on the node and configured to publish first heartbeat events onto an information bus, the first heartbeat events indicating that the services are operational, the information bus coupling a network operation center (NOC) and a control adapter included in the node, and a the control adapter configured to monitor state and status of the node and being capable of restarting the services, the control adapter configured to publish second heartbeat events onto the information bus, the second heartbeat events indicating that the node is operational, wherein the node includes a master process associated with the control adapter, the master process starts the control adapter initially and restarts the control adapter when the control adapter stops the publishing second heartbeat events, and a network control console at the NOC recognizes that the node stopped and signals the master process.

11. The node of claim 10, wherein the one or more service adapters subscribes to the second heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

12. The node of claim 10, wherein the control adapter subscribes to the first heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

13. The node of claim 10, wherein the control adapter periodically polls the services and automatically restarts a service if the service has been failed.

14. The node of claim 13, wherein the control adapter publishes an exception event onto the information bus after a predetermined number of unsuccessful restart operations for the failed service.

15. The node of claim 10, wherein the one or more service adapters further publishes exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the corresponding service.

16. The node of claim 15, wherein each of the exception events includes a classification and a level thereof.

17. The node of claim 10, wherein the control adapter further publishes exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the node.

18. The node of claim 17, wherein each of the exception events includes a classification and a level thereof.

19. An apparatus for remote management of a node in a data communications network, the apparatus comprising:

first means, each of the first means associated with a separate service running on the node, for publishing first heartbeat events onto an information bus, the first heartbeat events indicating that the services are operational, the information bus coupling a network operation center and the first means included in the node; and

second means for monitoring state and status of the node, and publishing second heartbeat events onto the information bus, the second heartbeat events indicating that the node is operational; and

third means for starting the second means initial and restarting the second means when the second means stop the publishing second heartbeat events, and a network control console at the NOC recognizes that the node stopped and signals the third means, wherein the second and third means are included in the node and comprise a processor to execute instructions stored in a memory.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein each of the one or more first means comprises:

means for subscribing to the second heartbeat events.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first means further comprises:

means for subscribing to events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second means comprises:

means for subscribing to the first heartbeat events.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second means further comprises:

means for subscribing to events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second means comprises:

means for periodically polling the services; and

means for automatically restarting a service if the service has been failed.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second means further comprises:

means for publishing an exception event onto the information bus after performing the automatically restarting a predetermined number of times.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first means comprises:

means for publishing exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the corresponding service.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second means further comprises:

means for publishing exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the node.

28. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions readable by the machine to perform a method for remote management of a node of a data communications network, the method comprising:

starting, via a control adapter, a separate service adapter for each of one or more services running on the node, each service adapter publishing first heartbeat events onto an information bus, the first heartbeat events indicating that the service is operational, the information bus coupling a network operation center and the control adapter included in the node, and

the control adapter monitoring state and status of the node and being capable of restarting the services, the control adapter publishing second heartbeat events onto the information bus, the second heartbeat events indicating that the node is operational, wherein the node includes a master process associated with the control adapter, the master process capable of starting and restarting the control adapter.

29. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

subscribing, at the service adapter, to the second heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

30. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

subscribing, at the control adapter, to the first heartbeat events and events published by a database adapter of the network operation center.

31. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

periodically polling, by the control adapter, the services; and

automatically restarting a service if the service has been failed.

32. The program storage device of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

publishing, at the control adapter, an exception event onto the information bus after performing the automatically restarting a predetermined number of times.

33. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

publishing, at the service adapter, exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the corresponding service.

34. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the method further comprises:

publishing, at the control adapter, exception events indicating an abnormal condition in the node.