Web-based management engine and system

• US 7,895,305 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Q3 Networking LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Beton, Richard, Hancock, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong, Dohm
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dailey, Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US10/416,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,395 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 715/249
• 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 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor

Abstract

A Web-based management engine is provided. The engine includes a Web page generator that generates Web pages based upon data relating to procedural steps for management of the at least one aspect of the behavior of the network entity. The engine also includes an interfacing component arranged to communicate data between a Web server and an SNMP agent in accordance with a predetermined data structure so as to manage the at least one aspect of the behavior of the network entity. Such a Web-based management engine obviates the complex to generate and inflexible template Web pages of known Web-based management systems.

Claims

1. A Web-based management engine for a network entity, comprising:

an intelligent agent that obtains information about at least one operational parameter of the network entity and/or modifies the behavior of the network entity, the intelligent agent interacting with the network entity in accordance with a predetermined data structure;

a data store storing data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity;

a Web server that provides an interactive environment to manage the at least one operational parameter of the network entity, and

an interface that communicates values of the at least one operational parameter between the Web server and the intelligent agent in accordance with the predetermined data structure,

wherein the Web server provides the interactive environment using the Web pages generated by a Web page generator, the Web page generator that generates a set of linked Web pages in response to a request to carry out a procedure, wherein each Web page of the set of linked Web pages being based upon the data stored in the data store and corresponding to at least one step in the procedure to manage the at least one operational parameter of the network entity,

wherein the interface uses the stored data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity to generate a determination result indicating whether information retrieved using a form provided on the set of linked Web pages conforms to a rule relating to the procedure to manage the at least one operational parameter of the network entity, and wherein the interface communicates values to the intelligent agent based on the information retrieved from the form in response to the determination result indicating conformance.

2. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data relating to the procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity is a file in a binary format that includes a tree-structured syntax used when generating the set of linked Web pages.

3. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the data relating to the procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity includes data relating to rules to be observed in relation to the operational procedure, and the Web-based management engine, and further comprising a verification component that verifies the rules relating to the procedure.

4. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one variant Web page is generated that corresponds to, but in a different natural language to that of, at least one of the set of linked Web pages.

5. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intelligent agent is an SNMP agent.

6. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the predetermined data structure is an MIB.

7. The Web-based management engine as claimed in claim 2, wherein upon rejection of a communicated value for the at least one operational parameter of the network entity by the intelligent agent, the interface sends information to the intelligent agent to reset a value of the at least one operational parameter of the network entity to a previous value.

8. A Web-based management system comprising a Web-based management engine comprising:

an intelligent agent that obtains information about at least one operational parameter of the network entity and/or modifies the behavior of the network entity, the intelligent agent interacting with the network entity in accordance with a predetermined data structure;

a data store storing data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity;

a Web server that provides an interactive environment to manage the at least one operational parameter of the network entity, and

an interface that communicates values of the at least one operational parameter between the Web server and the intelligent agent in accordance with the predetermined data structure,

wherein the Web server provides the interactive environment using the Web pages generated by a Web page generator, the Web page generator generating a set of linked Web pages in response to a request to carry out a procedure, wherein each Web page of the set of linked Web pages being based upon the data stored in the data store and corresponding to at least one step in the procedure to manage the at least one operational parameter of the network entity, and

wherein the interface uses the stored data relating to the procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity to generate a determination result indicating whether values to be communicated to the intelligent agent from the Web server conform to a rule relating to the procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity, and

wherein the interface communicates values from the Web server to the intelligent agent in response to the determination result indicating conformance.

9. The Web-based management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data relating to the procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity is a file in a binary format that includes a tree-structured syntax used when generating the set of linked Web pages.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a compiler that performs a static analysis on a text-based description of procedural steps of a management procedure that includes comparing the text-based description of procedural steps to a database of predetermined structures for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network to verify that the procedural steps of the management procedures conform to the predetermined structures, and compiles the verified text-based description of procedural steps of the management procedure into machine-readable data.

11. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity is stored in a binary format file.

12. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity is stored in a text file.

13. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data relating to a procedure for managing the at least one operational parameter of the network entity is stored in a database file.

14. The system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a Web browser.

15. A method of manufacturing a Web based management engine, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a static analysis by retrieving a predetermined data structure for managing at least one operational parameter of a network entity and comparing a text-based description of procedural steps of management procedures for the network entity to the predetermined data structure to verify that the procedural steps conform to the predetermined data structure,

translating the verified text-based description of procedural steps of the management procedures into a machine readable format,

storing the translated management procedures in a machine readable file, the machine readable file corresponding to at least one Web page, and

combining a Web server and web page generator to form an adapted Web server that translates the content of the machine readable file into at least one Web page for transmission by the adapted Web server,

wherein the web page generator generates a set of linked web pages in response to a request to carry out a procedure, wherein each Web page of the set of linked web pages being based upon the data stored in a data store and corresponding to at least one step in a procedure to manage at least one operational parameter of a network entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the machine readable file is in a binary format that includes a tree-structured syntax used when generating the set of linked web pages.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined data structure is an MIB.