Method and system for relocating and using enterprise management tools in a service provider model

• US 7,979,521 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Seminaro, Michael D., Greaves, Jon D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates; Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan; Hua
• Application Number:
  US11/151,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-224
• 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 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• 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 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/103 with adaptive polling, i.e. dynamically adapting the polling rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a method for communicating event data in a network, including: receiving the event data in a first device, the event data including a native IP address associated with a source of the event data; translating a native protocol of the event data into XML, a resulting XML message including the event data and an identifier associated with the first device; transmitting the XML message from a first location to a second location; determining a new IP address based on the native IP address and the identifier; and including the new IP address in the XML message.

Claims

1. A method for communicating event data in a network, comprising:

receiving the event data in a first device, the event data including a native IP address associated with a source of the event data;

translating a native protocol of the event data into XML, a resulting XML message including the event data and a unique identifier associated with the first device;

transmitting the XML message from the first device to a second device;

determining a new IP address based on the native IP address and the unique identifier, wherein the determining of the new IP address is performed by an address translation module without use of Network Address Translation (NAT);

substituting the new IP address into the XML message in replacement of the native IP address; and

reporting the XML message having the substituted new IP address to at least one management tool, wherein the substituted new IP address in the XML message is used to identify the source of the event data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the native protocol is SNMP, and the translating the native protocol is based on Basic Encoding Rules (BER) associated with Abstract Syntax Notation number One (ASN.1) standard.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the native protocol is in system log (SYSLOG) format.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to transmitting the XML message, persisting the XML message based on a status of a communication link between the first location and the second location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting is based at least in part on the operational status of at least one of the at least one management tool.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting is based at least in part on a predetermined assignment, the predetermined assignment providing an association between the event data and at least one of the at least one management tool.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined assignment based on the new IP address.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the including the new IP address, and before the reporting, converting the protocol of the event data from XML to a native format.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the translating the native protocol and before the transmitting, hashing the XML message.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after the hashing, at least one of encrypting the XML message and compressing the XML message.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the translating the native protocol and before the transmitting, at least one of encrypting the XML message and compressing the XML message.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a status for each of a plurality of management tools, the status being one of functional and non-functional;

receiving event data from a management network;

wherein the event data includes the new IP address;

selecting a management tool from a plurality of management tools based on a predetermined assignment, wherein the predetermined assignment is based on the new IP address; and

if the status of the selected management tool is functional, forwarding the event data to the selected management tool.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, if the status of the selected management tool is non-functional, selecting an alternative management tool.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving event data in a first server, the event data including a native IP address associated with a source of the event data;

translating a native protocol of the event data into XML, a resulting XML message including the event data and a unique identifier associated with the first server;

transmitting the XML message from the first server to a second server;

determining, with an address translation module running on the second server, a new IP address based on the native IP address associated with the source of the event data and the unique identifier for the first server, wherein the source of the event data is a device that differs from the first server;

substituting the new IP address into the XML message in replacement of the native IP address; and

reporting, with the second server, the XML message having the substituted new IP address to at least one management tool.

13. The method in claim 12, the method further comprising, after the substituting the new IP address, and before the reporting, converting the protocol of the event data from XML to a native format.

14. A system for communicating event data in a network, comprising:

a network management system;

a management server; and

a customer appliance coupled to the management server, wherein the customer appliance

a) receives the event data from at least one managed device, the event data including a native IP address associated with the at least one managed device and differing from the customer appliance;

b) translates a native protocol of the event data into XML, a resulting XML message including the event data and a unique identifier associated with the customer appliance; and

c) transmits the resulting XML message to the management server;

wherein;

the management server is coupled to at least the customer appliance and the management system, and includes an address translation module that a) determines, without use of Network Address Translation (NAT), a new IP address based on the native IP address and the unique identifier and b) substitutes the new IP address into the XML message in replacement of the native IP address.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the network management system includes:

at least one management tool;

and a console coupled to the at least one management tool.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the network management system includes a plurality of management tools, and wherein the management server includes a load balancing module configured to balance the distribution of the event data between each of the plurality of management tools.

19. A method, comprising:

receiving event data in a first device, the event data including a native IP address associated with a source of the event data;

translating a native protocol of the event data into XML, a resulting XML message including the event data and a unique identifier associated with the device;

transmitting the XML message from the first device to a second device;

determining, with an address translation module run by the second device, a new IP address based on the native IP address and the unique identifier, and substituting the new IP address into the XML message in replacement of the native IP address;

determining a status for each of a plurality of management tools, the status being one of functional and non-functional;

receiving the event data from a managed network, wherein the event data includes the new IP address; and

selecting a management tool from a plurality of management tools based on a predetermined assignment, wherein the predetermined assignment is based on the new IP address;

wherein

if the status of the selected management tool is functional, forwarding the event data to the selected management tool; and

if the status of the selected management tool is non-functional, selecting an alternative management tool.