Dynamic trap for simple network management protocol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11632307-B2
Application number	US-202117445238-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2020
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a managed device on a network. An agent is run on the managed device. During runtime of the agent on the managed device, the agent receives dynamic trap parameter update values from network management station software running on a manager computer. The agent uses the dynamic trap parameter update values to set dynamic trap parameter values including trigger parameter values defining conditions for sending a dynamic trap. After setting the dynamic trap parameter values, the agent monitors the managed device to identify occurrence of an event that satisfies the conditions defined by the trigger parameter values. In response to identifying the occurrence of the event, the agent sends the dynamic trap to the network management station software running on the manager computer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of managing a managed device on a network, comprising:
running an agent on the managed device; and
during runtime of the agent on the managed device:
receiving, by the agent, dynamic trap parameter update values from network management station software running on a manager computer,
using the dynamic trap parameter update values by the agent to set dynamic trap parameter values including trigger parameter values defining conditions for sending a dynamic trap,
after setting the dynamic trap parameter values, monitoring the managed device by the agent to identify occurrence of an event that satisfies the conditions defined by the trigger parameter values, and
in response to identifying the occurrence of the event, sending the dynamic trap by the agent to the network management station software running on the manager computer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the agent and the network management station software are configured to implement a Simple Network Management Protocol for managing the managed device on the network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dynamic trap parameter update values are identified in a protocol data unit received by the agent from the network management station software running on the manager computer.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the dynamic trap parameter values set by the agent using the dynamic trap parameter update values further comprise an object identifier value for identifying data in a management information base or a trap data identifier for identifying trap data comprising information regarding the event; and
the dynamic trap sent by the agent to the network management station software running on the manager computer includes the object identifier value or the trap data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a response from the agent to the network management station software running on the manager computer to acknowledge receiving the dynamic trap parameter update values by the agent.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trigger parameter values identify:
an object variable in the managed device to be monitored by the agent during runtime; and
a threshold value identifying a value of the object variable at which sending of the dynamic trap by the agent is triggered.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network is an aircraft network on an aircraft and the managed device is a line-replaceable unit on the aircraft.

8. A method of managing a managed device on a network, comprising:
running network management station software on a manager computer; and
during runtime of the network management station software running on the manager computer, sending dynamic trap parameter update values from the network management station software running on the manager computer to an agent running on the managed device, wherein the dynamic trap parameter update values define dynamic trap parameter values including trigger parameter values defining conditions for sending a dynamic trap from the agent running on the managed device to the network management station software running on the manager computer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the agent and the network management station software are configured to implement a Simple Network Management Protocol for managing the managed device on the network.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic trap parameter update values are identified in a protocol data unit sent from the network management station software running on the manager computer to the agent running on the managed device.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving a response by the network management station software running on the manager computer from the agent running on the managed device, wherein the response acknowledges receiving of the dynamic trap parameter update values by the agent.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the trigger parameter values identify:
an object variable in the managed device to be monitored by the agent running on the managed device; and
a threshold value identifying a value of the object variable at which sending of the dynamic trap by the agent is triggered.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving, by the network management station software running on the manager computer, the dynamic trap sent from the agent running on the managed device.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the network is an aircraft network on an aircraft and the managed device is a line-replaceable unit on the aircraft.

15. An apparatus for managing a managed device on a network, comprising:
an agent running on the managed device, wherein the agent is configured to, during runtime of the agent on the managed device:
receive dynamic trap parameter update values from network management station software running on a manager computer,
use the dynamic trap parameter update values to set dynamic trap parameter values including trigger parameter values defining conditions for sending a dynamic trap,
after setting the dynamic trap parameter values, monitor the managed device to identify occurrence of an event that satisfies the conditions defined by the trigger parameter values, and
in response to identifying the occurrence of the event, send the dynamic trap to the network management station software running on the manager computer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the agent and the network management station software are configured to implement a Simple Network Management Protocol for managing the managed device on the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the dynamic trap parameter update values are identified in a protocol data unit received by the agent from the network management station software running on the manager computer.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the dynamic trap parameter values set by the agent using the dynamic trap parameter update values further comprise an object identifier value for identifying data in a management information base or a trap data identifier for identifying trap data comprising information regarding the event; and
the dynamic trap sent by the agent to the network management station software running on the manager computer includes the object identifier value or the trap data.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the trigger parameter values identify:
an object variable in the managed device to be monitored by the agent during runtime; and
a threshold value identifying a value of the object variable at which sending of the dynamic trap by the agent is triggered.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the network is an aircraft network on an aircraft and the managed device is a line-replaceable unit on the aircraft.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Ramey Sean
• Zaehring James Matthew

Classifications

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04L41/082

  the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality · CPC title

• H04L41/0681

  Configuration of triggering conditions · CPC title

• H04L41/046 Primary

  comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor · CPC title

• H04L41/20 Primary

  Network management software packages · CPC title