Computer network system and a method for monitoring and controlling a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9860107-B2
Application number	US-201715407783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 11, 2004
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

Discloses is a computer network system comprising a plurality of network management tools, a network segment comprising a plurality of hardware devices, and a proxy for interconnecting network management tools with the network segment. Each of the network management tools is assigned at least one functionality for monitoring and controlling at least one hardware device which is polled by the network management tools. The functionalities from different network management tools are separate from each other, and the proxy is set up to consolidate requests from the different network management tools and to focus the requests on one single request to the device to be controlled by the different network management tools.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer network system comprising:
plurality of network management tools;
a network segment comprising a plurality of hardware devices; and
a proxy for interconnecting the network management tools with the network segment;
the network management tools, each being assigned at least one functionality for monitoring and controlling at least one of said hardware devices which is polled by the network management tools, wherein the network management tools send a multitude of requests to the proxy for information from said at least one of the hardware devices, and the proxy is configured to combine a plurality of the requests from the different network management tools into a single combined request and to send said combined request to said one of the hardware devices to obtain from said at least one of the hardware devices the information requested by said plurality of the requests from the different network management tools; and wherein:
the proxy includes a database for storing the requests from the different network management tools, a configuration unit for consolidating the requests from the different network management tools into a single combined request, and a polling unit for initiating the single combined request on said one of the hardware devices;
the proxy receives the requests and stores the requests in the database;
after the requests are received and stored, the requests are inspected with respect to previously stored data in the database; and in case another request with the same content as one of the received requests has already been received and stored in the database, the proxy sends previously stored data to the network management tools instead of sending the single combined request to said at least one of the hardware devices to reduce load on the computer network system; and
the configuration unit compiles the requests to a configuration for the polling unit.

2. The computer network according to claim 1 , wherein in case that another request with the same content has not already been received and stored in the database, the request is translated according to a network address translation configuration.

3. The computer network according to claim 2 , wherein the network address translation configuration is stored in the database.

4. The computer network according to claim 1 , wherein said previously stored data in the database is data polled from the at least one hardware device.

5. The computer network according to claim 4 , wherein said previously stored data in the database is data polled from the at least one hardware device in reaction to a request with said same content.

6. The computer network according to claim 2 , wherein polled answers in reaction to the single combined request are provided to the network management tools.

7. The computer network system according to claim 1 , wherein a polling interval is defined by the requests from the different network management tools.

8. The computer network system according to claim 1 , wherein the proxy further comprises a communication component to each of the network management tools.

9. The computer network system according to claim 1 , wherein the proxy further comprises a communication component to said one of the hardware devices.

10. A network setup method for monitoring and controlling at least one hardware device of a network segment comprising a plurality of hardware devices by a plurality of network management tools, the method comprising:
the different network management tools sending to a proxy a multitude of requests for information from the at least one hardware device;
the proxy combining a plurality of the requests into a single combined request and sending said combined request to the at least one hardware device to obtain from said at least one of the hardware devices the information requested by said plurality of the requests from the different network management tools; and wherein:
the proxy includes a database for storing the requests from the different network management tools, a configuration unit for consolidating the requests from the different network management tools into the single combined request, and a polling unit for initiating the single combined request on said one of the hardware devices;
the proxy receives the requests and stores the requests in the database;
after the requests are received and stored, the requests are inspected with respect to previously stored data in the database; and in case another request with the same content as one of the received requests has already been received and stored in the database, the proxy sends previously stored data to the network management tools instead of sending the single combined request to said at least one of the hardware devices to reduce load on the computer network system; and
the configuration unit compiles the requests to a configuration for the polling unit.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein in case that another request with the same content has not already been received and stored in the database, the request is translated according to a network address translation configuration.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the network address translation configuration is stored in the database.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said previously stored data in the database is data polled from the at least one hardware device.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said previously stored data in the database is data polled from the at least one hardware device in reaction to a request with said same content.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein polled answers in reaction to the single combined request are provided to the network management tools.

16. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer-readable storage device and a computer program tangibly stored on the computer-readable device with program coding for operating a proxy of a computer network system, the computer network system comprising a plurality of network management tools, and a network segment comprising a plurality of hardware devices, wherein each of the network management tools is assigned at least one functionality for monitoring and controlling at least one of the hardware device, and the different network management tools send to the proxy a multitude of requests for information from the at least one of the hardware devices, the proxy including a database, a configuration unit, and a polling unit, and the computer program performing:
the proxy receiving the requests and storing the requests in the database;
the proxy combining a plurality of the requests into a single combined request and sending said combined request to the at least one hardware device to obtain from said at least one of the hardware devices the information requested by said plurality of the requests from the different network management tools;
after the requests are received and stored, the proxy inspecting the requests with respect to previously stored data in the database; and in case another request with the same content as one of the received requests has already been received and stored in the database, the proxy sending previously stored data to the network management tools instead of sending the single combined request to said at least one of the hardware devices to reduce load on the computer network system; and
the configuration unit compiling the requests to a configuration for the polling unit.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16 , wherein in case that another

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Kuhles Oliver
• Schwarz Sascha
• Urban Thomas

Classifications

• H04L61/2528

  Translation at a proxy · CPC title

• H04L29/12424

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L41/0226 Primary

  Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols · CPC title

• H04L67/28

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L41/022

  Multivendor or multi-standard integration · CPC title