Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – For storage or transmission
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-11
2001-10-09
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2153)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
For storage or transmission
C704SE21020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301557
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to object oriented programming methodologies. More specifically, the present invention includes a method and apparatus that provides object oriented interfaces between enterprise management frameworks and management agents that interact with enterprise management frameworks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The growth in size and complexity of computer networks has made network management an increasingly difficult task. As a result, a number of software applications have been developed to automate management of computer systems and networks. These applications are referred to in this document as management agents. Management agents are designed to allow the state of entities, such as computer systems, disks and processes, to be remotely monitored and managed. Many management agents perform these functions on a network wide basis. This allows large numbers of entities within a network to be centrally analyzed and managed.
Most management agents have been developed to manage specific entity types. As a result, a single computer network may include several different management agents. For example, a representative network may use a first management agent to manage disks and a second management agent to manage software applications. This complicates the network management task by forcing network operators to learn and use the features of several different management agents.
Enterprise management frameworks (also known as EM frameworks) are software applications that have been developed to simplify the use of different management agents. To accomplish this end, EM frameworks attempt to provide a single, unified interface to different management agents. An effective method for providing this type of interface is to treat entities, such as computer systems, disks and processes, as objects. The objects within a computer network may then be grouped into a hierarchy. The object hierarchy provides a structure that may be visually navigated. Objects within the hierarchy can be manipulated to manage their associated entities.
The unified interface provided by EM frameworks greatly simplifies the task of network management. As a result, it is generally desirable to extend EM frameworks to provide this interface for a wide range of management agents. Unfortunately, providing this type of cross-compatibility between EM frameworks and management agents can be complex. This complexity results, partially, because each management agent and each EM framework will typically have its own programming interface. Integrating an EM framework with a group of management agents means adapting the programming interfaces of the framework and each agent. This work may have to be redone if a new EM framework or agent is used or if an updated programming interface is provided for an existing EM framework or agent. Effectively, when traditional methods are used, EM frameworks and management agents form part of a closed architecture. These architectures are expensive to implement, expensive to maintain, and expensive to adapt or upgrade.
Integrating multiple management agents with EM frameworks may also result in complex runtime problems. As an example, consider the case where two management agents both report status for a particular entity. A question arises as to how an EM framework will proceed if the two management agents do not agree on the status of the entity. Furthermore, where multiple management agents are used, it may be difficult for the EM framework to determine which management agent should process a given user command.
Integrating multiple management agents with EM frameworks also tends to increase the number of objects that must be managed. In large networks, this may increase the number of managed objects to the point that an EM framework would provide unacceptable performance or require unacceptable initialization periods.
Based on the preceding discussion, it may be appreciated that there is a need for systems that facilitate the integration of management agents and EM frameworks. It is important for systems of this type to be inexpensive to implement, inexpensive to maintain, and inexpensive to adapt or upgrade. These systems need to correctly report entity status and correctly direct user commands. These systems also need to scale to large network environments without suffering unacceptable performance degradation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for integrating management agents and EM frameworks. For a representative embodiment, the present invention includes an open enterprise management gateway or OEM gateway. The OEM gateway is a software process that functions as an intermediary between one or more management agents and one or more EM frameworks. The OEM gateway includes an OEM server and a series of EM adapters. Each EM adapter provides an interface between the OEM gateway and a particular type of EM framework.
There are two interfaces between the OEM server and a given management agent. The first of these interfaces, known as the OEM request interface, is exported by the OEM server and used by the management agent. The second, known as the client callback interface, is exported by the management agent and used by the OEM server. Both of these interfaces are constructed to conform to predefined application programming interfaces (APIs). Adapting a particular management agent to work with the OEM gateway requires configuring the management agent to use the OEM request interface and to export a client callback interface.
There are two interfaces between the OEM server and a given EM adapter agent. The first of these interfaces, known as the adapter request interface, is exported by the EM adapter and used by the OEM server. The second, known as the OEM callback interface, is exported by the OEM server and used by the EM adapter. Both of these interfaces are constructed to conform to predefined application programming interfaces (APIs). Adapting a particular EM adapter to work with the OEM gateway requires configuring the EM adapter to provide an adapter request interface and to use the OEM callback interface.
Once configured, an EM framework or management agent may be used in combination with any EM framework or management agent that has been adapted to use the OEM gateway. Effectively, the APIs of the OEM gateway provide an open architecture for EM framework/management agent interaction. The open architecture simplifies the task of adding new or changed EM frameworks or management agents.
During operation, a group of one or more management agents uses the OEM gateway to interact with a group of one or more EM frameworks. Management agents use the OEM request interface to add objects to the EM frameworks. Each object corresponds to an entity, such as a computer system, disk or process. The EM frameworks display, using their own native interfaces, the objects added by the management agents. When appropriate, the management agents use the OEM request interface to define and associate command interfaces, such as popup menus, with the objects within the EM frameworks.
Users trigger the command interfaces associated with the objects in an EM framework to interact with the underlying entities. In response, the EM framework uses the OEM callback interfaces to invoke callback procedures within the appropriate management agents. The callback procedures perform the steps required to effectuate the operation requested by the user.
The OEM gateway provides arbitration between different EM frameworks and different management agents. As an example, if two or more management agents report different status information for a single object, the OEM gateway determines which information should be forwarded to the EM frameworks. Arbitration also allows the OEM gateway to correctly direct callback processing to the correct management agents.
The OEM gateway maintains an internal depth variable. The depth variable is user-configurable and describes the preferred depth for the hierarchy of objects created b
Boucher Sylvain
Miller Michael R.
O'Brien Collin P.
Tremblay Chantal
Compaq Computers Incorporated
Dinh Dung C.
Fenwick & West LLP
Trim Nkosi
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