Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-18
2001-08-07
Homere, Jean R. (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272500
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object-oriented device management technology for integrating external interfaces regardless of the difference among devices by managing the devices in function attributes assigned to the devices to be managed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with an increasing number of vendors of various devices such as communications devices, information processing devices, etc. and with an increasing number of variations of functions, there has been a movement to integrate user interfaces when the devices are managed, and to market device management application software for management of many kinds of devices having the same function. The management systems are referred to as object-oriented device management systems.
Conventionally, management software has been prepared for each type and vendor of a device, and a management system user can manage a device by accessing the device through the management software. The management software requires a device interface function of exchanging necessary management information by accessing a device, and a user interface function of exchanging necessary management information with users. However, developing such management software for each device requires a long time and intensive work, and costs to run the device management system are high. Additionally, the management system user has been forced to master the usage of the management software for each device.
With the above described object-oriented device management system, the user interface function in the management software is standardized and common management software (hereinafter referred to as object-oriented management software) is prepared for devices grouped in management functions. That is, when each device is managed in functions of a package, package object management software is prepared. The package object management software commonly manages the attributes of each device such as a package name, a product lot number, a failure state, etc., and provides a user with an interface for accessing the attributes. The device interface function of retrieving a necessary attribute from these attributes or setting it in a device is provided by the software referred to as a device interfacer other than the package object management software. The package object management software obtains or sets for a device an attribute required for management by communicating with a device interfacer. Furthermore, if plural kinds of line terminating equipment for a switching unit are managed from a terminating point function, a terminating point object management software is prepared. The terminating point object management software manages the attributes indicating, for example, whether or not a communications alarm is issued in each line terminating equipment, etc. and provides a user with an interface for accessing the attributes. The device interface function for obtaining the attributes from the line terminating equipment is provided by the above described device interfacer. The terminating point object management software obtains the above described attributes from the line terminating equipment by communicating with the device interfacer.
Thus, with the object-oriented device management system, the device interface function specific to each device is encapsulated by a device interfacer prepared for each device, and the object management software having the user interface function can obtain or set a device an attribute required for management by accessing a device interfacer of each device using the identical protocol. As a result, the object management software can be shared among a plurality of vendors and plural types of devices. Therefore, when a management system is provided for a unit, the vendor has only to develop a device interfacer corresponding to the device, and the user interface function can be provided by general-purpose object management software. Thus, a device management system can be developed with reduced effort within a shorter time and at a lower cost. Since a management user is provided with common user interface classified by management functions regardless of the type of device, it becomes easier to learn the usage of the management software for each device.
FIG. 1
shows the configuration of the system device according to the conventional object-oriented device management system.
In
FIG. 1
, a group of object management software (object management software group)
101
is an application group where each application is used to manage each function of a device
103
. The object management software
101
accesses a database system
104
according to the message or command transmitted from an operating system (Ops)
105
, which is running in a work station, etc. of a management user, through a Q interface
108
. It also accesses the device
103
through a device interfacer
102
. The Q interface
108
is a standard interface in which a standard communications protocol CMISE from the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) is adopted. The CMISE protocol is located in both presentation and application layers in the OSI reference model (a model in which layered functions associated with the communications prescribed by the international standard of network architecture ‘Open System Interconnection’ are defined). In this protocol, for example, a request for and a response to the management information for the device
103
to be managed (the target) are performed as abstracted services such as an M_GET service, an M_SET service, an M_ACTION service, an M_EVENT-REPORT service, etc.
The device interfacer
102
provides a user with a device interface function specific to the device
103
, for obtaining/sending a necessary attribute for management from/to the device
103
, and provides an interface
109
common among the devices
103
for the object management software
101
by encapsulating the difference in access system for each device
103
. In this case, the communications of a message between the object management software
101
and the device interfacer
102
are established by a message passing system which is one of the inter-process or inter-object communications systems. In this system, a message is transmitted by establishing a communications channel between a transmitting process (object) and a receiving process (object).
The database system
104
accesses the database stored in memory
106
or an external storage device
107
at a request from the object management software
101
. The database stores what is obtained without directly accessing the device
103
among the function attributes relating to the device
103
.
Thus, the function attributes managed by the object management software
101
include the data (device name, etc.) stored in the memory
106
or external storage device
107
managed by the database system
104
, and the data (error state, etc.) stored in the device
103
itself. In the following explanation, the former function attribute is referred to as an A-type attribute while the latter function attribute is referred to as a B-type attribute.
As described above, the CMISE protocol performs, for example, the request for and the response to the management information for the device
103
as an abstracted service such as an M_GET service, an M_SET service, an M_ACTION service, an M_EVENT-REPORT service, etc.
An M_GET service is used when a specified condition is transmitted from a management user to receive in return the function attribute of the corresponding device
103
to be managed. An M_SET service is used when a specified condition is transmitted from a management user to alter the function attributes of the corresponding device
103
to be managed. These M_GET service and M_SET service belong to either the above described A-type attribute or B-type attribute as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, if the message specifying the M_GET service or M_SET service transmitted from the Ops
105
to the object management software
1
Fujitsu Limited
Helfgott & Karas P.C.
Homere Jean R.
Robinson Greta L.
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