Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-09-04
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2763)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
C709S241000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286042
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a system comprising at least one managing system and a number of first managed systems and a number of second managed systems in which redundancy is provided e.g. when management operations are performed by the managing system.
The invention also relates to a data storing managed system comprising a number of managed objects representing resources which is managed by a managing system able to perform management operations on the managed system.
Still further the invention relates to a method of providing redundancy in a system comprising at least a first and a second managed system each of which comprises a number of managed objects.
The invention also relates to a method of replicating management operations in a system comprising managed systems which are managed by a managing system.
BACKGROUND
The amount of information or data relating to a managed system can be high as well as complex to handle and sensitive etc. In these cases as well as in others it is often desirable to provide redundancy. Then it is important that the information or data in the redundant systems, which can be two or more, is the same and that when data in a system is changed by a managing system, it must be changed so that it remains consistent in the redundant managed systems.
In known systems replication of managed data of a managed system, e.g. a network element managed by TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) protocols can be carried out by replication of the actual changes of resource data from the network element that is addressed. Replicating on resource level is among others disadvantageous in that the further or secondary changes on a management level, in the MO such as consistency checks, logging, computer updates etc. are not replicated.
Replication can also be achieved through the managing system sending the same management operation to a number of redundant systems.
A serious drawback of implementing replication in this manner is that the management interface and the managing system, i.e. the operations system, themselves are affected which means that the operator and the Customer Administration System (CAS) must be aware of redundancy and therefore also be responsible for maintaining duplicated subscriber data etc.
In for example mobile communication systems of today real-time redundancy is often not applied but a number of systems are provided which merely provide for restoration in the case of a crash in for example a home location register. An example thereon is e.g. given in WO93/25051.
SUMMARY
Therefore a system is needed which is robust and which provides a high degree of availability and reliability by means of providing redundancy. A system is needed through which management operations can be provided in at least a first and a second managed system in such a way that the data in the at least two managed systems always will be accurate and up-to-date.
A system is also needed through which, in case a first managed system fails for some reason, a redundant second managed system immediately can start executing without any loss of data. Still further a system is needed through which management operations can be invoked in at least two managed systems so that the data is kept consistent in both (or more) systems at all times and in that the up-dates or similar operations are transferred to at least two systems in a safe and consistent manner.
A system is also needed wherein redundancy does not affect the managing system itself as well as it does not affect the management interface between the managing and managed systems respectively.
A method is also needed through which redundancy is provided in a safe and reliable way so that data in redundant systems always is up-to-date and consistent.
A method is also needed through which redundancy can be provided without affecting a managing system which manages two or more managed systems and also without affecting the management interface between managing and managed systems.
Therefore a system as initially referred to is provided in which management operations are replicated if redundancy is required. Advantageously the management operation is replicated in a first managed system whereafter it is sent to a second managed system. Advantageously the management operation is broken down into a number of managed object instance operations in the first managed system. The managed object instance operations are replicated and sent to the second managed system. A management operation may be a single operation in which case it merely addresses a single managed object instance or it may be a scope operation addressing a number of instances. Still further a filtering condition may be applied on the scope operation so that the management operation merely concerns some of the instances within the scope. This is in short called a filter operation.
In various embodiments one or more replication conditions may be given so that only instance operations fulfilling this or these conditions are replicated. The replication conditions may be of a number of different kinds. An example on a replication condition is that the instance operation has to be an up-dating operation. Generally, the management operations which can be performed on a managed object relate to the creation or deletion of an instance of a managed object, to the setting of an attribute value or the getting of an attribute value. A further operation relates to an action which requests a managed object to perform a task. All of these operations except for the getting of an attribute value relate to up-dating operations. The getting of an attribute value merely means reading and thus does not involve any change. Such an operation generally does not have to be replicated.
A number of conditions can be given in order that an operation be carried out in a first system for a start, such as an instance operation having to match instances comprised within the scope. Another condition relates to the instance operation having to match the instances comprised by the filter criteria. These are however not replication conditions but conditions for an operation to be carried out at all. This means that when scope and and filter conditions have been evaluated, those instances are identified which should be subjected to the management operation in the first managed system or in the addressed system. In addition to e.g. scope and filter conditions, there can be further conditions such as e.g. relating to access conditions, security conditions etc. Replication conditions thus only refer to conditions which are or can be given to control which operations among those that are to be performed in a first managed system, also are to be performed in a second managed system.
However, a replication condition can be that an instance object of an instance operation in a first managed system must have an instance replica in a second managed system or in other words there must be corresponding instances in the two managed systems in order to make a replication of any use. Of course, as far as e.g. create operations are concerned there is no MO-instance in either of the managed systems, e.g. NEs. The replication is then taken to mean that there shall be a replica in the second managed system (as well as in the first). Such a replication condition thus has to state whether a managed object instance has or shall have, a redundant replica in the second managed system or not. This can for example be achieved by defining a replication container (or more if needed) by pointing out a sub-tree root in the management information tree (MIT) in which case operations towards sub-tree roots and all the instances contained within it are replicated. However, the replication conditions can be different in different applications and of course also other conditions, e.g. particularly implementation specific conditions may be given. Generally replication conditions can be evaluated in an arbitrary order even if it is not always the case.
For explanatory reasons and in order to facilitate the understanding of
Björn Peter
Hasselberg Jonas
Hogberg Lena
Jensen Lars
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
Teska Kevin J.
Thomson William
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