JP2868426B2 - Network management system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network management system composed of devices connected to a network and a configuration management server that centrally manages configuration information of the devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an internetwork, I
ETF (Internet Engineering)
BOOTP (RFC951) and TFTP (RF) proposed for diskless terminals at the Task Force
C1350), the corresponding configuration information is downloaded from the server when the terminal starts up. In addition, this function is applied to other devices on the network, and the server centrally manages configuration information corresponding to each device, and downloads that information at the initial startup of the device, so that each device can We have tried to save labor for setting. However, usually, the configuration information of the device can be set and changed from a maintenance terminal directly connected to the serial port or a remote management terminal. Therefore, there is a discrepancy with the configuration information on the centrally managed server, and the hardware or software is replaced on the device side for some reason, and again,
When starting up, it is necessary to download configuration information different from the current status from the server and manually correct it again. For this reason, there is a problem that not only extra time is required to start up, but also that it cannot be corrected accurately due to an input error or the like.

In order to solve such a problem, a TFT
By using a command from the maintenance terminal directly connected to the serial port using the writing means in the P protocol,
Alternatively, a remote management terminal may assign S to the corresponding management item.
A method of uploading information in a device to a server by making an et request is adopted. However, after changing the configuration information in the device, a command or request for uploading must be generated,
During that time, if the configuration information is changed by another access, there is a problem that the unintended configuration information is uploaded to the server, and two steps of changing and uploading the configuration information are required. Although the configuration information in the device has been changed, there is also a problem in the procedure that the work is terminated without uploading.
The problem is that, as the network expands and the number of terminals and the devices that connect them exponentially increases, the time and labor for such operations increase accordingly. Further, there is a problem that the status of the remote server (access right to the directory to be written, available disk space, etc.) cannot be grasped, and uploading to the server is not always successful.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide configuration information of devices managed by a server and individual network devices. A network management system that can match the current configuration information within the network with good timing, with little effort, and with a minimum network load, and can easily restore the current configuration information in the event of a configuration management server or device failure Is to provide.

[0005]

According to the network management system of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, as shown in FIG. A plurality of network devices 2 including means for performing initial startup based on the configuration information, and configuration information corresponding to each network device 2 is edited, and the configuration information is reflected to the corresponding devices via the network 3. In a system in which a configuration management server 1 having means for performing
The configuration management server 1 includes an editing interface unit 11 for performing an editing request and an editing response for configuration information with peripheral devices, and a change request and a changing response for configuration information with individual devices on a network. The communication device 12 includes a communication unit 12 for communicating change notification, and a configuration management unit 13 for managing change, reading, and the like of configuration information of the device in response to editing or change. Communication means 21 for receiving a request for configuration information in a communication procedure corresponding to each of the connected terminals, and responding or notifying the request.
If, by changing the configuration information in the device by the received request, or a network management system that Ru comprising a configuration management unit 22 for managing reading
Assuming that the system is common to each claim,
Is managed on the configuration management server.
When editing configuration information for each device,
Automatically configures the device in response to an edit request
A means for issuing a request to download
The device responds to all of the configuration information
Or transfer a part to the configuration management server
Means and configuration pipe based on the transferred information
For editing configuration information on the management server
And all or all of this edited configuration information
Is characterized by having means for reflecting a part on the device
Things. According to the second aspect of the invention, the information is managed by the device.
Connected configuration information to the device
When changing from the management terminal or maintenance terminal, change
Information is automatically managed by the configuration management means on the device.
Means for detecting, the means for notifying the configuration management server that the change of configuration fig configuration information is generated from the device side, a request configuration management server siphon configuration information the instrument with respect to the notification Means for issuing to the device;
In response to the request, the device includes means for transferring all or a part of the configuration information to the configuration management server. Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 3, the configuration information is read from the configuration information in the device or the configuration management server, and the configuration information is read in the device or the configuration management server until the transmission to the configuration management server or the device is completed. And means for making all or part of the configuration information unchangeable. Furthermore, in the invention of claim 4, means for adding version information when the configuration information is edited on the configuration management server, and means for adding change information when the configuration information in the device is changed And means for issuing a negative response indicating that copying is unnecessary if no change information is added to the configuration information in the device when a request to download the configuration information from the configuration management server to the device is issued. It is a feature.

[0006]

According to the configuration of the present invention, the configuration information of the device managed by the server and the current configuration information in the device can be matched with good timing, with little effort, and with a minimum network load. Yes, it is possible to centrally manage device configuration information.

[0007]

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration used in the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a configuration management server, 2
Is a network device, and 3 is a network. The configuration management server 1 and a plurality of network devices 2 are connected via a network 3. Each of the network devices 2 has its own initial startup configuration information as configuration information files C1, C2,. Further, the configuration management server 1 holds configuration information of each network device 2 as configuration information files O1, O2,..., On for each device. The configuration management server 1 is configured by a terminal such as a personal computer or a workstation having a relatively large-capacity storage unit for storing a configuration information file for each device, and a mouse or a mouse connected to the terminal. It has means for editing configuration information for each device using a peripheral device such as a keyboard and reflecting the configuration information to the corresponding device via the network 3. On the other hand, in each of the network devices 2, means for determining the status and configuration of the device based on the reflected configuration information and a management terminal connected via the network 3 or connected to a network other than the network 3 via a serial port or the like Alternatively, a means for changing configuration information in the device from the maintenance terminal is provided.

Hereinafter, the configuration management server 1
A specific configuration of the network device 2 will be described. The configuration management server 1 changes the configuration between the editing interface unit 11 that issues an editing request and an editing response for configuration information with peripheral devices such as a mouse or a keyboard, and the individual devices 2 on the network. The communication device 12 includes a communication unit 12 that communicates a request, a change response, and a change notification, and a configuration management unit 13 that manages change, reading, and the like of the configuration information of the device 2 according to editing or change. Further, the network device 2 receives a request related to a configuration in a communication procedure corresponding to a terminal directly connected to the network or a serial port, etc., and responds or notifies the communication device 21. It is provided with a configuration management means 22 for changing the configuration information or managing the reading.

An outline of the processing according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 2 shows a process for editing configuration information for each device managed on the configuration management server. The fact that the user (for example, a network administrator) intends to change the configuration information of a certain device is transmitted to the configuration management means as an edit request via the edit interface means. The configuration management unit confirms the validity of the request (for example, the device is already configured), and sends the request to the device via the communication unit, for example, by using a TFT.
Using the P's RRQ (read request), a siphoning request is sent. The device receives the siphoning request and passes it to the configuration management means via the communication means. The configuration management means checks whether the request from the configuration management server is valid (for example, whether or not there is an access right), and if it is valid, prohibits access to the configuration information from others. In addition to the lock state, the configuration information is transferred to the configuration management server through the communication means, in whole or in part, in response to a request, for example, using a TFTP DATA packet. In this transfer, a procedure of returning an ACK (acknowledgement) every time reception is performed, such as TFTP, may be performed.
Needless to say, the procedure may return CK. Also, if the configuration management means of the device finds that the configuration information has never been changed, a negative response is sent to the configuration management server in response to the siphoning request. ) And the transfer procedure is omitted.

The configuration information transferred from the device is stored in an editing temporary file in consideration of, for example, the occurrence of a down during editing. Here, the edited data obtained through the editing means is reflected. After this processing is completed, the version information is also updated, and all or a part of the edited configuration information is downloaded to the device by using, for example, the RRQ or WRQ procedure of the TFTP. Again,
Needless to say, the procedure may return an ACK every time a packet is received, or return an ACK after receiving a certain unit. After successfully receiving the series of configuration information, the device clears the change information and stores it as formal configuration information. At the same time, the device adopts the lock state and prohibits access from others. on the other hand,
After the configuration management server has successfully transmitted the necessary configuration information to the device, the configuration management server notifies the user of the completion of the editing via the editing interface means, and also stores the information stored in the temporary editing file for management. Move to the configuration file and manage.

As the version information, the first time the configuration information for the device is created is defined as one version, and each time the configuration is updated, the version is updated as in the second or third version, or the version is updated. You can think of using date and time, or using them together. Regarding the change information, as a simple method, when the configuration information is downloaded is set to 0 times, and every time the configuration information is changed,
A method of counting up this number is considered.
That is, if the change information is other than 0, it is considered that there is a change.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a process for changing configuration information in a device by a terminal connected to the device. A request for changing the configuration information is issued from the management terminal or the maintenance terminal connected to the device, and the request is passed to the configuration management unit in the device via the communication unit corresponding to the request source.
The configuration management means confirms the validity of the request as shown in FIG. 4, and if the request is valid, changes the request in accordance with the request. At that time, while updating the change information,
The configuration management server, which is registered in advance, is notified that the configuration has been changed, and is locked so that the configuration information is not changed by another access. In response to this notification, the configuration management server sends a siphoning request to the device via the communication means, for example, using the RRQ (read request) of the TFTP. The device passes the siphoning request to the configuration management means via the communication means. The configuration management unit checks whether the request from the configuration management server is valid (for example, whether the request is based on the notification given earlier) and requests the configuration management server for the configuration information through the communication unit. Depending on the total or a part of T
The transfer is performed using the FTP DATA packet. In this transfer, a procedure of returning an ACK every time reception is performed, such as a TFTP, or a procedure of returning an ACK after receiving a certain unit may be used. After successfully transmitting a series of configuration information, the device releases the locked state to enable access from other devices. On the other hand, the configuration management server updates and manages the configuration file for management after successfully receiving necessary configuration information from the device side. Here, in order to update the configuration information so as to be consistent even in the above-described embodiment, new version information is added to a siphoning request from the configuration management server issued in response to a notification from the device side, and Can be realized by adopting both on the device side and the configuration management server side. Naturally, the device needs to adopt the new version information and clear the change information when the transmission of the configuration information is completed.

Regarding the timing of releasing the locked state in which access to the configuration information in the device is prohibited as shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, the locked state cannot be released without normally completing this sequence. In consideration of the above, it goes without saying that measures such as release due to timeout when there is no response after a certain period of time and release in post-processing when communication is abnormally terminated are taken.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the configuration information of the device managed by the server and the configuration information in the current device can be made to coincide with each other with good timing. Is not generated, the operation can be performed with minimum effort and with a minimum network load, and the current configuration information can be easily restored in the event of a failure of the configuration management server or device. And because it does n’t require complicated procedures, it does n’t require complicated software,
This has the effect of requiring less memory.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration used in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram when configuration information is edited on a server side.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram when the configuration information is changed on the device side.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration information transfer process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Configuration management server 2 Network equipment 3 Network 11 Editing interface means 12 Communication means 13 Configuration management means 21 Communication means 22 Configuration management means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 15/00 320 G06F 13/00 354 H04L 12/24 H04L 12/26

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of network devices having configuration information for determining the state and configuration of a device and having means for performing initial startup based on the configuration information, and configuration information corresponding to each network device. In a system in which a configuration management server having means for editing and reflecting the configuration information to a corresponding device via a network is connected by a network, the configuration management server communicates configuration information with peripheral devices. An editing interface means for performing an editing request and an editing response with respect to the configuration information between individual devices on the network;
A communication unit for communicating a change response and a change notification; and a configuration management unit for managing change and reading of the configuration information of the device in response to editing or change. Communication means for receiving, responding to, or notifying a request for configuration information in a communication procedure corresponding to each of the received terminals, and configuration management for changing configuration information in the device or managing reading according to the received request Network with means
Configuration management system
Configuration for each device managed on the server
Automatically edits the application information in response to an edit request.
Request to download configuration information to device
Means for performing the configuration, and in response to the request,
Configuration of all or part of migration information
Based on the information transferred to the management server and the transferred information.
Configuration on the configuration management server
Means to edit the configuration information and the edited configuration
Means to reflect all or part of the
A network management system, comprising: 2. A configuration for determining the state and configuration of a device.
Configuration information.
Networks that have means for initial startup based on
Network devices and network devices
Edit the configuration information and connect it to the corresponding device.
To reflect the configuration information through the network
Network with a configuration management server
In a system connected by a work , the configuration management server includes an editing interface unit that issues an editing request and an editing response with respect to configuration information with peripheral devices, and a configuration management server with respect to configuration information with respect to individual devices on a network. Change request,
A communication unit for communicating a change response and a change notification; and a configuration management unit for managing change and reading of the configuration information of the device in response to editing or change. Communication means for receiving, responding to, or notifying a request for configuration information in a communication procedure corresponding to each of the received terminals, and configuration management for changing configuration information in the device or managing reading according to the received request A network management system having a means, wherein when configuration information managed by the device is changed from a management terminal or a maintenance terminal connected to the device, the configuration management means on the device automatically changes the change information. Detecting means and config Means for notifying the configuration management server from the device that the configuration information has been changed, and means for issuing to the device a request for the configuration management server to download the configuration information of the device in response to the notification. When the network management system, characterized in that the said device to request response comprises means for transferring all or part of the configuration information to the configuration management server. 3. A configuration that determines the state and configuration of the device.
Configuration information.
Networks that have means for initial startup based on
Network devices and network devices
Edit the configuration information and connect it to the corresponding device.
To reflect the configuration information through the network
Network with a configuration management server
In a system connected by a workpiece,
The configuration management server is configured with peripheral devices.
Editing that sends an editing request and editing response for the translation information
Interface means and individual devices on the network
A change request for configuration information between
Communication means for communication of change response and change notification, and editing and change
Configuration information of the device
Configuration management to manage updating, reading, etc.
Comprising means, each network device, configuration of the equipment by the request receives the request for configuration information in a communication procedure corresponding to the network or directly connected terminal, a communication unit for performing a response or notification, the received A network management system including a configuration management unit that changes configuration information or manages reading, wherein the configuration information is read from configuration information in a device or on a configuration management server, and the configuration management server or the device is read. A network management system comprising means for making all or part of the configuration information in the device or the configuration management server unchangeable until transmission to the device is completed. 4. A configuration for determining the state and configuration of the device
Configuration information.
Networks that have means for initial startup based on
Network devices and network devices
Edit the configuration information and connect it to the corresponding device.
To reflect the configuration information through the network
Network with a configuration management server
In a system connected by a workpiece,
The configuration management server is configured with peripheral devices.
Editing that sends an editing request and editing response for the translation information
Interface means and individual devices on the network
A change request for configuration information between
Communication means for communication of change response and change notification, and editing and change
Configuration information of the device
Configuration management to manage updating, reading, etc.
Means, each network device is a network or
The communication procedure for each directly connected terminal
Receive a request for configuration information and respond or
Communication means for notifying, and
Change configuration information or manage reading
Network with configuration management
Means for adding version information when configuration information is edited on the configuration management server, and means for adding change information when configuration information in the device is changed. and characterized in that it comprises means for performing a negative acknowledgment configuration showing a configuration information change information needs not sucked up if it is not added in the device when the configuration request to suck the configuration information from the management server to the device is issued network management system to be.