KR20090100516A - Device manegement agent and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A terminal management agent and a method thereof are provided to perform the terminal management instead of a user by being mounted in a WIPI platform-based terminal. CONSTITUTION: A terminal management agent includes a session handler(116), an OMA toolkit(110), a message handler(112) and a terminal management adapter(106). The session handler determines the suitability of a header after receiving a package from a management server when a session with the management server is started. The OMA toolkit analyzes one or more messages included in a package if the header of a management package is suitable, and then calls one or more callback functions for respectively processing the messages. The message handler includes a plurality of callback functions for the message processing.

Description

Device Management Agents and Methods {DEVICE MANEGEMENT AGENT AND METHOD}

The present invention relates to a management technology of a terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal management agent and a method mounted on a Wi-Fi platform-based terminal to perform a terminal management task on behalf of a user.

Domestic mobile operators are using specialized terminal platforms. For this reason, applications and services had to be developed redundantly for specialized platforms. In order to reduce this waste, an integrated platform was needed, and Wipy was developed.

The Wi-Fi is an integrated mobile standard platform standard proposed by the Korea Wireless Internet Standardization Forum, which is installed in a wireless mobile communication terminal to provide a common execution environment for various applications. This increases portability of the loaded application and facilitates development.

The Wi-Fi has a layered structure of a HAL (Handset Adaptation Layer), a Wi-Fi API, and an application program.

The HAL is an abstraction layer for maintaining hardware independence of the platform, and the WIPI API provides C and Java APIs as essential APIs supported by a platform used by an application developer. And the application program is a program that is mounted on the Wi-Fi platform.

In general, the terminal using the wireless Internet must be equipped with the Wi-Fi platform. Therefore, the spread of Wi-Fi-based terminals is spreading, and the number of application programs mounted in such terminals is greatly increased.

As a plurality of application programs are loaded as described above, the complexity in the terminal is increased, such that various configuration values for executing the application program are required in the mobile communication terminal. For this reason, there is a need for an efficient method for managing terminals.

Device management refers to a series of tasks for maintaining and managing various environment settings of a terminal so that the terminal operates normally or provides better performance and functions, and monitors and recovers abnormal operation.

At present, a technically low level method of wireless mobile communication terminal management is applied. In other words, when changing the configuration of the service provided by the terminal, the terminal should be physically connected to the user's computer. And it uses a full management method that changes the setting value in the terminal through the software installed on the computer. In addition, when the latest version of the firmware or the specific software in the terminal is released, it must be reinstalled through the above method. In addition, when an error occurs in the terminal, there is a problem that the user must visit the service center to solve the problem.

In order to solve the problems of the conventional management technique, an automated management system is required in which an administrator remotely manages configuration values and distributes the latest version of the application on behalf of the user. That is, the development of a system that enables the management server to efficiently manage the terminal through a technique of pushing the configuration value and the latest version of the application to the terminal (PUSH) is required.

There was no standardized terminal management technology until the end of 2001, which naturally led to the development of proprietary terminal management technology. However, if each terminal uses a different type of terminal management technology, it cannot effectively manage a large number of terminals. Accordingly, there is a need for a standardized terminal management technology, which is OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) Device Management (DM). OMA DM is now accepted as the only industry standard. Domestic and overseas mobile carriers and handset makers, which have been using their own handset management technology, are also actively adopting the OMA DM standard. In addition, OMA DM is expected to spread further as a global standard for handset management as the third-generation mobile telecommunication service is expanding.

In the OMA DM, the terminal management system is composed of a management server and an agent. The management server is a program that executes the terminal management, such as changing the setting value of the terminal, install and delete software under the direction of the administrator from the center. The agent is a program installed in the user's terminal and is a program that receives and executes a management request of a server. The management request includes setting value change, error recovery, software installation and deletion, and the like.

The OMA DM has proposed a standard for standardization of a terminal management technology. Bootstrap specification describing the process until the agent can start a session with the management server, Security specification describing the process and method of mutual authentication between the agent and the management server, in the terminal There is a Tree and Description specification that defines a DM tree that consists of objects to be managed in a tree structure. In addition, Representation protocol that defines the format of XML messages exchanged for terminal management, Device Management protocol that defines the flow of packages that the server and agent exchange with each other, and objects in the terminal that are subject to management commands There is a standardized object specification that you define.

An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal management agent and method which is mounted on a terminal based on the Wi-Fi platform to efficiently manage a terminal, performs management on behalf of a user, and satisfies an international standard for terminal management. do.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal management agent, including: a session handler that receives a package from the management server and determines a suitability of a header when a session with a management server is started; An OMA toolkit that, if the header of the management package is appropriate, analyzes one or more messages that make up the package and calls one or more callback functions to process each of the one or more messages; A plurality of callback functions for processing the message, deriving management commands from the one or more messages through one or more callback functions called by the OMA toolkit, and for managing the DM tree corresponding to the one or more management commands. A message handler that calls one or more functions; And a plurality of functions for accessing and processing the DM tree, each of the one or more functions called by the message handler including a terminal management adapter for accessing the DM tree and performing processing according to a corresponding management command. It is done.

The present invention is mounted on a terminal based on the Wi-Fi platform to perform management on behalf of a user, there is an advantage that can meet the international standard for terminal management.

The terminal management agent of the present invention is implemented to be mounted on the WiPie platform using the WiPie API, and follows the management procedure and format specified in the OMA DM standard. In addition, the terminal management agent is configured as a management module for each management unit management agent for the structural design.

The terminal management agent proposed in the present invention defines an environment setting value and other information of an application to be managed as a management object, configures it in a tree structure, and manages it by applying a command delivered by the management server to the object. Use the method.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The terminal includes a control module 10, a memory unit 12, and a communication module 14. The control module 10 is equipped with a terminal management agent 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the application in the terminal, the Wi-Fi API 118.

The memory unit 12 provides a storage area for various information including the processing program of the control module 12, the DDF 108, and the actual data.

The communication module 14 is in charge of communication for connection with the management server.

The terminal management agent 100 includes a bootstrap agent 102, a management engine 104, a terminal management adapter 106, a device description framework (DDF) 108, and an OMA toolkit 110. Here, information such as an address and a port number of the management server is required for the session with the management server, which is stored in the memory unit 12.

When the initial terminal management agent 100 is driven, the bootstrap agent 102 is executed. The bootstrap agent 102 sets the management server information received from the bootstrap server in the terminal so that the session can be started. After the bootstrap process is finished, the terminal management agent 100 may perform management with the server through the information of the management server.

The management engine 104 is composed of sessions, packages, and message handlers 112 to 116 classified according to management units. The package handler 114 and the message handler 112 operate in conjunction with the OMA toolkit 110, and the session handler 116 uses the Wi-Fi API 118.

The session handler 116 controls a communication session for transmitting and receiving a message to and from the management server, and plays a role in generating the header portion of the management message and checking the suitability of the header portion of the message received from the management server.

The package handler 114 is responsible for processing and generating each package. When the package handler passes the package number, the package handler 114 configures the package according to the package number. In addition, the package handler 114 generates a Alert command and a Replace command to configure a package for communication with a management server when the package is for starting a session, and a Status command when the package is a response package to the management command of the management server. Configure the package by creating a.

The message handler 112 is responsible for generating a body part of the management message and processing a management command included in the body part of the message. The message handler 112 calls a function in the terminal management adapter 106 for processing management commands. It also generates a message for the response package.

The terminal management adapter 106 manages a management tree and serves to process the request of the message handler 112 and return a status code thereof. Manipulate the management tree by calling the corresponding function to process the ADD, DELETE, GET, and REPLACE commands sent by the message handler 112. These functions return the result of processing the command, a status code, and write the contents of the changed tree to a file at the end of the session.

The DDF 108 is a document having information necessary for constructing a management tree.

The OMA toolkit 110 is open software jointly developed by companies that are actively participating in OMA standardization, and functions to interpret management messages and generate commands.

<Process of Terminal Management Agent>

The process of the terminal management agent will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The session handler 116 starts a session with the management server for management (step 200), and the manager of the management server delivers the management package to the terminal management agent 100. The session handler 116 determines the suitability of the header portion of the message included in the management package and then delivers the package to the OMA toolkit 110 (step 202).

The OMA toolkit 110 receives the package, analyzes the messages constituting the package, and then calls the callback function of the message handler 112 to process each message (step 204). The callback function of the message handler 112 derives and processes a management command from the message and calls a function in the terminal management adapter 106 to manage the tree (step 206). The function of the terminal management adapter 106 accesses the management tree to process the actual command and returns a result code (steps 208 and 210). The returned status code is stored in the status list in the message handler 112 (step 212), and the function execution result is returned to the OMA toolkit 110 (step 214).

The session handler 116 requests the package handler 114 to construct a response package when sending the response package (step 216). The package handler 114 calls the functions of the message handler 112 to generate a message suitable for the package number (step 218). The message handler 112 constructs a response message and returns it to the package handler 114 (step 220). The package handler 114 constructs a new package with the returned messages and returns the completed package to the session handler 116 (step 222). The session handler 116 delivers the returned package to the management server and the session ends (steps 224 and 226).

<Communication process of the terminal management adapter according to the OMA DM standard>

In the above-described preferred embodiment of the present invention, a process of performing the communication of the terminal management adapter 100 according to the actual OMA DM standard will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 shows a flowchart of execution of an agent.

When the terminal management agent 100 is executed by a user or a trigger, first, kmu_LoadDMTree () is called to load the management tree from the file into the memory unit 12. Call the kmu_smlStartSession () function for the management session with the server and the session handler 116 calls the kmu_smlStartPackage () function. It also registers a callback function for command processing. In case of package # 1, call the kmu_smlAlertCmd () and kmu_smlReplaceCmd () functions to send 'Alert' and Replace 'commands to the management server. The message handler 112 obtains and returns terminal information in the management tree through the FindDMNode () function. The session handler 116 connects to the management server using the HTTP protocol, and calls the MC_netSocketWrite () function to deliver the # 1 package generated by the package handler 114 to the server.

Receive the # 2 package, which is the response package of the management server, through the MC_netSocketRead () function, and the callback function calls the node operation function of the management adapter to process the server's commands. The session handler 116 calls the package creation function kmu_smlStartPackage () to deliver the command processing result to the management server. The package handler 114 calls the kmu_smlStatus () function to obtain a status code, and the message handler 104 returns the saved status code. When the package is completed, the package is delivered through MC_netSocketWrite () function.

The management server sends additional management commands in the # 4 package, which can be repeated many times by the server.

4 is a screen showing that normal terminal management is performed between a terminal management agent and a Funambol server, which is an OMA DM test server. You can check the contents of the changed management tree according to the add, delete, collect, and change commands delivered by the Funambol server.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the variation over time that an agent has processed add, delete, change, and collect commands for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 managed objects from a management server.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 and 3 are flowcharts of a terminal management method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram showing processing results in terminal management according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a variation in processing time in terminal management according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (6)

In the terminal management method, The terminal management agent includes a management engine that includes a session handler and a message handler, an OMA toolkit, and a terminal management adapter. When the terminal management agent starts a session with a management server, the session handler receiving a package from a management server to determine suitability of a header; If the header of the management package is appropriate, the OMA toolkit analyzes one or more messages that make up the package and calls one or more callback functions to a message handler to process each of the one or more messages; The one or more callback functions of the message handler derive a management command from the one or more messages and call one or more functions for DM tree management corresponding to the one or more management commands to a terminal management adapter; Each of the one or more functions of the terminal management adapter accesses a DM tree to perform processing according to a corresponding management instruction Terminal management method comprising a. The method of claim 1, Returning to said message handler a status code each of one or more functions of said terminal management adapter is a processing result according to said management command; The message handler storing the status code; Each of the one or more functions of the message handler returning a result of the function to the OMA toolkit Terminal management method further comprising. The method of claim 1, The management engine further includes a session handler, Requesting, by the session handler, a package handler to configure a response package to a management server; Calling, by the package handler, functions to generate a message corresponding to a package requested to be configured to a message handler; The functions of the message handler generate and return messages to the package handle, and the package handler constructs a package from the returned messages and returns to the session handler; The session handler returning the package to a management server Terminal management method further comprising. In the terminal management agent, A session handler that receives a package from the management server and determines a suitability of a header when a session with the management server is started; An OMA toolkit that, if the header of the management package is appropriate, analyzes one or more messages that make up the package and invokes one or more callback functions to process each of the one or more messages; A plurality of callback functions for processing the message, deriving management commands from the one or more messages through one or more callback functions called by the OMA toolkit, and for managing the DM tree corresponding to the one or more management commands. A message handler that calls one or more functions; A terminal management adapter having a plurality of functions for accessing and processing the DM tree, wherein each of one or more functions called by the message handler accesses the DM tree and performs processing according to a corresponding management command. Terminal management agent comprising a. The method of claim 4, wherein Each of the one or more functions of the terminal management adapter returns a status code to the message handler which is a result of processing according to the management command, The message handler stores the status code, Each of the one or more functions of the message handler returns a result of the function to the OMA toolkit. The method of claim 4, wherein And a session handler included in the management engine, requesting a package handler to configure a response package to a management server, and returning to the management server when the package handler provides a package. The package handler calls functions to the message handler for generating a message corresponding to the package requested from the session handler, And the functions of the message handler generate messages and return them to the package handle, and the package handler constructs a package from the returned messages and returns them to the session handler.

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