JP2003256299A - Network device management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network device management method in which the scale of development/addition/change can be suppressed with respect to the addition of an NE to be managed or the addition/change of a service of a new vender. <P>SOLUTION: A device dependent part 20 is composed of a device access class group 24 consisting of a plurality of access class files 24a fragmented for the unit of a device vender, the unit of a device version and the unit of a service class and a proxy class having a function for performing an access method from a device independent part 1 so as not to complicate the processing of operation or reference from the relevant device independent part 1 to the device access class group 24 consisting of the relevant fragmented device access class files 24a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of network devices that constitute a network, and in particular to a vendor.
The present invention relates to a multi-vendor compatible network device management method for integrally managing a plurality of network devices of different er).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a network device management method for a multi-vendor, a vendor (or a maintenance person) behaves in the same manner when operating or acquiring setting information to a network device (hereinafter, NE). It was necessary to hide the differences of the different NEs.

In a small network,
An instruction from the device independent part to the NE is sent to the NE by the common part of the device dependent part (access class concealment part for each vendor).
By processing according to the procedure for accessing the NE and transmitting it to the NE, the difference in the control method to the NE for each vendor is hidden.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram for explaining a conventional network device management method.

The system configuration is roughly divided into two parts, a device independent part 1 and a device adapter part (device dependent part) 2. Reference numeral 3 denotes a network device (hereinafter, managed NE) managed by this system.

The device-independent part 1 describes the behavior for abstracting the architecture and operating the architecture, and implements the behavior for expressing the alert to the maintenance person. In addition, the device adapter unit (device-dependent unit) 2
Has a function of absorbing a difference between vendors in the operation of the managed NE 3 and the acquisition method of the setting information.

The device-dependent unit 2 also includes a class file group 22 for each vendor, which includes a plurality of class files 22a for each vendor on the protocol library 21.
And a Vender-specific access class hiding unit 23 for hiding them.

As an example of the operation, it is assumed that a maintainer (upper application) performs some operation on a certain managed NE3. Upon receiving the instruction, the device-independent unit 1 transmits to the device-dependent unit 2 data that matches the stored data in its own device. Upon receipt of the instruction from the device-independent unit 1, the Vender-specific access class concealment unit 23 obtains necessary information from the Vender-specific class file 22a that describes the procedure for accessing the managed NE3 according to the instruction content, and Based on this, an instruction is transmitted to the managed NE3. Device dependent part 2
Returns the response result received from the managed NE 3 to the device-independent unit 1 and completes the process from the device-independent unit 1.

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned conventional network device management method, that is, the processing method of the managed NE differs depending on the vendor, and according to the access procedure to the managed NE described in the class file for each vendor. V
When an attempt is made to manage a large-scale network including a plurality of managed NEs of different vendors by using the method in which the access class concealment unit for each ender processes the instruction from the device-independent unit and transmits it to the managed NE. However, there is a problem that it is necessary to change the entire device-dependent part for development / repair to reflect new development / additional functions, and there may be a delay in responding to new services due to the suspension of operation.

Further, since the processing data of the managed NE is held in the access class concealment unit for each vendor, the entire device-dependent unit is modified due to additions and changes, and the scale of addition / repair is large. There was a problem of getting bigger.

According to the present invention, as a method for solving the above-mentioned problem, the managed N of a new vendor is managed without changing the interface from the device independent part by changing the processing method in the device dependent part of the network device management system.
Development / addition / addition of E and addition / change of services
It is an object of the present invention to provide a network device management method capable of suppressing the scale of change to a low level.

[0012]

The network device management method of the present invention is characterized in that the Ve in the device-dependent section is used.
The class file for each nder is subdivided into required units (unit of device vendor, unit of device version, unit of service class) to form a device access class file, and processing is performed for each vendor, and these are bundled to form a higher device access class group. I have changed the access method from. Also, in order not to complicate the approach from the device independent part to the subdivided device access class file, implement a proxy class in the device dependent part as a role to fill the difference in the behavior of the managed NE, and This is a method in which only the concealment process in which files are commonly formatted is performed, and unnecessary information is not retained.

For example, by subdividing the device access class file of the device-dependent part into a device vendor unit, a device version unit, and a service class unit, the introduction of a managed NE of a new vendor and the addition of a new service are changed. You can replace the device access class file or the added device access class file statically.
The device access class file can be dynamically reflected without stopping the operation.

Further, in order not to complicate the approach method from the device-independent part, in order to conceal the difference in control and monitoring of the NEs to be managed for each vendor, access with a unified processing method with the device access class group is performed. By implementing a function that has a mechanism as a means in the proxy class of the device-dependent part, it is not necessary to develop / repair the common parts that accompany additions / changes of vendors and device-dependent parts. As a result, the scale of repair can be kept low.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment of a network device management method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of operations in the network device management method of the present invention.

The present system receives an instruction from a maintenance person (operator) and receives / replies the instruction from the apparatus independent section 1 which transmits information to the managed NE side and the apparatus independent section 1, or It is composed of an interface with the managed NE 3 and a device adapter unit (device dependent unit) 20 that holds device information.

Further, the device adapter section 20 is a managed NE.
3 and a protocol library 21 that communicates with each other via a vendor-specific interface, a device access class group 24 including a device access class file 24a that holds an interface for each device vendor, each device version, and each service class, and each device access class. File 2
4a and the proxy class 25 that absorbs the difference in behavior.

Next, in the present embodiment, an instruction / operation from the device-independent portion 1 to the managed NE 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The device-independent unit 1 has a device class, a hardware version (HV) unit, and a software version (S) for the proxy class 25 of the device-dependent unit 20.
V) The unit is specified, the proxy class 25 is requested to generate a proxy part for each vendor, and the proxy class 25 sends an instance response to the device-independent part 1.

The device-independent portion 1 makes a method call to the generated proxy portion which has made an instance response.
At this time, since the device access request (method call) to the generated proxy unit is uniform, the device-independent unit 1 can instruct the device of any type and vendor by one method. , It is possible to continuously make multiple method calls.

Next, the proxy unit specifies a class group to be loaded from the device access class group 24 from the method name for the vendor (type, hardware version, software version) to be used for the device access class group 24. And sends a new class generation instruction.

Thereafter, the device access class file 24
The class response from a is received, and the target access file is determined by the received class response. The corresponding device access class file 24a is loaded and a method call is made to the access class.

The device access class file 24a sends an instruction from the upper application to the managed NE 3 via the protocol library 21. At this time, the loaded class is saved inside the proxy and the same class is not reloaded. The result response from the managed NE 3 is returned to the device-independent unit 1 via the protocol library 21, the device access class 24, and the proxy unit.

The reference to the unnecessary proxy part is released and the instance is released. Again, device-independent part 1
The device access class file is reloaded by recreating the instance according to the instruction from.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A device access class file that has been subdivided into device vendor units, device version units, and service class units makes it possible to flexibly respond to an increase in new vendors and additions / changes in new services, even in large-scale networks. Development / repair due to additions and changes becomes easy.

In order to prevent the access method from the device-independent part from becoming complicated by subdividing the device access class file, a proxy class for hiding the difference in control and monitoring of the device for each vendor is implemented. By making the interface with the device of each vendor common, it is possible to reduce the scale of repairs due to additions / changes.

Further, due to this proxy class, there is no difference in the operation from the device-independent part, and the operator (maintenance person) does not change the operability in consideration of the managed NE.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram for explaining an example of an embodiment of a network device management method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation in the network device management method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram for explaining a conventional network device management method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Device-independent part, 3: Managed NE, 20: Device-dependent part (device adapter part), 21: Protocol library, 2
4: device access class group, 24a: device access class file, 25: proxy class.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ken Mori             2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Inside Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Hideki Hayashi             2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Inside Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F-term (reference) 5B089 GB01 KB10 KC14                 5K030 GA07 JA10 KA01 KA02 MA01                       MA04 MA07 MB01

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A network device management method for managing a plurality of network devices constituting a network by using a network device management system comprising a device-independent part and a device-dependent part. By version,
A device access class group consisting of a plurality of device access class files subdivided in service class units, and processing of operations and references from a device independent part to the device access class group consisting of the subdivided device access class files Network device management method, which is configured with a proxy class having a function of absorbing an access method from the device-independent part so as not to be complicated. 2. The network device management method according to claim 1, wherein the device access class file of the device access class group of the device-dependent part is used when a new vendor is added / changed, a version is changed, or a new service is added. Subdivide into multiple device vendor units, device version units, and service class units so that operations can be handled without stopping all operations, and add / change new vendors and version change information are statically reflected in the device access class file. A network device management method, characterized in that it is possible to call a dynamically updated latest information file from a device independent part. 3. The network device management method according to claim 1, wherein a proxy unit is generated in the device dependent unit based on information on a device vendor unit, a device version unit, and a service class unit instructed by the device independent unit. Instantiate, instantiate the device access class file of the device dependent part from the proxy part, call a method to the device access class file based on the instruction from the device independent part, and receive the device access class Files are sent to and received from network devices via the protocol library,
The device access class file receives the result response from the network device in response to the instruction from the device-independent part, and sends it to the proxy part. The proxy part sends the result response to the device-independent part. A method for managing a network device, wherein the device access class file is reloaded by canceling the reference to the section, releasing the instantiation, and re-creating the instance when necessary.