KR100415719B1 - Interface apparatus between ATM switching system and TMN agent or SNMP agent and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an TMN Agent and an SNMP Agent dual exchange interface device and method thereof, comprising: an agent library unit for receiving command information on network management from a network management agent; A user library unit receiving a result of performing command information or state change information of the exchanges from a plurality of exchanges; Since the main processing unit handles data for information exchange between the network management agent and the exchange, the network management agent and TMN Proxy server communicate with each other through an interface independent of the network management protocol. It supports a variety of network management agents and provides a unified interface with the exchange so that the manager system can support both the TMN-based network management system and the SNMP-based network management system. Therefore, even if a new network management agent is developed because a new network management protocol is required, it is possible to provide an interface with the exchange without changing the inside of the exchange or TMN Proxy Server.

Description

Interface apparatus between ATM switching system and TMN agent or SNMP agent and method

The present invention relates to the field of the interface of the exchange, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for switching between the TMN agent or SNMP agent for the management information exchange between the exchange and the network management agent.

The conventional interface is a type that provides an interface with an exchange for one network management system. Since the interface module and the network management agent communicate by using a protocol related to the network management protocol, if a separate interface is required in addition to the network management system developed initially, the new network management is required. There is a need to develop a new interface for the interface between the system and the switching system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a method for using a TMN agent or an SNMP agent dual exchange interface device to solve the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method on a computer.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a network management system configuration according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a network management agent and an exchange period interface according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of transmitting a management command from the network management agent to the exchange through the TMN Proxy server according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of transferring management information from a switch according to the present invention to a network management agent through a TMN proxy server.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a TMN agent or SNMP agent dual exchange interface device including: an agent library unit for receiving command information about network management from a network management agent; A user library unit receiving a result of performing the command information or state change information of the exchanges from a plurality of exchanges; And a main processing unit for processing data for information exchange between the network management agent and the exchanges.

According to the present invention, a TMN agent or an SNMP agent dual exchange interface method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) receiving command information received from a network management agent and storing information of the network management agent that has delivered the command information; (b) extracting a related command from the received command information; (c) checking a range of parameters of the command information; (d) converting physical information of the network management agent into logical information; (e) generating a process to execute the related instruction; (f) performing a command of an associated exchange according to the PID value of the process.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Network management systems are systems that control complex networks in order to maximize network efficiency and productivity. Modern networks are made up of various network components (eg, switches, routers or gateways). Each network device has a different technology and is manufactured and sold by different vendors. In order to efficiently control and control heterogeneous communication networks, various communication network management systems have been established. In particular, ITU-T's TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) system and IETF's Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) system have been studied. First of all, TMN is a logical structure that connects network operation system and network components with standard interface to manage communication network and service, and exchanges necessary management information through this interface, and systematically supports network management. It is a substructure. On the other hand, SNMP is a network management system that IETF introduced as a solution for short-term communication network management. However, SNMP has a weakness compared to TMN designed for mid- and long-term. Many companies are now putting SNMP on their systems. As such, there are two main branches of network management, but each of these network management systems has advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult to judge which system is clearly good.

The network management agent system of the ATM switch corresponding to the element layer is a system provided by the equipment manufacturer, and abstracts all the functions required by the element management layer as a management object to provide a standard interface. The company that provides the device cannot know whether to use the CMIP protocol or the SNMP protocol to manage various mixed network devices. Therefore, TMN (CMIP) Agent and SNMP Agent They also develop everything.

The present invention proposes a TMN Proxy Server that provides an interface for a network management agent to collect management information from a switch or to transmit a management command to the switch. This TMN Proxy Server recognizes whether the network management agent currently operating in the ATM exchanger is TMN Agent or SNMP Agent and can provide a unified interface with the exchange even if any network management agent is installed and executed.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management system and a switch to which the present invention is applied.

The network management system is in charge of the network management operator terminal 110 for inputting / outputting graphic or text information through a graphical user interface (GUI) so that the network operator can monitor or control the state of the network. The network manager 120 and a network management agent (Agent) (141 to 143).

The network manager 2 commands commands to the corresponding exchanges 161, 163, and 165 through the network management agents 141 to 143 and the data communication network 130 that physically or logically divide the management commands by the network management operator. It is responsible for generating useful network management information by collecting and evaluating the results of the execution or status reports of the exchanges 6a, ..., 6n. The network management agents 141 to 143 manage the same shape information or state information as that of the exchange by using a managed object modeled by an object-oriented model on the exchange to be managed. In response to a request from the network manager 120, the network management agents 141 to 143 obtain information from a managed object managed or directly collect from the exchanges 161 to 165 and transmit the information to the network manager 120. The exchanges 161 to 165 managed by one network management agent 141 to 143 may be one or several, and the interfaces for the multiple switches are also provided by the TMN proxy servers 151 to 153.

The network management agents 141 to 143 may be TMN agents or SNMP agents depending on whether the network management system is TMN-based or SNMP-based. That is, the TMN Agent is mounted when the management command is given from the network manager 120 through the CMIP protocol, and the SNMP Agent is mounted when the management command is given via the SNMP protocol. Since the management information type managed by the TMN agent is a message type based on CMIP, and the management information type managed by the SNMP agent is a message type based on SNMP, the type of information reported or received by the exchanges 161 to 163 is generally a switch. Since the messages are based on the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) used by the user, and have different types of information, an interface for mutual compatibility between them is required between the network management agents 141 to 143 and the exchanges 161 to 165. . Here, TMN Proxy Servers 151 to 153 are responsible for mutually compatible interfaces.

The present invention is designed to operate for both the TMN agent and the SNMP agent by devising this interface, an interface designed for communication between the network management agent (141 to 143) and the switching system (161 to 165). Named TMN proxy server (151 to 153).

2 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a TMN management agent and an exchange period interface according to the present invention.

The core of the present invention is to provide a network management interface with an exchange that can operate in any network management system, and is characterized by using a human machine interface and using both a TMN agent and an SNMP agent.

The TMN Proxy Server 250 is composed of three main components: an Agent Library unit 251, a User Library unit 259, and a main processing unit of the Proxy Server. The agent library unit 251 is used when receiving a management command from the network management agent 240, the user library unit 259 is a command execution result, failure or status change message in the HMI server 260 or switch 270 This block is used to receive back. The main processing unit of the Proxy Server is composed of a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) socket transmitter 253, a data converter 255, and a process generator 257. The data converter 255 is managed by the network management agent 240. When the command is delivered, the physical information (for example, rack, shelf or slot) recognized by the network management agent 240 can be recognized by the exchange 270. It converts to). In addition, the data conversion unit 255 also plays a role of constructing a C structure by converting the logical information transmitted from the switch 270 into physical information before transferring the logical information to the network management agent 240. The process generation unit 257 is used to generate a process for executing a corresponding application program (CMD Process) of the HMI server 260 when a command is transmitted from the network management agent 240. When the UDP socket transmitter 253 receives the command execution result from the switch 270, the UDP socket transmitter 253 recognizes whether the network management agent 240 currently operating the C structure configured by the data converter 255 is CMIP or SNMP. It finds a related MO (Managed Object) of the network management agent 240 and delivers management information to the UDP socket. Here, the MO is a logical expression of the management information, such as the characteristics and status of the network device that is actually managed.

Communication between the network management agent 240 and the proxy server 250 is made through an API call through the agent library unit 251, and the exchange application program from the TMN proxy server is performed through process creation. In addition, when receiving management information from the application program is also made through an API call through the user library unit 259, when using the UDP management (Socket) to deliver the delivered management information to the network management agent (240).

The architecture of FIG. 2 provides a unified interface with the exchange regardless of which protocol (CMIP or SNMP) the network management agent 240 employs, even if a new protocol management system is further developed. It provides extensibility so that only one file defining UDP socket port to receive related MO and information for each command is supported.

3 is a diagram illustrating a flow of transmitting a management command from a network management agent to a switch server through a proxy server in the switching period interface method according to the present invention.

The management command issued from the TMN manager is transmitted to the proxy server as an API call through the TMN agent library through the network management agent (step 310). Since the proxy server is designed to be used for both the CMIP agent and the SNMP agent, the proxy server stores information on whether the network management agent that has requested the command of the proxy server is CMIP or SNMP (step 320). After extracting the related command from the request received from the network management agent (step 330), it is checked whether the parameters delivered with the request do not go out of the input parameter range of the related command (step 340). Here, the parameter indicates the parameter to be input when the extracted command is to be executed, and in the case of the ADD-PBA-CONF command, information such as “board name, board position (rack, shelf, slot)” should be entered as a parameter. . At this time, each parameter has an input allowable range. For example, a slot is such that only a value between 0 and 19 becomes valid. Checking the range checks whether the value to be entered for the parameter is valid. The related command indicates a command of the exchange HMI system corresponding to the command when receiving the network management command from the network management agent and transferring it to the exchange. For example, in case of receiving “Add board” command from network management agent, it means “ADD-PBA-CONF” command among the HMI commands of exchange.

If an error is found in the parameter check, a unique error code value is assigned to the result according to the parameter in which the error occurred (step 343), and then transmitted to the network management agent. If the parameter is found to be normal, the physical information (rack, shelf, slot) used by the agent is converted into logical information (IM number) of the exchange (step 341), and then a process for executing a related command is generated (342). step). By analyzing the process identification (PID) value of the process (step 344), the child process executes the instructions of the associated exchange (step 345), and the parent process completes the execution of the child process. If the result value is assigned to the result (step 346), the network management agent is notified of the result through the return value of the function call (step 350). 0 is passed to ground and 1 to fail. Here, PID means a unique process identification number assigned to a new process generated by the kernel. Child Processes and Parent Processes do not support system calls to create new processes. Instead, existing processes copy themselves to create new processes. The process is called the parent process, and the copied process is called the child process.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of transferring management information from a switch to a network management agent through a TMN Proxy server in an exchange period interface method according to the present invention.

The transmitted information includes the result of the command executed by the network management agent, the reflection of the network management agent on the details executed by the HMI operator, or the notification of failure and status change. Management information generated from the exchange is delivered to the proxy server as an API call through the user library unit (step 410). The proxy server determines whether the received message is the management information for the command (step 420), and generates a C structure for each type predefined in each configuration / fault / connection / performance / test management area (step 430). The transmitted management information checks whether the result of the command executed by the network management agent or the result of the command from the HMI operator is reflected (step 441). In case of HMI reflection, it is delivered only when the execution result is OK. If it is determined as a result of the command execution from the network management agent in step 441, the call ID value assigned when the command is executed from the network management agent is found and stored in the C structure (step 443). If the result of the check is abnormal (step 451), the transferred error cause is reflected in the cause field of the C structure (step 453), and then the process moves to step 470. If the execution result is normal, OK is stored in the C structure (step 453), and the logical information (IM) of the exchange is converted into physical information (rack, shelf, slot) for the network management agent (step 455). In step 460, the C structure delivered to the network management agent is completed by recording the execution details and related parameter details in the C structure. Next, it checks whether the network management agent that is currently operating, that is, TMN or SNMP, to transmit a message (step 470) by referring to the previously stored information, and the MO unique to receive the result of the command according to the network management agent. The UDP socket parameters are set by arranging the port numbers of the controllers (step 480). Once all the configuration is completed, the Proxy server completes the role of delivering management information from the exchange to the Agent by passing the C structure to the network management agent through the UDP socket (step 490). Upon receiving this, the network management agent processes the required management object and reports the result to the network manager through CMIP or SNMP protocol.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, hard disk, floppy disk, flash memory, optical data storage device, and also carrier waves (for example, transmission over the Internet). It also includes the implementation in the form of. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the network management agent and the TMNProxy server communicate with each other through an interface independent of the network management protocol, whether the manager system used when operating the network is a TMN-based network management system, SNMP It can support various network management agents so that they can be supported by all based network management systems and can provide a unified interface with the exchange. Therefore, even if a new network management agent is developed due to the need for a new network management protocol, it is possible to provide an interface with the switch without changing the inside of the switch or the TMN Proxy server.

TMN Proxy server recognizes what kind of agent is currently operating network management agent every time management information is exchanged, enabling dynamic response. In addition, since it is an interface applied to the agent structure existing in the workstation outside the exchange rather than the embedded agent existing in the exchange, it is possible to increase the portability to other types of exchanges without changing the inside of the exchange and provide convenience of maintenance and repair. In addition, by using the operator interface and library of the exchange as it is, it is possible to reduce the economic and time cost of introducing the new interface.

Claims (15)

An agent library unit for receiving command information on network management from a network management agent; A user library unit receiving a result of performing the command information or state change information of the exchanges from a plurality of exchanges; And And a main processing unit for processing data for information exchange between the network management agent and the exchanges. The method of claim 1, wherein the main processing unit A data converting unit converting the physical information received from the network management agent into logical information recognized by the exchanges or converting the logical information delivered from the exchanges into physical information recognized by the network management agent; A process generation unit which receives the logic information converted from the physical information and generates a process of executing an application program of an exchange operator interface server; And And a UIP socket transmitter for recognizing a protocol of the network management agent and transferring physical information converted from the logical information to the network management agent. The method of claim 2, wherein the socket socket transmitter Recognizing whether the protocol of the network management agent is a general management information protocol or a simple network management protocol, and transmitting physical information converted from the logical information to the agent to a UIP socket. (a) receiving the command information received from the network management agent and storing the information of the network management agent delivering the command information; (b) extracting a related command from the received command information; (c) checking a range of parameters of the command information; (d) converting physical information of the network management agent into logical information; (e) generating a process to execute the related instruction; And and (f) executing a command of an associated exchange according to the process identification number of said process. The method of claim 4, wherein in step (b), And the related command is a command for a user interface used in the exchange corresponding to a command received from the network management agent. The method of claim 4, wherein in step (b) And checking a range of parameters of the command information and notifying the network management agent of an error code value according to the error item of the command information. The method of claim 4, wherein step (b) And an allowable range of an input parameter to execute the extracted related command. The method of claim 4, wherein in step (f), And the process identification number is information indicating whether the process is a parent process or a child process. The method of claim 8, wherein step (f) And if the process identification number of the process is information representing a parent process, notifying the network management agent by substituting the process identification number as a result of performing the command information. The method of claim 8, wherein step (f) And if the process identification number of the process is information representing a child process, executing the instructions of the associated exchange. (a) receiving the information generated from the exchange and confirming the type of the information; (b) generating a seed structure for each type according to the type of the information; (c) storing data on instruction execution details in the seed structure; (d) checking a protocol of the network management agent and setting a port number to the corresponding network management agent; And (e) transmitting the seed structure including the data contained in the step (c) to the network management agent. The method of claim 11, wherein step (a) As a result of the command executed by the network management agent to the exchange, it is confirmed whether the notification of the details of the reflection of the network management agent or the status change of the exchange of the exchange in the details performed by the operator of the exchange operator interface. Exchange period interface method. The method of claim 11, And after step (b), checking whether the received information is a command from an operator of an exchange operator interface or a command from a network management agent. The method of claim 13, If it is confirmed that the command by the network management agent, And storing the call ID given when the command is executed from the network management agent and confirming whether the execution result is normal. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 4 on a computer.