GB2364467A - Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents - Google Patents

Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2364467A
GB2364467A GB0016424A GB0016424A GB2364467A GB 2364467 A GB2364467 A GB 2364467A GB 0016424 A GB0016424 A GB 0016424A GB 0016424 A GB0016424 A GB 0016424A GB 2364467 A GB2364467 A GB 2364467A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
mib
transaction
branch
snmp
management
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB0016424A
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GB0016424D0 (en
Inventor
Phil Corcoran
Cathal Francis Hoare
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Motorola Solutions Inc
Original Assignee
Motorola Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Motorola Inc filed Critical Motorola Inc
Priority to GB0016424A priority Critical patent/GB2364467A/en
Publication of GB0016424D0 publication Critical patent/GB0016424D0/en
Publication of GB2364467A publication Critical patent/GB2364467A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/02—Standardisation; Integration
    • H04L41/0213—Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/02—Standardisation; Integration
    • H04L41/024—Standardisation; Integration using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/04—Network management architectures or arrangements
    • H04L41/046—Network management architectures or arrangements comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q3/00—Selecting arrangements
    • H04Q3/0016—Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
    • H04Q3/0062—Provisions for network management
    • H04Q3/0095—Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
  • Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
  • Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)

Abstract

A method for implementing a transaction in an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) agent uses one branch 1 of an MIB (Management Information Base) to control another branch 2 of the same MIB. Advantageously, the invention can prevent simultaneous access to a network development by two separate management stations.

Description

2364467 IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSACTIONS IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
COMPRISING SNMP AGENTS The present invention relates to methods of managing telecommunications 5 networks and, in particular, to implementing transactions in an SNMP Agent.
Many computer systems, including those that control telecommunications network elements, are equipped with management facilities conforming to SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).
In a typical network management system, network devices (eg. servers, gateways, hosts) are provided with agent software (an "agent") that monitors and accumulates operational data and detects exceptional events. A management station includes management software (a "manager") at the application level which requests operational 15 data or receives event notifications from the agent using management protocols. The management station is further equipped to interpret the operational data and event information to effect control of the network operations.
SNMP uses a fetch-store method to effect operations between a manager and an 20 agent. For example, SNMP defines get-request, get-next-request, getresponse and setrequest commands which provide the basic fetch and store operations. Thus, a management station requests operational data or receives event notifications by means of this simple set of SNMP commands.
25 The SNMP specifies the format and meaning of messages exchanged between managers and agents. A virtual information store, termed a management inforination base (MIB) defines the management data or objects by specifying the data variables which a network element or device must keep.
30 Thus, an SNMP MEB is a set of parameters which an SNMP management station can query or set in the SNMP agent of a network device. It is implemented in a tree-like structure.
An object in an MIB has an object identifier, OID, associated with it which in SNMP is a series of integers separated by dots uniquely defining it.
Herein a transaction is defined as a collection of actions which enable a consistent 5 transformation of the state of an object.
Known network management systems implement transaction processing at the manager level rather than at the device level. This requires the manager to have detailed knowledge of the managed device which, consequently, makes it difficult to manage 10 different products supplied by different manufacturers, The agent itself does not have control over the transaction. Also, since the developer of the agent is usually part of a team which develops the managed device, he or she will have better access to an understanding of this knowledge.
15 This invention aims to provide a new functionality for an SNMP agent which provides for transaction-based processing. An SNMP agent is a software process which responds to management queries using the Simple Network Management Protocol. The agent provides status and statistics about a network device. It is like a cache of the state of a device. In theory, any SNMP manager can talk to any SNMP agent provided that the 20 MEB has been properly defined. This invention enhances this capability because it does not require the manager to have detailed knowledge of the device. The invention further addresses the particular task of preventing two or more management stations from trying to simultaneously change data at an agent.
25 An SNMP MIB is a tree-like data structure where each leaf contains data and all leaves and nodes are identified by object identifiers (OID). This invention uses a node on a particular branch of an MIB to isolate and control the nodes on a separate branch.
According to the present invention, a method for implementing a transaction in an SNMP agent includes the steps of, creating a row in a table of a controlling branch in an MIB (Management. Information Base) with an action attribute indicating the "start" of the transaction, specifying an OID (Object Identifier) which sets a level at which a controlled branch of the MIB is isolated, editing attributes of the controlled branch of the MIB, and committing the transaction by creating a row in a transaction table in the 5 controlling branch of the MIB with an action attribute indicating "commit".
The "start" row entry in the controlling branch of the MIB may also specify the OID which determines the scope of the transaction. The scope indicates the level at which the controlled branch is isolated.
If the "commit" is successful, then the changes made in the editing step are saved, otherwise the method is re-started.
The invention allows the agent to decide whether or not to allow a manager to 15 access the branch of the MIB to start a transaction, While in the transaction, the manager can edit many attributes on the branch and even set invalid values, but it will not receive a response until it attempts to commit the transaction. At the commit stage, the agent checks all the attributes, which have been changed and decides to accept all changes or to roll back.
By implementing the invention, simultaneous access to a network device by two managers is avoided. A manager can also view information pertaining to ongoing transactions, including their scope, by looking at the controlling branch of the agent's ME3.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the drawing which shows a section of an MIB tree for an SNMP agent on a master processor.
30 In the drawings, two separate branches 1,2 of a master processor MIB are connected to a GPRS (General Packet Radio System) complex 3. An entry in a table on one branch 1 of the MIB (device transactions table 4) isolates an entry in a table on the second branch 2 of the MIB (device table 5). The first branch I is the controlling branch and the second branch 2 is the controlled branch.
The following steps are required from the manager to instruct the agent on the 5 master processor to initiate a swap on another device.
1. Create an entry in the device transactions table 4 with an action value of "start" (step A). This will lock the device table 5.
2. Change the version attribute in the device table 5 to the version required (step B).
10 3. Create an entry in the device transactions table with an action value of "do it" (step Q. This value "do it" is equivalent to commit. This will cause the agent to check the values entered in the device table 5 and initiate the swap if all values are correct.

Claims (6)

1. A method for implementing a transaction in an SNMP agent including the steps of, creating a row in a table of a controlling branch in an MIB (Management 5 Information Base) with an action attribute indicating the "start" of the transaction specifying an OID (Object Identifier) which sets a level at which a controlled branch of the MIB is isolated editing attributes of the controlled branch of the MIB, 10 and committing the transaction by creating a row in a transaction table in the controlling branch of the MIB which an action attribute indicating 44commit".
2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, in which the "start" row entry in the controlling branch of the MIB specifies the OID.
3. A method as claimed in either claim I or claim 2, further including the step of saving changes made to attributes in the editing step.
20
4. A method as claimed in either of claims I or 2 in which the said method is repeated if the "commit" step is unsuccessful.
5. A computer program product comprising a medium on or in which is recorded a program which, when executed in a computer-controlled system, will perform the method as in any of claims I to 4.
6. A method of implementing a transaction in an SNMP agent substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawing.
GB0016424A 2000-07-05 2000-07-05 Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents Withdrawn GB2364467A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0016424A GB2364467A (en) 2000-07-05 2000-07-05 Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0016424A GB2364467A (en) 2000-07-05 2000-07-05 Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0016424D0 GB0016424D0 (en) 2000-08-23
GB2364467A true GB2364467A (en) 2002-01-23

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GB0016424A Withdrawn GB2364467A (en) 2000-07-05 2000-07-05 Implementation of transactions in a communications network comprising SNMP agents

Country Status (1)

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GB (1) GB2364467A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2402294A (en) * 2003-05-02 2004-12-01 Entuity Ltd Data collection in a computer network

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995023469A1 (en) * 1994-02-28 1995-08-31 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company A data storage device
US5913037A (en) * 1996-07-03 1999-06-15 Compaq Computer Corporation Dynamic management information base manager
GB2344262A (en) * 1998-10-02 2000-05-31 Gen Datacomm Adv Res Retrieval of network management information

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995023469A1 (en) * 1994-02-28 1995-08-31 British Telecommunications Public Limited Company A data storage device
US5913037A (en) * 1996-07-03 1999-06-15 Compaq Computer Corporation Dynamic management information base manager
GB2344262A (en) * 1998-10-02 2000-05-31 Gen Datacomm Adv Res Retrieval of network management information

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2402294A (en) * 2003-05-02 2004-12-01 Entuity Ltd Data collection in a computer network
GB2402294B (en) * 2003-05-02 2006-01-11 Entuity Ltd Data collection in a computer network

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0016424D0 (en) 2000-08-23

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