Patent · US Expired

System for determining the status of an entity in a computer network

US5751933A · kind A · utility

67Cited by
17References
10Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 12, 1996
Grant dateMay 12, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 12, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L43/103
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A network management system includes a user interface, a virtual network and a device communication manager. The virtual network includes models which represent network entities and model relations which represent relations between network entities. Each model includes network data relating to a corresponding network entity and one or more inference handlers for processing the network data to provide user information. The system can poll or communicate with certain network entities and can infer the status of network connectors and other network entities for which polling is impossible or impractical. The system performs a fault isolation technique wherein the fault status of a network device is suppressed when it is determined that the device is not defective. User displays include hierarchical location views and topological views of the network configuration. Network devices are represented on the displays by multifunction icons which permit the user to select additional displays showing detailed information regarding different aspects of the corresponding network device.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.