Patent · US Expired

Computer network management using dynamic switching between event-driven and polling type of monitoring from manager station

US5964837A · kind A · utility

99Cited by
11References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 28, 1995
Grant dateOct 12, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 28, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L41/22
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of monitoring the topology of a network uses dynamic switching between a polling mode and a event-monitoring mode. The network is of the type having point-to-point connections between a number of nodes. In the polling mode, a manager coupled to one of the nodes sends a request to an agent in each of the nodes for information about operativeness of the node, its agent, and its connections to other nodes. All of this information is collected to generate a topology map, which may be visually displayed. In the event-monitoring mode, the manager waits for event-messages from the agents in the nodes, to update the topology map. The manager switches from event monitoring mode (which is more efficient) to polling (which is usually more accurate) in response to a number of factors, including the reachablity of the nodes, the manageability of the nodes, and the consistency of information received from various nodes. Reachability is an indication of whether an enabled connection exists from manager to node. Manageability means whether or not the node responds to requests from the manager.

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