Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
In a computer system having a plurality of components which are capable of being controlled in accordance with one or more management protocols, management protocol apparatus comprising: management tool means for generating management commands that specify management operations to be performed by a specified set of system components; a plurality of protocol engines, each of which implements a specific predefined management protocol with respect to a set of system components, each responding to system management commands by generating instructions for performing a specified management operation in accordance with a predefined management protocol; and a common agent interface which receives said instructions generated by said protocol engines and sends corresponding commands in a protocol non-specific format to said specified set of system components.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
40 words
Management protocol apparatus as set forth in Claim 1, further including a plurality of component control programs, each said component control program having a single call interface for receiving and responding to said commands sent by said common agent interface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
85 words
Management protocol apparatus as set forth in Claim 2, said component control programs including means for sending reply messages denoting the outcome of each command received from said common agent interface; said instructions generated by said protocol engines and said commands sent by said common agent interface to said component component control programs each including a return routine handle denoting a destination for sending said reply messages sent by said component control programs, wherein said denoted destination is the protocol engine which generated said instructions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
93 words
Management protocol apparatus as set forth in Claim 1, further including a component data dictionary denoting for each of said components a set of attributes which can be read and/or set by a system manager and a set of valid management operations which can be performed on said component; said management tool means including means for accessing said component data library and for generating management commands specifying management operations with respect to specified components wherein said specified management operations are consistent with information denoted in said component data dictionary for said specified components.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of performing management operations in a computer system having a plurality of components which are capable of being controlled in accordance with one or more management protocols, the steps of the method comprising: generating management commands that specify management operations to be performed by a specified set of system components; providing a plurality of protocol engines, each of which implements a specific predefined management protocol with respect to a set of system components; one of said protocol engines responding to each said system management command by generating instructions for performing a specified management operation in accordance with a predefined management protocol; providing a common agent protocol interface; said common agent protocol interface receiving said instructions generated by said protocol engines and sending corresponding commands in a protocol non-specific format to said specified set of system components.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method of performing management operations as set forth in Claim 5, further including the steps of: providing a plurality of component control programs, each said component control program having a single call interface for receiving and responding to said commands sent by said common agent interface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
87 words
A method of performing management operations as set forth in Claim 6, each said component control program including means for sending reply messages denoting the outcome of each command received from said common agent interface; denoting in each instruction generated by said protocol engines and in commands sent by said common agent interface to said component control programs a return routine handle denoting a destination for said component control programs to send said reply messages, wherein said denoted destination is the protocol engine which generated said instructions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
100 words
A method of performing management operations as set forth in Claim 5, further including the steps of: denoting in a component data dictionary a set of attributes for each said component which can be read and/or set by a system manager and a set of valid management operations which can be performed on said component; said management command generating step including the step of accessing said component data library and generating management commands specifying management operations with respect to specified components, wherein said specified management operations are consistent with information denoted in said component data dictionary for said specified components.