Patent ID: 7395326
Filing Date: 2008-07-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A network management apparatus that performs a network management operation, comprising: a table storage unit that stores a device status table managing current device statuses, a restriction condition table managing restriction conditions for each network device to receive a status change request, and a trouble shooting table managing trouble shooting data for solving problems that are the causes of restrictions; wherein the device status table includes device names and attribute values indicating the current device statuses, wherein the restriction condition table includes restriction conditions, request contents indicating a status change request of a device registered to the device status table and multiple conditions indicating whether the contents of the restriction conditions continue to a next row of the restriction condition table, wherein the trouble shooting table includes current device status values, changed device status values and the trouble shooting data indicating a state transition so as to switch from the current device status values to the changed device status values, an analysis unit that determines from the tables stored in the table storage unit whether a status change request satisfies restriction conditions in a current device state, extracts all trouble shooting data from the trouble shooting table until the restriction problems are eliminated when the restriction conditions are not satisfied but trouble can be avoided, and extracts causes for being unable to avoid trouble when the restriction conditions are not satisfied and trouble cannot be avoided, thereby performing an analysis of normality of the status change request; a user interface unit that performs a user interface operation, and sends the extracted trouble shooting data or the causes for being unable to avoid trouble; and a device communication unit that generates from the trouble shooting data a command corresponding to a status change request for solving a problem, transmits the command to a corresponding network device, and receives a response from the network device, wherein, after receiving an error response to the command transmitted to the network device, though all the trouble shooting data have been extracted through the analysis, and commands corresponding to the trouble shooting data have been generated and transmitted to respective network devices, the analysis unit determines that there are inconsistencies in the devices statuses, and then newly obtains the current device status of the network device, reedits the device status table, carries out status matching, and performs an analysis again.