Abstract:
A system for managing communications between a group of remote machine-to-machine devices and a management platform is described where the remote devices may have disparate communication protocols. An agent gateway sits in the communication path between the remote devices and the management platform and communicates wireless with the remote devices using the native communication protocols of each device. The agent gateway includes a translator function connected to a management information base, wherein the management information base contains information relating to each machine-to-machine device and its native protocol. The agent gateway translates the messages into a standard protocol, such as SNMP, used by the network management platform allowing the network management platform to monitor and manage the remote devices using the standard network protocol.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED INFORMATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/492,647, filed Jun. 2, 2011. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure is directed to machine-to-machine communications and more specifically to a gateway to allow machine-to-machine devices to communicate over cellular connections using SNMP. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is a mature, well-established, and widely deployed protocol for monitoring and managing large, complex multi-node computer and telecommunications networks. It provides simple data discovery, modification, and notification mechanisms for devices, which allows SNMP management platforms to easily manage disparate devices without requiring extensive foreknowledge of the details of those devices. As a result, it is being increasingly applied to manage more than computer and telecommunications networks. 
         [0004]    Existing SNMP management platforms are required to introduce cellular device and network specific protocols into their systems in order to manage and monitor machine-to-machine (“M2M”) devices. In addition, managed devices are required to implement some support for the SNMP protocol. This approach resulted in relatively high development costs creating a barrier to new feature introduction and a high coupling between the management platform and the cellular and device characteristics, making on-going support and new device introduction cost prohibitive. Additionally, SNMP imposes unnecessarily high network traffic leading to prohibitive data usage charges. Lastly, SNMP is not highly compatible with the high latencies, intermittent connections and sessions, dynamic addressing and carrier roaming characteristics of cellular wireless communications. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In a preferred embodiment, a Simple Network Management Protocol gateway is described that includes a device interface for communicating with machine-to-machine devices in their native protocols over wireless networks. The gateway further includes an internet interface connecting the gateway to an SNMP management platform, and a translator function connected to a management information base, where the management information base contains information relating to each machine-to-machine device and its native protocol. The gateway is operable to allow the SNMP network management platform to monitor and manage remote disparate machine-to-machine devices over multiple, disparate, wireless networks. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a method for communicating between a machine-to-machine device and an SNMP management platform is described. The method includes receiving a message over a wireless network at a gateway from the machine-to-machine device in its native M2M protocol, and accessing a management information base in the gateway to retrieve definitions for machine-to-machine device. The method further includes translating the message from the native M2M protocol to the SNMP format, and sending the SNMP formatted message to the SNMP management platform over a second network. 
         [0007]    In yet another embodiment a system is described that includes a plurality of remote devices, the remote devices having disparate communication protocols. An agent gateway is in communication with the plurality of remote devices over one or more wireless networks using the disparate communication protocols associated with each of the plurality of remote devices. The agent gateway includes a translator function connected to a management information base, wherein the management information base contains information relating to each machine-to-machine device and its native protocol. A network management platform is in communication with the agent gateway and operable to send and receive communications in a standard network protocol, such that the agent gateway is operable to allow the network management platform to monitor and manage the remote devices by translating between the disparate communications protocols of remote devices and the standard network protocol of the network management protocol. 
         [0008]    The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a network diagram of an embodiment of a system incorporating an agent gateway according to the concepts described herein; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an embodiment of an agent gateway according to the concepts described herein; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing an embodiment of a method of employing an agent gateway according to the concepts described herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The concepts described herein describe an approach to enabling a server-based SNMP management application to monitor and manage remote M2M devices over cellular connections using an SNMP agent gateway for M2M devices. This SNMP agent gateway allows SNMP management platforms to support M2M devices and applications using the platform&#39;s native data query and communications mechanisms based on SNMP. 
         [0014]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , embodiments of the present invention place an agent gateway  102  between the server-based SNMP management application  103  and the cellular network  104 . The agent gateway  102  emulates an SNMP agent for each remote or mobile device  101 , while communicating with the remote device  101  using a more efficient, robust and native M2M protocol. The agent gateway  102  will translate messages and data content between the SNMP protocol and the native M2M protocol of the remote device  101 , for both cases in which the remote device  101  is sending to the SNMP manager  103  and in which the SNMP manager  103  is sending to the remote device  101 . 
         [0015]    As the cellular network  104  is used only to transmit between agent gateway  102  and M2M device  101 , the use of the cellular network is reduced by the more efficient native M2M protocol. The SNMP transmissions, which are less efficient than the native M2M protocols are then transmitted over a traditional network, such as the Internet  105 . In this way the insertion of the agent gateway  102  into communications path between management platform  103  and M2M device  101  reduces the operating costs for the M2M devices by lowering cellular charges associated with the devices, in addition to the improved communications flow between the devices and the management platform. 
         [0016]    While  FIG. 1  shows an embodiment using particular types of networks, particularly a cellular network between the M2M device  101  and agent gateway  102 , the present invention can apply to the use of any type of transmission medium between the agent gateway  102  and M2M devices  101  and management platform  103 . For example either communications network can be replaced by any combination of cellular networks, data networks, Wi-Fi, WiMax, satellite, radio frequency or other communications interface or network. Also while only one mobile device and management platform is shown in  FIG. 1 , agent gateway  102  may be configured to interface with any number of mobile device and management platforms without departing from the scope of the concepts described herein. 
         [0017]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an embodiment of an agent gateway according to the concepts described herein is shown. Agent gateway  102  includes both a cellular interface  201  to communicate with M2M devices, and a network interface  202  to communicate with the SNMP management platform. Agent gateway  102  may also, but does not necessarily include other functionality such as input interface  206  to allow connection of input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and a display interface  207  to allow connection of a display or other mechanism for providing visual information to a user of the agent gateway  102 . Memory  208  can be included to store configuration, programming and other information that is used to operate agent gateway  102 . Auxiliary input  205 , when present, allows for the connection of other devices and peripherals such as diagnostic equipment and other input devices or interfaces. 
         [0018]    The heart of agent gateway  102  is the M2M to SNMP translator  203  which is operable to map messages between the two formats. An SNMP Management Information Base (MIB)  204  appropriate to the application is implemented in both the SNMP server  103  from  FIG. 1  and the agent gateway  102 . The agent gateway  102  will map MIB  204  data elements to the data model used by the M2M device  101 . For example, an M2M mobile tracking device with GPS will produce data on its location (e.g., latitude, longitude, speed, direction, accuracy, etc). It will also accept commands and data to define a “geofence,” a defined boundary which will cause the device to send an alert message if crossed. 
         [0019]    The invention in this case is to define a MIB  204  for the device that defines the data produced by the device, the commands and data accepted by the device, and alert messages that are sent by the device. Furthermore, an agent gateway according to the concepts described herein takes messages from the device in the device&#39;s native format with location information, and to translate those messages into SNMP messages to the management server. Furthermore, in preferred embodiments agent gateway  102  using MIB  204  accepts commands and data from the SNMP server, and translates those into messages appropriate and specific to the target device, such as for defining a geofence. 
         [0020]    Furthermore, the embodiments of the agent gateway in the present example handle device identification or address translations between the SNMP server and the cellular connected device, handle intermittent connections with the device over the wireless network (i.e., store and forward), and perform other communications mechanisms (e.g., flow control, acknowledgement of receipt) required by the SNMP server but which are not appropriate to impose on the device or the cellular transport network. 
         [0021]    One advantage of particular embodiments of a system according to the concepts described herein is that it enables an SNMP network management server to monitor and manage remote disparate M2M devices over multiple, disparate, cellular networks in a cost effective and fully functional manner, without requiring any significant changes to standard SNMP management platforms. 
         [0022]    Another advantage of particular embodiments of a system according to the concepts described herein is that it de-couples the cellular-specific characteristics from the SNMP management platform thus greatly reducing the barriers for introduction of this capability while promoting wider application across cellular M2M network and device technologies. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a method for translating messages between an M2M device using a native M2M protocol and a SNMP management platform using SNMP is described. Reference will also be made to the system shown in  FIG. 1  and the agent gateway described in  FIG. 2  for reference. Process  300  may begin with the receipt of a message from a remote or mobile M2M device, as shown by block  301  at an agent gateway. The agent gateway, as shown in block  302 , then retrieves the device definitions for that mobile device from the MIB  204  to allow the M2M protocol being used by that device to be mapped into SNMP. Once the definitions have been retrieved, the agent gateway  102  translates the M2M message into SNMP, shown by block  303 , and then sends the translated SNMP message to the management platform  103  over a traditional network  105 . 
         [0024]    Process  300  may continue by receiving a message at agent gateway  102  from the management platform  103 , as shown by block  305 . The agent gateway  102  identifies the mobile device targeted by the message and retrieves the appropriate definitions from the MIB  204 , as represented by block  306 . The SNMP message is then translated into the appropriate M2M protocol for the target mobile device, as shown by block  307  and is then transmitted over the cellular network to the target device, as represented in block  308 . While a particular sequence of message flow has been described with reference to  FIG. 3 , the example is not intended to be limiting and any sequence of message flows may be accommodated by the agent gateway and MIB as described herein. 
         [0025]    Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.