Patent Publication Number: US-2005120103-A1

Title: Method and graphical user interface (GUI) for multiple managed objects(MOs) viewing and editing

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a method and to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for viewing and editing multiple Managed Objects (MOs) of a management system.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Management systems are well known in the art. They are used for monitoring and managing the quality of communications over various networks, such as for example Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Public Local Mobile Networks (PLMNs), and Public Switching Telephone Networks (PSTNs), hereinafter designated as the managed or monitored networks. Exemplary functions of a typical management system comprise, but are not limited to, providing information about Network Elements (NEs) or NEs&#39; components&#39; configuration and status, collecting alarm/event notifications, correlating alarm/event notifications, diagnosing and repairing errors and malfunctions. In such systems, pieces of information called events (or event notifications or alarms) are issued by the managed network and acquired by the management system, which is responsible of the treatment of the management information. Such information may be monitored, either automatically or by system administrators, with the general purpose of maintaining or increasing the quality of the communications of the managed network.  
      Reference is now made to  FIG. 1  (Prior Art), which is a high-level network diagram of a management system  100  which function is to monitors a Public Local Mobile Network (PLMN)  102 . The PLMN  102  may comprise, as it is well known in the art, a plurality of base stations  104 - 107 , which provide cellular radio service to a plurality of mobile stations  108 - 119  via associated radio interfaces. The base stations  104 - 107  are connected to a Base Station Controller  1  (BSC  1 )  120 , which in turn connects to a Mobile Switching Center  1  (MSC  1 )  122 . The PLMN  102  may further comprise a second MSC, called MSC  2   124 , and a second BSC, called BSC  2   126 , as well as a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)  127 , a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)  128  and an associated Base Station Subsystem (BSS)  130 . According to the exemplary PLMN  102  shown in  FIG. 1 , each Network Element (NE) of the PLMN, comprises an Agent (Agent  1  to Agent  7 ) responsible for maintaining management information about its corresponding NE. The management information of each agent may comprise configuration and status information about the particular NE and its components and connections. Each such NE agent connects via management links  111  (shown in double line) to a managed information Manager  160  of the management system  100 , which function is to collect management information  150 , 152 , and  154  issued by the NEs&#39; agents  1 - 7   121 , 123 , 127 ,  125 ,  129 ,  131 , and  133  of the managed system  102 . The Manager  140  receives the management information  150 ,  152 , and  154  from the monitored system  102  and may further process, correlate, and adapt the received management information into a format compatible and suitable for viewing by a variety of system administrators terminals  162 - 168  of the management system  100 .  
      In a typical management system, the management information displayed on system administrators&#39; terminals  162 - 168  comprises virtual entities known as Managed Objects (MOs), which are the virtual representations of Network Elements (NEs), or NEs&#39; components of the managed system. For example, the BSC  1   120  is represented on the system administrators&#39; terminal  162  as an MO. Further, the NE BSC  1   120  may comprise a plurality of NE components, such as for example radio controllers  170 - 179 , which are also represented on the administrator&#39;s terminals  162  as a corresponding plurality of MOs  170 ′  179 ′.  
      Such a virtual representation of each NE and NE component of the monitored network  102  allows system administrators of terminals  162 - 168  to be able to view ad edit the related attributes of each MO, and by this means to be able to monitor and improve the quality of the communications of the monitored network  102 .  
      Reference is now made to  FIG. 2  (Prior Art), which shows a typical Graphical User Interface (GUI)  200  of the system administrator&#39;s terminals  162  used for viewing and editing attributes of the various MOs. The GUI  200  may comprise a first GUI portion  210  on which a certain MO can be selected, such as for example the BSC  1  MO  120 ′ that corresponds to the NE BSC  1   120  of  FIG. 1 . Also shown on the GUI portion  210  are MOs  172 ′- 179 ′ associated with the NE components  172 - 179  which are also better shown in  FIG. 1 . When a system administrator selects one of the MOs illustrated on the GUI portion  210 , such as for example the MO C 1   120 ′, a list of attributes associated with the selected MO is displayed on a second GUI portion  212 . The second GUI portion  212  comprises a sub-portion that displays an identity of the selected managed object, which in the present exemplary scenario is the MO C- 1   172 ′. The second GUI portion  212  further comprises another sub-portion that displays a list of attributes (Attr.  1 - 5 )  220 - 228  of the selected MO C 1   172 ′, with their respective attribute values  230 - 238 .  
      As it can be seen from  FIG. 2 , a system administrator who desires to view and edit MO attributes related to a certain NE or component, such as for example related to the NE component Cl  120 ′, can select the targeted MO, and can view or edit its associated attribute values  230 - 238 . If identical attribute values must be entered for more than one component, such as for example for fifty (50) different components of the managed network, the system administrator in charge must sequentially select each associated MO of the targeted fifty (50) components individually, and alter the required attribute values fifty (50) different times.  
      In a typical managed network, the number of monitored NEs can be significant and therefore viewing and especially editing attribute values of one MO at a time, as it is the case with existing prior art implementations, is frequently time-consuming.  
      The problem is further complicated when NEs of the monitored network use different versions of a Managed Object Model (MOM). The MOM designates the management protocol and/or the management application used for collecting and/or exchanging management information between the managed network and the Manager  160 . This results in different types of management information being sent to the management system. Viewing management information that originates from NEs using different MOMs, and especially editing management information that can take different formats depending upon the supported version, is cumbersome and sometimes even unmanageable.  
      Although there is no prior art solution as the one proposed hereinafter for solving the above-mentioned deficiencies, the International Patent Application Number WO 03/007549 bears some relation with the field of the present invention. In this publication, there is taught a method for controlling a private or a public communications system using interconnected MOs, which are visualized to users or administrative personnel in at least one dimension, in at least one view, and in at least one window through a GUI. The disclosed method comprises the steps of displaying the MOs of the communications system in the first view as elements of a map, which comprises a structure with branches for every distinct group of elements or distinct elements in a hierarchical flow. The publication 03/007549 also teaches a table view in which multiple MOs can be displayed and which settings can be altered by a system administrator.  
      However, the teaching of the publication 03/007549 is limited to a table view wherein only settings of MOs that relate to individual NEs can be viewed and altered. The present publication fails to teach or suggest displaying or editing MOs that relate to NE components, as it fails to teach or suggest concomitantly displaying and editing attributes of components that belong to different NEs. The publication conclusively also fails to teach or suggest displaying and editing MO attributes related to NEs that run with different MOM versions.  
      Accordingly, it should be readily appreciated that in order to overcome the deficiencies and shortcomings of the existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have a method and system for effectively allowing the display and editing of MOs related to various NEs and components of NEs, which may run with different MOM versions. The present invention provides such a method and system.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In one aspect, the present invention is a method for changing attribute values of a plurality of Managed Objects (MO) using a Graphical User Interface (GUI), the method comprising the steps of: 
          a. changing at least one attribute value of at least one MO from the plurality of MOs;     b. initiating a copy of the at least one attribute value to at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs;     c. adapting the at least one attribute value to be copied based on a Managed Object Model (MOM) version information relative to the at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs to which the at least one attribute value is to be copied; and     d. displaying an adapted attribute value for the at least one other MO.        

      In another aspect, the present invention is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) system comprising: 
          a memory storing a data structure comprising of a plurality of MOs that are representative of Network Elements (NEs);     a GUI allowing for a viewing and an editing of attributes values related to the MOs; and     a processor in communication with the memory and the GUI;     wherein responsive to i) a change of at least one attribute value of at least one MO from the plurality of MOs displayed on the GUI and ii) an initiation of a copy of the at least one attribute value to at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs, the processor adapts the at least one attribute value to be copied based on Management Object Model (MOM) version information relative to the at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs to which the at least one attribute value is to be copied, and the GUI displays an adapted attribute value for the at least one other MO.        

      In yet another aspect, the present invention is a Graphical User Interface allowing for a viewing and an editing of attributes values related to Managed Objects (MO) displayed on the GUI, the GUI acting responsive to i) a change of at least one attribute value of at least one MO from the plurality of MOs displayed on the GUI, and ii) an initiation of a copy of the at least one attribute value to at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs, to display an adapted attribute value for the at least one other MO, wherein the adapted attribute value is adapted based on Management Object Model (MOM) version information relative to the at least one other MO from the plurality of MOs to which the at least one attribute value is to be copied. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      For a more detailed understanding of the invention, for further objects and advantages thereof, reference can now be made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  (Prior Art) is a high-level network diagram of a typical management system that monitors a Public Local Mobile Network (PLMN);  
       FIG. 2  (Prior Art) is typical Graphical User Interface (GUI) for viewing and editing attributes of a Managed Object (MO) corresponding to a Network Element (NE);  
       FIG. 3  is a GUI for viewing and editing attributes of MOs related to NEs or NEs components according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary flowchart diagram of a method for viewing and editing attributes of the MOs related to NEs or NEs components according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The innovative teachings of the present invention will be described with particular reference to various exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that this class of embodiments provides only a few examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings of the invention. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed aspects of the present invention. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others. In the drawings, like or similar elements are designated with identical reference numerals throughout the several views.  
      The present invention provides a method and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) allowing for the convenient viewing and editing of Managed Objects (MO) of various kinds, including MOs that correspond to Network Elements (NEs) and MOs that correspond to components of one or more NEs. The present invention also allows for the viewing and editing of MOs related to NEs that run with different Managed Object Model (MOM) versions.  
      Reference is now made to  FIG. 3 , which shows a GUI for viewing and editing attributes of MOs representative of NEs or NEs components according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Shown in  FIG. 3 , is first a network administrator&#39;s terminal  300  comprising a memory  302  that stores a management information data structure  304  that is representative of network configuration and status information related to a managed network, which may be similar to the managed network  102  previously described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The network administrator&#39;s terminal  300  further comprises a processor  305  that retrieves and processes information relative to MOs from the data structure  304  of the memory  302 , and sends this information to the GUI  306  for being displayed. The functions of the GUI  306  include displaying and editing attributes related to MOs representative of NEs and/or NEs&#39; components. Specifically, the GUI  306  may comprise a first portion  308  for displaying a list of MOs  310 - 344 , among which a first part are representative of NEs of the monitored network, such as for example of nodes such as the BSC  1 , BSC  2 , and BSC  3  (MOs  310 ,  322 , and  334 ), while a second part of the shown MOs are representative of NE components, such as for example C 1   1  C 1   2 , C 1   3 , C 1   4  . . . C a n, C 2   1 , C 2   2 , C 2   3 , C 2   4  . . . C 2 n, C 3   1 , C 3   2 , C 3   3 , C 3   4  . . . C 3 n (MOs  312 - 320 ,  324 - 332 , and  336 - 344 ). The MOs that correspond to a certain NE of the managed network and that are displayed in the GUI portion  308  may also contain information relative to a certain MOM version used by the certain NE. For example, the MOs  310 - 320  all relate to the NE BSC  1  and are said to use MOM version V 1   350 . Likewise, other MOs relative to another NE may comprise different MOM versioning information. The versioning information is retrieved by the processor  305  from the same data structure  304  of the memory  302  and sent along with the MOs related information to the GUI  306  for being displayed.  
      The GUI  306  further comprises a second portion  360  for displaying and editing MO attributes  362 - 370  relative to certain selected MOs. A user of the terminal  300  may use the first portion of the GUI  306  to first select for viewing and/or editing one or more MOs from the list of available MOs  310 - 344 , using, for instance, a pointing device such as a mouse. According to the present exemplary scenario, the user may select for viewing and editing the MO C 1   1   312 , MO C 2   2   326 , MO C 3   1   336 , and MO C 3   2   338 . Upon selection by the user of the desired MOs in the first GUI portion  308 , the second GUI portion  360  displays values  371 - 386  of each attribute of the selected MOs, also based on the MOM versioning information associated with each one of the selected MOs  312 ,  326 ,  336 , and  338 . The attributes&#39; values  371 - 386  are retrieved by the processor  305  from the data structure  304  of the memory  302  of the terminal  300  and sent for displaying on the GUI  306 , or may alternatively be retrieved by the processor  305  from a node external to the terminal  306  (node not shown in  FIG. 3 ). The GUI portion  360  displays the attribute&#39;s values  371 - 386  based on MOM versioning information available for each MO. For example, in the present exemplary scenario, the MO C 1   1   312  uses MOM version V 1   350 , since that MO is representative of a NE component of the BSC  1 , which MOM versioning information relates to MOM version V 1   350 . MOM version V 1   350  does not support attribute  3   366 , and hence no value is represented in the column associated with MO C 1   1   312  for that attribute. Likewise, the MO C 2   2   326  is representative of a component that belongs to the NE BSC  2 , which uses another MOM version V 2 , which again does not support attribute  3   366 . Finally, MOs C 3   1   336  and C 3   2   338  are representative of components that belong to NE BSC  3  that uses MOM version V 3 . This MOM version does not support attribute  2   364 , which value is therefore not represented in GUI portion  360 .  
      Once the attributes values of the selected MOs are displayed in the second GUI portion  360 , the user may desire to update one or more of such attributes values. The reason for the editing may include changing parameters associated with the managed network, correcting a detected malfunction in the NE represented by a given MO, testing, fine-tuning a certain parameter, etc. For proceeding with the update, the user may select one or more attribute values of one or more of the displayed MOs, and edit its/their associated value(s). The data entry for a certain attribute value may be performed individually, i.e. selecting one attribute value at a time and editing it. Alternatively, in certain instances, the user may desire to edit all the values of a given type of attribute, such as for example all the values of attribute type  1   362 , which values relate in the present exemplary scenario to the selected MOs  312 ,  326 ,  336 , and  338 . In order to edit these attribute values and set them all to the same value, the user may enter the desired new attribute value  371  for only one of the selected MOs, such as for example for MO  312 , and then copy that value to the entire row, i.e. to all the other selected MOs, by using a copy button  388 . As a result, the attribute value  371  is copied to, and replaces the old attribute values  372 ,  373 , and  374 . In the present exemplary scenario, MO  312  is representative of a component of an NE using MOM version V 1 , as it is shown in the first GUI portion  308 , while MO  326  is representative of a component of an NE using MOM version V 2 . Therefore, when the action of copying the attribute value “1”  371  is performed, a translation of the value “1”  371  is made toward the MOM version V 2 , and the original value “1”  371  is translated into the corresponding value “4”  372  of the target MOM version, which value represents the same parameter and has the same meaning in the MOM version V 2 .  
      Likewise, since the MOs  336  and  338  are representative of components of the NE BSC  3  that uses MOM version V 3 , when the action of copying the attribute value “1”  371  is made, a translation is made toward the MOM version V 3 , and the original value “1”  371  is translated into the corresponding value of the target MOM version, which in the present case is the value “7”  373  and  374 . This value represents the same parameter and has the same meaning in MOM version V 3  as the original value “1”  371  in the MOM version V 2 .  
      The translation is performed only if required, i.e. if the source MOM version and the target MOM version use different attribute values for similar representations of a given attribute type.  
      After the user has proceeded to all the desired updates of the attributes&#39; values, he may press an apply button  390  for deploying the updates toward the NEs and NE components represented by the selected MOs  312 ,  326 ,  336 , and  338  which values have been changed. Upon activation of the apply button  390 , the processor  305  retrieves the updated information from the GUI portion  360 , updates the data structure  304  of the memory  302  accordingly, and further sends update commands for modifying the parameters of the NEs and NE components that are represented by the selected MOs  312 ,  326 ,  336 , and  338  which attributes values have been changed. The processor  305  may also use the available MOM versioning information relative to each selected MO in order to translate the updated attributes values into commands compliant with the MOM version used by each corresponding NE or NE component. For example, assuming that an attribute value relative to the MO C 1   1   312  has been modified, when activating the apply button  390 , the processor  305  detects that that MOs&#39; attributes have been modified, and translates the modified attribute value into a command understandable by the MOM version V 1   350  which is used by the NE BSC  1  that “owns” the NE component corresponding to the modified MO.  
      Reference is now made to  FIG. 4 , which is an exemplary flowchart diagram of the method for viewing and editing attributes of the MOs related to NEs or NE components according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The method of  FIG. 4  starts when the user selects one or more MOs for viewing and/or editing, action  400 , as described hereinbefore with reference to  FIG. 3 . Once the desired MOs are selected, the processor retrieves MOM versioning information relative to each one of the selected MOs, action  402 , and in action  404 , the MO attributes values are displayed on the GUI, action  404 . Action  404  may comprise displaying the attribute values of the selected MOs based on the MOM version of the selected MOs, i.e. only displaying those attributes of the selected MOs that are supported by the MOM application version related to each MO. In action  406 , the user may edit the attributes values of one or more MOs. Action  406  may include editing one attribute values of a certain MO, action  408 , and copying the new attribute value to one or more other MOs, action  410 . Responsive to the copy command of action  410 , the attribute value to be copied is translated, if required, for each target MO, into the proper attribute value based on the supported MOM version of that MO, action  412 , and in action  414  the translated attribute values are displayed on the GUI.  
      Once the desired updates are performed on the attribute values of the selected MOs, the user may press an apply button for deploying the attribute values updates into the managed network, action  416 . Responsive to the apply command, in action  418  the processor translates the updated attributes values into commands understandable by each NE that relates to the MOs which attributes values have been updated, action  418 . These commands are send toward the appropriate NEs that correspond to the MOs updated using the GUI, action  420 .  
      Therefore, with the present invention it becomes possible to easily edit multiple attributes values of MOs that are representative of NEs or NE components when these NEs are managed with different versions of MOM.  
      Based upon the foregoing, it should now be apparent to those of ordinary skills in the art that the present invention provides an advantageous solution, which offers a GUI and a method for viewing and editing multiple managed objects attribute values in a managed network with network elements that use multiple versions of MOM, including multiple management protocols. It should be realized upon reference hereto that the innovative teachings contained herein may be implemented advantageously with any applicable radio telecommunications standard for a monitored network. It is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the method and system shown and described have been characterized as being preferred, it will be readily apparent that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims set forth hereinbelow.  
      Although several preferred embodiments of the method and system of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.