DECENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT ARCHITECTURE FOR A MODULAR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

A decentralized management model enables a plurality of interconnected modules to be managed and controlled as an integrated unit without requiring any one of the interconnected modules to operate as a fully centralized manager. One of the interconnected modules is configured to operate as a base module, which coordinates certain network management operations among the interconnected modules. Each of the interconnected modules is capable of sending and receiving management and control information. Each of the interconnected modules maintains a segmented management database containing network management parameters that are specific to the particular module, and also maintains a shadowed management database containing network management parameters that are common to all of the interconnected modules in the stack. Management and control operations that do not require synchronization or mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules are typically handled by the module that receives a management/control request. Management and control operations that require synchronization or mutual exclusion among the various interconnected modules are handled by the base module.