Generic notification framework system and method for enhancing operation of a management station on a network

摘要

A generic notifications framework (GNF) system integrates information from different protocols in a management station interfaced with a network and permits correlation of the information to make more sophisticated management decisions. The generic notifications framework system has one or more protocol-specific translators in communication with the network, a generic notifications framework in communication with the translators, and one or more consumer components in communication with the framework. The translators receive event data elements corresponding with different management protocols from the network and translate the event data elements into respective canonical data structures. Each of the canonical data structures includes (a) a generic field that is common to generally all of the canonical data structures, (b) one or more attribute fields generated by the translator based upon an examination of a protocol data unit (PDU) associated with each of the event data elements, and (c) a protocol data unit (PDU) that is generally identical to the native PDU that arrived with the event data element. Consumer components register with the framework to receive any canonical data structures having particular attribute fields. The generic notifications framework forwards the appropriate canonical data structures to appropriate consumer components based upon the attribute field values. A correlator may be associated with the framework to correlate the canonical data structures to derive an intelligent event data element, which is essentially the result of an assimilation and logical evaluation of various event data elements.