JP2001043162A - Communication management system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To easily determine a policy in a communication management system to which a policy management technology is applied. SOLUTION: A service management layer (SML) and a network management layer (NML) based on at least a condition and a subject among conditions, subjects, objects, and actions constituting a received policy.
Policy categorizing means 2 for classifying into a policy and an element management layer (EML); policy adapting means 6 to 8 for converting a policy from a user viewpoint classified into each hierarchy into a policy described from a service provider viewpoint; Policy storage means 9 to 11 for storing the converted policy, and policy determination / enforcement means 12 to 14 for performing a policy determination process according to an event corresponding to each layer of the network device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication management system to which a management policy technique is applied. In particular, the present invention relates to a communication management system capable of executing a policy defined by a user not only in a corporate network but also in a public network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a communication management system in a public network, and 31 is a service management system (SM).
S), 32 are network management systems (NMS), 33-1 to 3-3
3-n is an element management system (EMS), 34-1
34 to n indicate network elements (NE).

[0003] The communication management system is based on ITU-T (Interter).
national Telcommunication Union-Telecommucati
on Standardization Sector; Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union) It is defined by the 3000 series and is based on TMN (Telecommuncation Management
ent Network).

As this hierarchical configuration, an element management layer (EML: Element Management Layer) for managing network elements 34-1 to 34-n such as exchanges, and a network for managing a network composed of various device groups as a seamless network. A management layer (NML; Network Managementmet Layer) and a service management layer (SM) for performing various managements required when providing services to customers using a network such as customer information management.
L; Service Managemet Layer).

A management system of each layer is referred to as an element management system (EMS; Element Management System).
m) 33-1 to 33-n, network management system (NMS; N)
etwork Management System) 32, Service Management System (SMS) 31
It is called.

By adopting such a hierarchical structure, the management system of the upper layer hides that the lower layer has a complicated configuration composed of various technologies, and concentrates on the management work in each layer. be able to.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a conventional policy management technique. 41 is a policy definition means, 42 is a storage means for storing policy definition information, 43 is a policy storage means for storing the defined policy, 44 Indicates a policy judging / executing means, and 45 indicates a network device such as an exchange.

[0008] The policy definition means 41 acquires the policy definition information stored in the storage means 42 based on the input information by the policy definition request, and based on the policy definition information, the application type, the time, and the transfer. A policy such as a route is defined, and the defined policy is stored in the policy storage unit 43. The storage unit 42 and the policy storage unit 43 are configured by memories of various configurations.

The policy judging / executing means 44 monitors the status of a plurality of network devices 45 constituting the network and, based on the status and time of the network devices 45, according to the policy stored in the policy storage means 43. The service provision by the device 45 is controlled.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the policy judging / executing means. The same reference numerals as in FIG. 4 denote the same parts, 51 denotes a policy requesting means, 52 denotes a state monitoring means, and 53 denotes a management operation starting means. That is, the policy determining / executing unit 44 includes a policy requesting unit 51, a state monitoring unit 52, and a management operation starting unit 53. The state monitoring unit 52 monitors the state of the network device 45, and sends the monitoring result to the policy request. Means 51
Notify. The policy requesting unit 51 acquires a policy conforming to the state information of the network device 45 from the policy storage unit 43, and controls the network device 45 according to the acquired policy by the management device activation unit 53.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A wide area network (WAN) in which an administrator of a corporate network uses a public network for connecting between bases as well as the corporate network.
In order to be able to apply policy management technology to parts,
Public network service providers have proposed a service that accepts and implements a public network user management policy. However, unlike a corporate network that is exclusively used by service users and has a flat configuration, a public network shares a large number of various service users with resources.

In this case, the policy accepted from the service user describes only a part related to the communication service received by the user, and each part of the network, for example, an identifier such as a path or a node is used for the service. It is given locally only for the part used by the person. Therefore, in the communication management network (TMN) architecture, information about users is handled only by the SML (service management layer). That is, in each of the management systems and network devices of the NML (network management layer) and the EML (element management layer), the user information cannot be seen, so that all the policy decisions are necessarily performed by the SML (service management layer). Will do.

Therefore, when the policy is determined, the SM of the upper layer is determined.
L (service management layer) has a problem that it takes time to make a determination because user information or the like is referred to. There is also a problem that an SML (service management layer) receives an event from a lower layer and further has an overhead of returning an action. Also SML
There is a problem that the number of policies handled by the (service management layer) increases and the load on the policy determination unit increases. Further, detailed information of the lower layer is originally hidden in the upper layer, and an interface for the upper layer to obtain, set, and the like is often not provided. Even if provided, it is often technology-dependent and otherwise violates the hierarchical architecture. The present invention allows user policies to correspond to each layer,
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems and facilitate policy determination.

[0014]

According to the communication management system of the present invention, (1) service management is performed based on a received policy based on at least a condition and a subject among conditions, subjects, objects, and actions constituting the policy. Layer SML and network management layer NML
And an element management layer EML, and a policy adapting means 6 and 7 for converting the policy classified by the policy classifying means 2 corresponding to each layer so that it can be determined and implemented corresponding to each layer. , 8, policy storage means 9, 10, 11 for storing the policy converted by the policy adaptation means 6, 7, 8, and a policy storage corresponding to each layer based on an event corresponding to each layer of the network device. Policy determining / executing means 1 for determining a policy stored in means 9, 10, 11 and instructing the network device;
2, 13, and 14.

(2) Policy adaptation means 6, 7, 8
Has a function of converting a received policy from a user perspective into a policy described from a service provider perspective.

(3) The policy classifying means 2 compares the life of the policy with the life of the network service by monitoring the start of the service under the conditions of the policy. This policy can be configured to have a function of holding the service until the service start is identified by the function of monitoring the service start, and a function of classifying the policy held by this function into each layer.

(4) The policy classifying means 2 compares the lifetime of the policy with the lifetime of the network service by monitoring the start of the service under the conditions of the policy. A configuration may be provided that has a function of converting this policy into a new policy indicating that conversion is to be performed at the start of service, and holding the function, and a function of classifying the new policy held by this function into each layer.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a policy use contracting unit, 2 is a policy classifying unit, 3 is a user policy storing unit, and 4 is a user information storing unit. 5 is a management information base (MIB; Managementment)
6, 7 and 8 are policy adaptation means for SML (service management layer), NML (network management layer), and EML (element management layer).
Means policy storage means for SML, NML, and EML;
Reference numerals 12, 13 and 14 denote SML, NML and EML-compliant policy determining / executing means, 15 and 16 denote service management device groups, 17 denotes a network management device group, and 18 and 19 denote device management device groups.

Policy storage means 9, 10, 11 for each layer
Corresponds to the policy storage unit 43 in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, and the policy determination / enforcement units 12, 13, and 14 of each layer are:
This corresponds to the policy determination / execution unit 44 in FIG. 4 or FIG. The service management device groups 15 and 16 and the network management device group 1
7 and the device management device groups 18 and 19 correspond to the control device 4 shown in FIG.
Equivalent to 5.

The policy usage contracting means 1 receives a user policy from the management system on the user side and stores it in the user policy storage means 3, and a policy classification means 2.
For example, the policy definition means 4 shown in FIG.
1 has some functions. Further, the policy classification means 2 refers to the user information storage means 4
ML (Service Management Layer), NML (Network Management Layer) and EML
(Element management layer) and classify the classified information,
SML, NML, EML policy adaptation means 6, 7,
Transfer to 8.

Since the user policy is described from the user's point of view, the policy conforming means 6, 7, 8
Refers to the user information storage means 4 and the management information base 5 and converts the contents into contents from the viewpoint of the service provider. Then, the converted policies corresponding to the respective layers are stored in the policy storage means 9, 10, and 11.

Policy decision / implementation means for each layer 12, 1
Reference numerals 3 and 14 denote respective layers from the network device (service management device groups 15 and 16, network management device group 17, device management device group 18,
19) Policy storage means 9 and 1 based on corresponding event
The action is instructed with reference to the policies stored in 0 and 11. In that case, it is possible to operate independently for each layer without depending on the upper and lower layers. Therefore, it is possible to speed up the policy determination process and to balance the load.

Also, one management policy is <condition, subject,
Object, Action>, wherein “condition” is a condition for activating the policy, and represents an event or time. “Action” indicates a management operation performed when the policy is activated. The "object" is
The subject represents the object that performs the action, and the “subject” represents the object that causes the action to be performed.

The classification by the policy classification means 2 is performed by focusing on at least the subject and the condition among the conditions, subjects, objects, and actions constituting the policy. Classify into hierarchies that can be implemented. (1). If the subject is an object in the SML (Service Management Layer) and the condition is an event from the SML, the policy can be implemented in the SML. (2). Subject is object in SML, condition is NML
(Network management layer), the policy is:
It can be implemented in SML in response to an event from NML. (3). Subject is object in SML, condition is EML
If the event is from the (element management layer), the policy can be implemented in SML. Since the SMS (service management system) cannot receive an event from the EMS (element management system), an appropriate NMS
(Network management system).

(4). If the subject is an object in NML and the condition is an event from NML, the policy is NM
L. (Five). If the subject is an object in the NML and the condition is an event from the EML, the policy can be implemented in the NML in response to the event from the EML. (6). If the subject is an object in NML and the condition is an event from SML, the policy can only be enforced in SML because the NMS cannot receive events from SMS. The subject must be rewritten as an object in the SML.

(7). If the subject is an object in the EML and the condition is an event from the EML, the policy is EM
L. (8). If the subject is an object in the EML and the condition is an event from the NML, the policy can only be enforced in the NML because the EMS cannot receive events from the NMS. The subject must be rewritten as an object in NML. (9). If the subject is an object in the EML and the condition is an event from the SML, the policy can only be enforced in the SML because the EMS cannot receive events from the SMS. The subject must be rewritten as an object in the SML. (Ten) . When the condition is a time, the time can be received as an event from the clocking mechanism of each policy determination unit, so that the policy can be implemented in each layer to which the subject belongs.

The policy classifying means 2 refers to the user information storage means 4 and classifies the user policies based on the above-mentioned relationship, and transfers the classified user policies to the policy adapting means 6, 7, 8 of each layer. . For example, if the subject is an object in SML and the condition is an event from NML (Network Management Layer), S
Classify as ML. Also, policy adaptation means for each layer 6,
Reference numerals 7 and 8 denote user information storage means 4 and management information base 5
, The SML policy adapting means 6 assigns a user ID to the user. The NML and EML policy adaptation means 7 and 8 assign a path ID, a node ID, and the like locally assigned to each user to an I / O network for the entire network.
Convert to D Then, the policy storage means 9, 10, 1
1 is stored.

For example, if the policy P1 is: Condition: end of every month Subject: Network Management System (NMS) Object: Dedicated line path between Tokyo and Osaka Action: If the bandwidth is increased by 100 Mbps from usual, the condition “end of every month” is Indicates time, subject is NM
S, which can be implemented at each layer to which the subject shown in the above classification (10) belongs, the policy classification means 2 classifies the data into NML (network management layer).

For example, in the network configuration shown in FIG. 2, a LAN 22 at a head office in Tokyo and a LAN 23 at a branch office in Osaka are connected by a dedicated line path 24 set in a public network 21.
When the server 25 is connected to the LAN 22 and the data terminal device 26 is connected to the LAN 23, the leased line path 21 is only one of many paths between Tokyo and Osaka when viewed from the network management system. The object of the policy P1 "Dedicated line path between Tokyo and Osaka" is converted into an identifier such as "VP # 53" which can be understood by the network management system. Such an identifier is stored in the user information storage unit 4.
The policy P1 is stored in the management information base 5 and is classified into NML in the case of the above-described policy P1, and is converted by the policy adaptation means 7.

When comparing the lifetime of the policy with the lifetime of the network service, if the lifetime of the network service is short, for example, the data terminal device 27 such as a personal computer in FIG. When a dial-up connection is made, a policy is registered, a dial-up connection service is received, and the registered policy is cleared by the termination of the dial-up connection service, the time from the start to the end of the dial-up connection service provided by the public network 21 is: , Which is shorter than the time the policy is registered.

As described above, when the lifetime of the network service is short, there is a high possibility that the service has not been started when the policy is accepted. Therefore, when such a policy is received, it is stored in the policy categorizing means 2 without immediately converting the policy, and at the same time, a function of monitoring the start of a corresponding service such as a dial-up connection service is provided. At the beginning, convert the saved policy.

Further, a policy relating to a service which cannot be converted at the time of accepting a policy as described above can be converted and held by the policy classifying means 2 into the following new policy P2. Condition: Start of applicable service Subject: Policy classification means Object: Accepted policy Action: Conversion That is, in the case of the start of applicable service, the policy is classified by the policy classification means 2 and accepted by the classified service adaptation means corresponding to the hierarchy. To convert. Therefore, the conversion corresponding to each layer can be delayed until the service starts.

As the policy P3, condition: dial-up user tries to connect to the personnel server Subject: personnel server Object: dial-up connection Action: Encrypted, for example, connected to LAN 22 in FIG. The server 25 is a personnel server at the head office, and when registering a policy of performing a dial-up connection from the data terminal device 27 to the personnel server at a business trip location and encrypting and communicating, as described above, Since the service is an up connection service, the lifetime of the service is shorter than the lifetime of the policy.

Therefore, when the policy P3 is dial-up-connected under the conditions of the policy, the policy P3 is converted in accordance with the policy P2 and stored in the policy classifying means 2. The converted new policy P4 is as follows: condition: dial-up connection subject: policy classification means object: policy P3 action: conversion

Then, the policy P3 stored in the policy classifying means 2 is converted according to the conditions for starting the dial-up connection, and when converted by the policy adapting means 6, the policy P3 is stored in the policy storing means 9. Then, the service of the dial-up connection to the personnel server is controlled by the policy determining / executing means 12 in response to the event from the service management device group.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the accepted policy is classified by the policy classifying means 2 into SML, NM.
L and EML, and the policy adaptation means 6, 7, 8 converts the policy from the user's viewpoint into a policy described from the service provider's viewpoint,
10 and 11 and the policy determination / enforcement means 12 and 1
The service instructions are given to the network device by referring to the policy storage means based on the event corresponding to each layer of the device by the devices 3 and 14, and the determination and execution can be performed independently for each layer. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the policy determination time, and it is not necessary for the upper layer to know the detailed information of the lower layer that should be concealed, and the load concentrated on the SML (service management layer) is distributed to each layer. There is an advantage that it is possible to perform processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a network configuration.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a public network communication management system.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional policy management technique.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a policy determination / implementation unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Policy usage contract means 2 Policy classification means 3 User policy storage means 4 User information storage means 5 Management information base (MIB) 6,7,8 Policy adaptation means 9,10,11 Policy storage means 12,13,14 Policy determination / execution means 15, 16 Service management device group 17 Network management device group 18, 19 Device management device group SML service management layer NML network management layer EML element management layer

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Fukuda 4-1-1, Kamidadanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Fujitsu Limited (Reference) 5B089 GA11 GA34 HA01 HA06 JB16 KA13 KB06 KB09 KH00 5K030 KA02 LE02 MA01 MB01 MD00 5K051 AA03 AA09 CC01 EE01 FF01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A policy for classifying a received policy into a service management layer, a network management layer, and an element management layer based on at least a condition and a subject among conditions, subjects, objects, and actions constituting the policy. A classifying unit; a policy adapting unit that converts the policy classified by the policy classifying unit so as to be able to determine and execute the policy corresponding to each layer; and stores the policy converted by the policy conforming unit. Policy storage means; and policy determination / implementation means for determining a policy stored in the policy storage means corresponding to each tier based on the event corresponding to each tier of the network device and instructing the network device. A communication management system. 2. The communication management system according to claim 1, wherein said policy adapting means has a function of converting the received policy from the user's viewpoint into a policy described from the service provider's viewpoint. 3. The policy classifying means compares a lifetime of the policy with a lifetime of a network service, and monitors a start of a service of the condition of the policy. And a function of holding the policy until the service start is identified by the function of monitoring the service start, and a function of classifying the policy held by the function into the respective layers. 2. The communication management system according to 2. 4. The policy categorizing means compares the lifetime of the policy with the lifetime of a network service by monitoring the start of a service under the conditions of the policy. A function of converting the policy into a new policy indicating that the policy is to be converted at the start of service, and holding the function; and a function of classifying the new policy held by the function into the respective layers. Item 3. The communication management system according to item 1 or 2.