Agent Status Manager for Network Command Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network management applications lack mechanisms for agents to track the status of command execution, leading to uncertainty for operators about the progress of long-running commands, as there are no provisions for periodic status reporting, resulting in operators being unaware of the execution state until the command is completed.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a command manager process in the server and a status manager process within the agent, which uses transaction identifiers to track and report the status of command execution, allowing periodic status requests and responses to notify registered applications of the execution state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional network management applications execute commands through agents without status tracking mechanisms, then the system structure remains simple, but operators cannot obtain real-time status information about command execution progress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where agents periodically report command execution status back to the server. The server maintains a mapping between command identifiers and application identifiers, enabling status information to be fed back to the appropriate applications that initiated the commands, thus resolving the information loss without requiring complete system restructuring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary status tracking mechanism that acts as a mediator between agents and applications. The server serves as the intermediary that receives status reports from agents, processes the information, and delivers it to the appropriate applications, thereby solving the information delivery problem without direct complex interactions between agents and multiple applications
2Loss of time
If the system implements periodic status reporting for all commands, then operators can monitor command progress in real-time, but the system complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing the command-to-application mapping relationship before command execution begins. The server pre-configures the tracking mechanism and maintains the identifier mappings ready, so that when status reports arrive during execution, the system can immediately route information without additional setup complexity, reducing the time loss for status acquisition
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal status tracking mechanism that handles multiple commands and applications through a common framework. The server's mapping system and status routing infrastructure serve multiple purposes: tracking various command types, managing different applications, and providing unified status information, thereby reducing overall system complexity through multi-functionality
3Productivity
If agents track and report detailed command execution status, then operational efficiency improves, but the communication overhead between agents and server increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing status information with targeted precision rather than universal detail. The system tracks and reports only the specific status data relevant to each command and application, using the mapping mechanism to deliver customized status information. This approach improves operational efficiency by providing necessary information while minimizing communication overhead by avoiding unnecessary data transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A system determines status of agent execution of a command in a network. The system identifies a command to be performed by an agent and issues the command to the agent for execution. The agent operates a status manager that tracks execution status of commands in the agent. The system sends status requests to the agent to determine a status of execution of the command by the agent and the agent responds and sends a status response indicating the status of the execution of the command by the agent. Applications are thus provided with current status of execution of long running commands in an agent.