Device Management Protocol Query Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network management protocols, such as SNMP, often require devices to retrieve and respond with large amounts of unnecessary data, leading to increased network traffic and potential socket overflow issues due to the lack of filtering mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of new object identifiers, specifically filter operator and generic value object identifiers, allows management devices to generate requests with filter criteria, enabling managed devices to exclude irrelevant data and reduce the amount of information retrieved and transmitted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If management devices retrieve all available data from managed devices using SNMP, then complete information is obtained, but network traffic increases and socket overflow issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary subset of data from the managed device by introducing filter criteria in the SNMP request. The management device specifies filter operators and values that enable the managed device to exclude irrelevant data, thereby reducing network traffic while obtaining complete information relevant to the management need.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of retrieving all available data (excessive action), the patent enables partial retrieval by allowing management devices to specify filter criteria. This partial action approach retrieves only the necessary data portion, reducing network traffic while maintaining information completeness for management purposes.
2Reliability
If management devices send frequent polling requests to managed devices, then real-time monitoring is achieved, but the number of requests and responses increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the specific information needed for monitoring by incorporating filter criteria in polling requests. This reduces the size of each request-response cycle, enabling more efficient real-time monitoring with reduced overhead in the number of transactions.
3Loss of information
If managed devices respond with all requested data, then comprehensive information is provided, but data retrieval efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the management device prepare filter criteria before the data retrieval operation. The filter operators and values are included in the request, enabling the managed device to pre-filter data during the retrieval process itself, rather than retrieving all data and filtering afterward, thus reducing retrieval time while maintaining completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
An example device includes an interface to receive, from a device management system, a request message that conforms to a network management protocol, a control unit that provides an execution environment for a management agent, and a data repository. The request message includes a set of managed object identifiers and a set of filter operator object identifiers. The management agent is operable to generate at least one filter criterion based on the managed object identifiers and the filter operator object identifiers, to retrieve managed object values stored in the data repository based on the managed object identifiers, each corresponding to a respective managed object identifier specified in the request message, to generate and output to the device management system a response based on the managed object identifiers of the request message and the retrieved managed object values that satisfy one or more of the at least one filter criterion.