Reliability for simple network management protocol trap messages

Abstract

In a Broad Based Data System, one Manager System can control the actions of a plurality of Agent Systems. The Agent Systems communicate with the Manager System by sending trap messages. The Manager System ensures that no trap messages are lost by checking that a sequence number of each received trap message from a particular Agent System is one higher than a sequence number of a previously received trap message. If a missing sequence number is detected, the Manager requests re-transmittal of the message associated with that sequence number. In order to prevent flooding a Manager with an excessive number of trap messages from a particular Agent System, the Agent System can only send a given number, N of messages, before it is re-authorized to send more messages. In Applicants' specific embodiment, the authorization is in the form of an acknowledgment message. Trap messages representing alarm conditions are particularly important. Alarm conditions are saved as long as the alarm is active. In case of an interruption of communications between the Agent and the Manager, all trap messages associated with these saved active alarm conditions are transmitted to the Manager System. Advantageously, these arrangements provide reliable communications between the Agent and Manager Systems, especially for the important messages representing alarm conditions in the Agent.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.