Policy-enabled communications networks

In a data network having a plurality of selectively interconnected network devices, a first network device comprising

• means for storing values for configuration attributes and state attributes for said first network device,
• means for associating function values for at least one function of selected state attribute values with at least one network policy application,
• means for selectively notifying at least one of said network policy applications of an event reflected by an associated function value, and
• means for receiving policy information through a standard input interface at said first network device from at least one network policy application.

A uniform distributed network data model for use at a plurality of network devices interconnected in a network, the network data model at a first network device comprising

• device-specific configuration attribute values corresponding to said first network device,
• state attribute values corresponding to the state of said first network device,
• registry information relating selected ones of said state attribute values to network policy applications executing in said network, selected portions of said registry information being available through a uniform data interface to related respective ones of said policy applications,
• each of said configuration attribute values for said first network device being susceptible of change in response to information received at said first network device from at least one of said network policy applications.

A method for enabling a network comprising a plurality of network devices to operate in accordance with at least one network policy application the method comprising

• storing at each of said plurality of network devices
• device-specific configuration attribute values corresponding to the respective one of said network devices, each of said configuration attribute values for a particular network device being susceptible of change in response to messages received at said particular network device from at least one of said network policy applications,
• state attribute values corresponding to the state of the respective one of said network devices,
• registry information relating said state attribute values to at least one of said network policy applications,
• said state attribute values being available for access by respective ones of said network policy applications to which said state attribute values are related,
• receiving through a standard input interface from at least one of said network policy applications policy information for updating said device specific configuration information.