US 7,480,917 B2Granted

User interface for editing objects of a network object database

AssigneeEnterasys Networks, Inc.

InventorsJames P. Richmond, Steven Charles Bir, David Scott Grieve, Brian Stanley Locke, Christopher McClain, Daniel Timothy Murphy

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Abstract

A user interface enables a user to concurrently select a plurality of network objects of a network object database (e.g., a MIB) from a same network device or different network devices and specify a value, only once, to which to set the selected objects. The user can initiate setting of the selected objects on the one or more devices by specifying only once that the objects on such devices be set to the specified value. The user interface, which may include a GUI, may be configured to enable the user to specify a value for a cell of a first table (“editing table”), in response to which a plurality of cells of a second table (“primary table”) are set equal to the specified value. The primary table may represent a view of a network object database, each column of the view representing an object type of the network object database.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method of enabling a user to set a value across a plurality of network objects representing one or more portions of a plurality of different network device types on a communications network, the method comprising acts of:

(A) providing a user interface that enables the user to indicate a user-specified value for which to set the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types by specifying the user-specified value only once, wherein the act of providing a user interface comprises the acts of:
(1) concurrently displaying values of network objects on a display by displaying a first table to a user on the display, the first table including a plurality of rows and at least a first column representing a first object type of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, each of plurality of the rows including a cell for the first column that stores a value for one of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types;
(2) receiving user input that specifies a plurality of rows of the first table to concurrently select a set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, the set of the plurality of network objects having the value the user desires to set to the user-specified value;
(3) displaying a second table to the user on the display concurrently to displaying the first table, the second table including one or more columns, each column of the second table corresponding to the first column of the first table;
(4) receiving the user-specified value from the user for a column of the second table that corresponds to the first column of the first table;
(5) in response to receiving the value from the user, for each of the plurality of rows, setting the cell for the column of the first table equal to the received value;
and
(B) in response to receiving an instruction from the user, initiating setting the object value of each member of the set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types equal to the user-specified value.

5 more elements

A computer system for enabling a user to set a value across a plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types on a communications network, the system comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory storing instructions for:
providing a user interface to enable the user to indicate a user-specified value for which to set the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types by specifying the user-specified value only once, wherein the user interface is operable to control concurrently displaying values of network objects, including values of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, to the user, and wherein the user interface includes:
a first table component to control displaying a first table to a user on a display, the first table including a plurality of rows and at least a first column representing a first object type of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, each of plurality of the rows including a cell for the first column that stores a value for one of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, and
a second table component to control displaying a second table to the user on the display concurrently to displaying the first table, the second table including one or more columns, each column of the second table corresponding to a respective one of the columns of the first table, and operable to receive the user-specified value from the user for a column of the second table that corresponds to the first column of the first table;
and
providing a message component to initiate setting the value of each member of the set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types equal to the user-specified value;
receiving user input to concurrently select a set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, the set of the plurality of network objects having a value the user desires to set to the user-specified value, wherein the first table component is operable to receive the one or more user inputs that specify a plurality of rows of the first table;
and
receiving the user-specified value from the user for the set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, wherein the second table component is operable, in response to receiving the user-specified value from the user, to control the first table component to set the cell in the first column in each of the plurality of rows equal to the received user-specified value.

8 more elements

A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to enable a user to set a value across a plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types on a communications network, the instructions comprising:

(A) instructions for providing a user interface that enables the user to indicate a user-specified value for which to set the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types by specifying the user-specified value only once, wherein the act of providing a user interface comprises the acts of:
(1) concurrently displaying values of network objects on a display by displaying a first table to a user on the display, the first table including a plurality of rows and at least a first column representing a first object type of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, each of plurality of the rows including a cell for the first column that stores a value for one of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types;
(2) receiving user input that specifies a plurality of rows of the first table to concurrently select a set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, the set of the plurality of network objects having a value the user desires to set to the user-specified value;
(3) displaying a second table to the user on the display concurrently to displaying the first table, the second table including one or more columns, each column of the second table corresponding to a respective one of the columns of the first table;
(4) receiving the user-specified value from the user for a column of the second table that corresponds to the first column of the first table;
(5) in response to receiving the value from the user, for each of the plurality of rows, setting the cell for the first column equal to the received value;
and
(B) instructions for, in response to receiving an instruction from the user, initiating setting the value of each member of the set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types equal to the user-specified value.

5 more elements

A computer system for enabling a user to set a value for a plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types on a communications network, the system comprising:

means for enabling the user to indicate a user-specified value for which to set the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types by specifying the user-specified value only once, wherein the means for enabling the user to indicate a user-specified value includes:
(1) means for concurrently displaying values of network objects on a display by displaying a first table to a user on the display, the first table including a plurality of rows and at least a first column representing a first object type of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, each of plurality of the rows including a cell for the first column that stores a value for one of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types;
(2) means for receiving user input that specifies a plurality of rows of the first table to concurrently select a set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types, the set of the plurality of network objects having a value the user desires to set to the user-specified value;
(3) means for displaying a second table to the user on the display concurrently to displaying the first table, the second table including one or more columns, each column of the second table corresponding to a respective one of the columns of the first table;
(4) means for receiving the user-specified value from the user for a column of the second table that corresponds to the first column of the first table;
(5) means for, in response to receiving the value from the user, for each of the plurality of rows, setting the cell for the first column equal to the received value;
and
a message component to initiate setting the value of each member of the set of the plurality of network objects representing the one or more portions of the plurality of different network device types equal to the user-specified value.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.