Data driven interface control circuit

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an improvement of a computer network by bringing commonality down to the device driver level. The computer network having at least one processor node having a circuit control module and a plurality of dedicated combinations of device driver and device object. Each of the dedicated combinations is capable of exchanging data between a circuit control module and one device type of a plurality of device types. The dedicated combinations of the device driver and the device object are replaced by a generic device driver and generic device agent capable of exchanging data between the circuit control module and any one of the plurality of device types.

1 . In a method for monitoring a computer system comprising at least one processor node having a circuit control module and a plurality of dedicated combinations of device driver and device object wherein each of said dedicated combinations is capable of exchanging monitoring data between said circuit control module and said one of a plurality of device types, the improvement comprising the step of replacing for at least one of said dedicated combinations, said device driver and said device object by a generic combination comprising a generic device driver and a generic device agent such that said each generic combination is capable of exchanging monitoring data between said circuit control module and any one of said plurality of device types so as to allow for distributed processing of monitoring data. 
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said computer system is a communications system. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of device types comprises SONET, T 1 , E 1 , ATM, modem. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said monitoring data comprises one or more of performance monitoring data, initialization data, fault detection data, and operational reporting data. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dedicated combinations of device driver and device object include a data table specific to said one device type of said plurality of device types for which each of said dedicated combinations is capable of exchanging data, and
 wherein said generic device agents are operationally connected to a shared relational database.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said shared relational database comprises a plurality of relational databases such that ones of said generic device agents are operationally connected to one of a plurality of relational databases. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said communications system is a point-to-multipoint communication system. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said communications system operates in the millimeter wave frequency spectrum. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said communications system is a time division multiple access system. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the data density within each frame is dynamically variable. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said communications system is a time division duplex system. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said communications system is an adaptive time division duplex system. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the forward/reverse ratio is dynamically configurable. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said data is transferred to a persistent storage. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the persistent storage is a flash file system. 
   
   
       16 . In a method for monitoring a computer system comprising a plurality of processor nodes each having a circuit control module and a plurality of dedicated combinations of device driver and device object wherein each of said dedicated combinations is capable of exchanging data between said circuit control module and one of a plurality of device types, the improvement comprising the steps of replacing the circuit control module of each of said plural processor nodes by a control agent operationally connected to each of said plural processor nodes, and replacing for at least one of said dedicated combinations, said device driver and said device object by a generic combination comprising a generic device driver and a generic device agent such that said each generic combination is capable of exchanging monitoring data between said control agent and any one of said plurality of device types so as to allow for distributed processing of monitoring data. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said computer system is a communications system. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said circuit control module is a circuit state machine. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said control agent and said device agent are common agents. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said plurality of device types comprises SONET, T 1 , E 1 , ATM, modem. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said monitoring data comprises one or more of performance monitoring data, initialization data, fault detection data, and operational reporting data. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said dedicated combinations of device driver and device object include a data table specific to said one device type of said plurality of device types for which each of said dedicated combinations is capable of exchanging data, and wherein said generic device agents are operationally connected to a shared relational database. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said shared relational database comprises a plurality of relational databases such that ones of said generic device agents are operationally connected to one of a plurality of relational databases. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said communications system is a point-to-multipoint communication system. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said communications system operates in the millimeter wave frequency spectrum. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said communications system is a time division multiple access system. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the data density within each frame is dynamically variable. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said communications system is a time division duplex system. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said communications system is an adaptive time division duplex system. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the forward/reverse ratio is dynamically configurable. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said data is transferred to a persistent storage. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the persistent storage is a flash file system. 
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein said circuit control module is a software object. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said circuit control module is hardware device. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein circuit control module is a software object. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said circuit control module is hardware device.