Object oriented communication among platform independent systems over networks using soap

Abstract

A system for object oriented communication among platform independent systems over networks using SOAP, in which communications can be performed over a network utilizing a single communications protocol. A simple object access communications protocol (SOAP) is utilized for sending messages from one object to another across the network in a platform independent manner. This type of protocol can be utilized to control network elements provided at various locations.

1 . A system for receiving communication from an application source and communicated from the application source to a network element, the system comprising:
 at least one processing unit;   a routine to receive a communication containing a SOAP attribute over a communication protocol and providing the SOAP attribute over the communication protocol to the network element;   a routine receiving the SOAP attribute from the network element, including commands parsable by a network management application routine (NMA) receiving the communication;   a routine for parsing a SOAP message from the SOAP attribute by parsing the SOAP portion of the SOAP attribute to produce the SOAP message;   a translator routine, said translator routine receiving said SOAP message and translating said SOAP message into a command and/or data for the network element; and   a network element discovery (NED) routine for receiving said SOAP message from said NMA.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving the SOAP envelope over an underlying expanding messaging communication protocol of a user request provided by an application source for building the SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol of the user request provided by an underlying communication protocol server, and provides wherein the SOAP message parsed from the SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol. 
     
     
         3 . The system for communicating as described in  claim 2 , comprising the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol implemented as HTTP, wherein said program code that builds a SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol implements the underlying communication protocol as HTTP. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  comprising a routine translating the SOAP message into corresponding command and/or data for the network element. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  comprising means for receiving communications provided between network elements of SOAP commands and data over signaling and network communication protocols. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising instructions to receive the SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol of a user request provided by the application source for building the SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol of the user request. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 including commands parsable by a network management application routine (NMA) receiving the communication to translate said SOAP message into a command and/or data for the network element and permitting a network element agent routine (NEA) to parse said SOAP message to produce SOAP packets received from said NMA;   a network element discovery routine (NED) routine for receiving said SOAP message from said NMA, said SOAP message including network configuration data.   
     
     
         8 . The system in accordance with  claim 7 , wherein said network configuration data includes port, card, slot and shelf information for a network element. 
     
     
         9 . A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium comprising program code executable on a first network device having a processing unit and accessing an application source for communication with a network element located on a second network device, comprising:
 program code that builds a SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol of a user request; and   program code that transmits said SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol to an underlying communication protocol server capable of providing transmissions according to an underlying communication protocol, said SOAP message parsable from said SOAP envelope in the case of said SOAP envelope transmitted over underlying communication protocol, including commands parsable by a network management application routine (NMA); and   program code comprising a network element discovery routine (NED) routine for receiving said SOAP message from said NMA.   
     
     
         10 . The computer program product as described in  claim 9 , wherein said program code that builds a SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol implements the underlying communication protocol as HTTP. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product as described in  claim 9 , further comprising the SOAP envelope providing translation of the soap message into a command and/or data for building of said user request as a command and/or data for the second network device. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product as described in  claim 9 , further comprising instructions to receive the SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol of a user request provided by the application source for building the SOAP envelope over underlying communication protocol of the user request. 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product as described in  claim 9 , wherein the first network device has a location on a first side of a firewall and the second network device has a location on a second side of the firewall. 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product as described in  claim 13 , wherein the first side of the firewall constitutes a protected side of the firewall. 
     
     
         15 . Means, using at least one processing unit, for communicating messages from an application source for reception by a network element located across a firewall, comprising:
 computer program means provided in the application source at a first side of the firewall for building an SOAP envelope over an underlying expanding messaging communication protocol of a user request;   computer program means provided in the application source for providing said SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol to an underlying communication protocol server compatible with web communication at the first side of the firewall;   computer program means provided in a network element agent server for receiving said SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol from the underlying communication protocol server; and   computer program means for sending a SOAP message from the SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol by parsing the SOAP portion of the SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol to produce the SOAP message, in a format suitable for transmission across the firewall, including commands parsable by a network management application routine (NMA) receiving the transmission across the firewall to translate said SOAP message into a command and/or data for the network element and permitting a network element agent routine (NEA) provided at the second side of the firewall to parse said SOAP message to produce SOAP packets received from said NMA.   
     
     
         16 . The system for communicating as described in  claim 15 , comprising the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol implemented as HTTP. 
     
     
         17 . The system in accordance with  claim 15 , comprising the computer program means for parsing the SOAP message from the SOAP envelope over the underlying expanding messaging communication protocol at the first side of the firewall. 
     
     
         18 . The system in accordance with  claim 15 , further including a network element discovery routine (NED) routine for receiving said SOAP message from said NMA provided at the second side of the firewall, said SOAP message including network configuration data. 
     
     
         19 . The system in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein said network configuration data includes port, card, slot and shelf information for a network element.