Claims
- 1. A method of managing a plurality of to-be-managed nodes comprising the steps of:
(a) dividing a plurality of nodes into one or more groups, including a particular group of one or more nodes, (b) receiving a specification to send a set of one or more commands to the particular group of nodes, the specification designating the group and not specifying any particular node of the group, (c) if each node of the particular group of nodes has a return path to a source of messages, and if the particular group includes a plurality of nodes then, for each given node of the group:
(d) transmitting a packet containing a network layer header, including an address corresponding to the given node, but not the other nodes, of the group, a second header specifying a syntax and semantic by which the packet may be parsed, and one or more messages of the set, and (e) waiting to receive a response packet acknowledging proper receipt of the packet from the given node, wherein an operator can designate a given list of messages for execution by an entire group by reference to an indication of the group, rather than by separately specifying each given node of the group at the time of specifying the specific list of messages to be executed.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet is transmitted to a second one of the given nodes of the group at the time of, or after, transmitting the packet to a first one of the given nodes of the group but before receipt of the response packet from the first given node of the group acknowledging receipt of the packet transmitted thereto.
- 3. The method of claim 1 wherein each given node of the group has a return path to the source of commands and wherein the command is a request to retrieve a specific information obtainable from each given node of the group, the method further comprising the step of:
(f) receiving from each given node of the group a current value of the specific information obtainable from the respective given node.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein each given node of the group contains at least a portion of a hierarchically organized management information base (MIB), the method comprising the step of displaying on a display device the hierarchical organization of the MIB and a list of specific parameters of the MIB to be accessed.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein each given node of the group has a return path to the source of commands and wherein the command is a request to retrieve a specific information corresponding to the list of specific parameters the method further comprising the steps of:
(g) receiving from each given node of the group a current value of the specific information corresponding to the list of specific parameters, and (h) displaying a current value of each specific parameter of the list.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The subject matter of this application is related to the subject matter of the following patent applications, all of which are commonly assigned to the same assignee as is this application:
[0002] (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,212, entitled “Receipt and Dispatch Timing of Transport Packets in a Video Program Bearing Stream Remultiplexer,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Regis Gratacap and William Slattery;
[0003] (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,334, entitled “Dynamic Video Program Bearing Stream Remultiplexer,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Regis Gratacap;
[0004] (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,203, entitled “Re-timing of Video Program Bearing Streams Transmitted by an Asynchronous Communication Link,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Regis Gratacap;
[0005] (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,211, entitled “Bandwidth Optimization of Video Program Bearing Transport Streams,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Robert Robinett and Regis Gratacap;
[0006] (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,210, entitled “Network Distributed Remultiplexer for Video Program Bearing Transport Streams,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Robert Robinett, Regis Gratacap and William Slattery;
[0007] (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,204, entitled “Remultiplexer for Video Program Bearing Transport Streams with Assisted Output Timing for Asynchronous Communication Output,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for Regis Gratacap;
[0008] (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/006,964, entitled “Remultiplexer for Video Program Bearing Transport Streams with Program Clock Reference Time Stamp Adjustment,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for William Slattery and Regis Gratacap;
[0009] (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,198, entitled “Remultiplexer Cache Architecture and Memory Organization for Storing Video Program Bearing Transport Packets and Descriptors,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for William Slattery and Regis Gratacap;
[0010] (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/007,199, entitled “Scrambling and Descrambling Control Word Control in a Remultiplexer for Video Bearing Transport Streams,” filed on Jan. 14, 1998 for William Slattery and Regis Gratacap;
[0011] (10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/006,963, entitled “Reference Time Clock Locking in a Remultiplexer for Video Program Bearing Transport Streams,” filed on Ja. 14, 1998 for William Slattery; and
[0012] (11) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/393,227, entitled “Remultiplexer Architecture for Controlling the Supply of Data to be Combined With Constant End-to-End Delay Information,” filed on Sep. 9, 1999 for John R. Mick, Jr.
[0013] The contents of these documents are fully incorporated herein by reference.