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POLICY DESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND POLICY DESCRIPTION
ASSISTANCE METHOD
BACKGROUND
5 [0001] The present invention relates to a policy description assistance system and a
policy description assistance method.
[0002] A management method using a policy-based management technique is
widely known as a technique for optimizing operational management of large-scale
networks and systems. The policy-based management technique automates
10 processes to be executed according to the state of a network or a system using a set
of policies, such as if-then rules, which associates a condition and an operation
when the condition is satisfied.
[0003] Naturally, in the policy-based management technique, the correctness of
policy description is very important. This is because errors in policy description have
15 an adverse effect on a network or a system that actually operates.
[0004] On the other hand, although descriptions based on the if-then rule are, by
themselves, easy to understand, it is difficult to understand existing rules and to
describe or add new rules when a plurality of if-then rules affects each other. This is
because in general sequential programs, a change occurring from a certain state
20 during execution of a program is restricted to a certain location on the program
sentence, whereas in the if-then rules, immediately after execution of the then clause,
all rules can be a potential object that is executed next. Thus, it is difficult to
understand whether the order of rules executed is described as intended.
[0005] As one method for dealing with such a problem, a formal verification
25 technique has been applied to policies that have been described. For example,
Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a software verification technique based on
logical formulas of policies and a technique called model checking (see E. M. Clarke,
O. Grumberg, and D. A. Peled, Model Checking, The MIT Press, 1999, and the like),
respectively, so as to enable validity of described policies to be checked. Moreover,
30 Patent Document 3 discloses a technique of making it easy to modify policy rules
when changing system configuration. Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a
monitoring technique of illustrating association between rules. For example, in a
system that executes description of general if-then rules, a condition part (if clause)
and a conclusion part (then clause) that satisfies the condition part can be displayed
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hierarchically by linking both parts by a line. Moreover, a rule that is executed by
satisfying a condition and a rule that is affected by execution of the conclusion part of
the rule can be displayed by connecting both rules by a line.
[0006] Patent Document 1: Patent Publication JP-A-2007-41677
5 Patent Document 2: WO 2008/114355
Patent Document 3: Patent Publication JP-A-2007-87232
Patent Document 4: Patent Publication JP-A-61-202230
SUMMARY
10 [0007] However, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can enable
verification only in such a strict state that a pair of a checking target policy and a
checking rule is perfectly defined. In other words, although it is possible to
mechanically verify whether a policy that has been described satisfies a strict
condition defined by a logical formula, it is not possible to determine whether
15 description of a policy is imperfect in the stage of describing a policy, for example.
Moreover, this technique cannot be applied when the operation of writing the content
to be verified in a logical formula is difficult because the user is in the stage of
changing policy description, for example.
[0008] Moreover, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 allows users to
20 determine the influence of a change in description of a policy rule by additionally
describing the reasons for applying the policy rule when creating the policy rule.
That is, this technique originally aims to specify the influence of modification of policy
rules during operation. Thus, it is necessary to additionally describe the reasons for
application in addition to the policy rules themselves, and it is difficult to apply this
25 technique because it takes time and effort in particular in the initial stage of creating
policy rules.
[0009] Moreover, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 4, the condition
part (if clause) and the conclusion part (then clause) that satisfies the condition part
are displayed hierarchically in a statically determined structure by linking both parts
30 by a line. After that, the if-then rule is executed in a designated initial state. Thus, it
is difficult to perform checking simultaneously with editing of rules. Further, since a
display format of rules is different from that under editing, it is difficult to check which
rule is to be executed simultaneously with the operation of adding and modifying
rules. Furthermore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 4, it is assumed
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that a boolean value called "Initial Status" that externally affects the truth of a
condition part and a boolean value (a character string indicating the boolean value)
of which value is determined to be true by the conclusion part are all simple boolean
values. That is, Patent Document 4 does not discloses a technique of enabling rules
5 to be monitored when a rule includes a plurality of conditions having different
threshold values, such as "exceeds 50% of communication capacity" or "exceeds
70% of communication capacity," for parameters, such as traffic or a CPU load, the
observed values of which change continuously.
[0010] With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the present invention to assist in
10 describing policies so that errors when describing policies are reduced.
[0011] A policy description assistance system according to an aspect of the present
invention includes: a parameter display unit configured to refer to a parameter
information storage unit storing a plurality of parameters for a monitoring target
system, and display the plurality of parameters on a screen of a display device; a
15 policy display unit configured to refer to a policy information storage unit storing a
plurality of policies in which a condition including at least one parameter of the
plurality of parameters and a process executed when the condition is satisfied are
described, the policy display unit displaying the plurality of policies on the screen,
and adding or modifying a policy in the policy information storage unit according to a
20 user input; an association determining unit configured to dynamically determine
association between the plurality of parameters stored in the parameter information
storage unit and the plurality of policies stored in the policy information storage unit;
and an association display unit configured to display the association between the
plurality of parameters and the plurality of policies on the screen in an identifiable
25 manner based on determination results of the association determining unit.
[0012] In the present invention, a "unit" does not simply mean physical means but
includes a case where the function of the "unit" is realized by software. Moreover,
the function of one "unit" or device may be realized by two or more physical means
or devices, and the functions of two or more "units" or devices may be realized by
30 one physical means or device.
[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to assist in describing
policies so that errors when describing policies are reduced.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a policy description assistance
system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a parameter
information storage unit.
5 FIG. 3 is a diagram showing examples of policies.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a policy
information storage unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen provided by an input
and output unit.
10 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a policy
description assistance system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with
15 reference to the drawings.
[0016] == Configuration ==
First, a system configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing
a configuration of a policy description assistance system according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The policy description assistance system 10 is
20 an information processing system for assisting a monitoring target system in
describing policies and includes one or a plurality of information processing devices.
Here, a policy defines a condition and a process (event) corresponding to the
condition, and in the present embodiment, is described by an if-then rule.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the policy description assistance system 10 includes a
25 parameter storage unit 20, a parameter information storage unit 22, a policy analysis
unit 24, a policy information storage unit 26, an association determining unit 28, a
determination result storage unit 30, and an input and output unit 32. Moreover, the
input and output unit 32 includes a parameter display unit 40, a policy display unit 42,
and an association display unit 44. The parameter storage unit 20, the parameter
30 information storage unit 22, the policy analysis unit 24, the policy information storage
unit 26, the association determining unit 28, the determination result storage unit 30,
and the input and output unit 32 can be realized by using a storage area of a
memory or a storage device and by a processor executing a program stored in the
storage area.
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[0018] The parameter storage unit 20 stores parameters that are to be monitored, of
the monitoring target system. In the present embodiment, the parameters stored in
the parameter storage unit 20 are temporarily read into the parameter information
storage unit 22 as parameter information during policy description assistance. The
5 parameter storage unit 20 may be provided outside the policy description assistance
system 10. Moreover, the parameter information read into the parameter information
storage unit 22 may be the parameter itself stored in the parameter storage unit 20
and may be one obtained by converting the format or the like of the parameter or
extracting a part of the parameter.
10 [0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the parameter
information storage unit 22. The parameter information virtually represents the state
of the monitoring target system and includes a name 100, a data type 102, a range
104, and a present value 106. Such parameter information can be configured by
various methods such as a CVS (comma separated value) file or an SQL database,
15 for example. The format of a parameter value such as Float (floating point) or Int
(integer) is set in the data type 102. The range 104 indicates a range that the
parameter value can take. A value designated by the user using the input and output
unit 32 is held in the present value 106.
[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the policy analysis unit 24 performs syntactic analysis
20 and semantic analysis on the policies stored in a policy storage unit 50 and policies
added or modified on the policy display unit 42, converts the policies into policy
information, and stores the policy information in the policy information storage unit 26.
For example, policies are described in accordance with a predetermined grammar
such as CIM-SPL (Common Information Model-Simplified Policy Language)
25 standardized by DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force). Moreover, the policy
analysis unit 24 converts policies added or modified on the policy display unit 42 into
policy information and stores the policy information in the policy information storage
unit 26. Further, the policy analysis unit 24 can also convert the policies added or
modified on the policy display unit 42 into a predetermined format and store the
30 converted policies in the policy storage unit 50.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing examples of policies. Three policies shown in
FIG. 3 are described in CIM-SPL, in which the part following "Condition" is a
condition part (if clause), and the part following "Decision" is an execution part (then
clause). Such a policy can be stored in the policy storage unit 50 by various
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methods such as a CSV file or an SQL database, for example. The policies stored in
the policy storage unit 50 may have an optional format as long as the name and the
description content of the policy can be identified.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the policy
5 information storage unit 26. The policy information is an internal representation
obtained by the policy analysis unit 24 analyzing the policy described in accordance
with a predetermined language and includes a name 130, a reference parameter 132,
and a policy execution code 134. The names of parameters referenced in the
condition part (if clause) of each policy is set in the reference parameter 132.
10 Moreover, information on codes executed in each policy is stored in the policy
execution code 134. For example, a syntax tree or a virtual machine code of the
policy can be used as the policy execution code.
[0023] Returning to FIG 1, the association determining unit 28 determines
association between parameters and policies based on the parameter information
15 stored in the parameter information storage unit 22 and the policy information stored
in the policy information storage unit 26 and stores the determination results in the
determination result storage unit 30. When policy information is added or modified
according to an input from the policy display unit 42, the association determining unit
28 determines association between parameters and policies again. That is, the
20 association determining unit 28 dynamically determines association between
parameters and policies. Here, association between parameters and policies
indicates, for example, whether each parameter is used in each policy and whether
the condition of each policy is satisfied by the present value of each parameter.
[0024] The input and output unit 32 is a graphical user interface (GUI) for describing
25 policies and is configured to receive a user input from an input device such as a
keyboard or a mouse and display a screen on a display device such as a display.
[0025] The parameter display unit 40 displays the parameter information stored in
the parameter information storage unit 22 on the screen provided by the input and
output unit 32. Moreover, the parameter display unit 40 is configured to receive a
30 user input for adding and modifying the parameter information on the screen.
[0026] The policy display unit 42 displays the policy information stored in the policy
information storage unit 26 on the screen provided by the input and output unit 32.
Moreover, the policy display unit 42 is configured to receive a user input for adding
and modifying the policy information on the screen.
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fr>
[0027] The association display unit 44 displays association between parameters
and policies on the screen provided by the input and output unit 32 based on the
determination results stored in the determination result storage unit 30.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen provided by the input
5 and output unit 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the screen includes a region in which the
parameter information is displayed by the parameter display unit 40, a region in
which the policy information is displayed by the policy display unit 42, and a region in
which the association between parameters and policies is displayed by the
association display unit 44.
10 [0029] In the example of FIG. 5, the parameter display unit 40 displays names and
present values of the parameters stored in the parameter information storage unit 22
and displays an operating unit for changing the present values of parameters within
their ranges. The parameter display unit 40 can change the present values of
parameters by receiving the operation on the operating unit. The policy display unit
15 42 displays the names and the description contents of policies based on the policy
information stored in the policy information storage unit 26. Moreover, the policy
display unit 42 can receive a user input for changing the policy description on the
screen. The association display unit 44 displays association between parameters
displayed on the parameter display unit 40 and policies displayed on the policy
20 display unit 42.
[0030] For example, when there is a parameter used in the condition part of a policy,
the association display unit 44 displays association between the policy and the
parameter by displaying a line that connects the policy and the parameter. Further,
for example, when there is a policy of which condition is satisfied by the present
25 value of a parameter, the association display unit 44 displays association between
the policy and the parameter by highlighting a line that connects the policy and the
parameter. Here, the association display unit 44 may display the lines so that the
display mode of the line representing whether a parameter is used or not is different
from the display mode of the line representing that the condition of a policy is
30 satisfied. For example, the line representing whether a parameter is used or not
may be displayed as a normal line, and the line representing that the condition of a
policy is satisfied may be displayed as a blinking line. The display mode for
displaying the association between policies and parameters is not limited to a line
that connects both, but an optional method can be used as long as the association
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can be identified. Moreover, a highlighting method when the condition of a policy is
satisfied is not limited to the blinking display, but an optional display mode can be
used.
[0031] == Operation ==
5 Next, the operation of the policy description assistance system 10 will be
described. FIG 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the policy
description assistance system 10. First, the parameter display unit 40 reads system
parameter information defined in advance in the parameter storage unit 20 into the
parameter information storage unit 22 and displays the parameter information on a
10 screen (S101). Moreover, when there is a policy stored in the policy storage unit 50,
the policy display unit 42 reads the policy with the aid of the policy analysis unit 24
and displays the policy on the screen (S102). Moreover, the policy analysis unit 24
performs syntactic analysis and semantic analysis on the description of the read
policy to generate policy information and stores the policy information in the policy
15 information storage unit 26 (S103). As described above, the policy information
includes the names of system parameters referenced by the policy in addition to
information necessary for execution of the policy.
[0032] The association determining unit 28 determines whether a parameter is used
in the condition part of each policy with reference to the parameter information and
20 the policy information and stores the determination results in the determination result
storage unit 30 (S104). Moreover, the association display unit 44 displays
parameters and a policy that refers to the parameters by connecting them by a line
by referring to the determination result storage unit 30 (S105). As described above,
the display mode of representing the association between parameters and policies is
25 not limited to a line that connects both, but an optional display mode can be used.
[0033] Further, the association determining unit 28 evaluates the policy information
using the present parameter values, extracts a policy of which condition is satisfied,
and stores the extraction results in the determination result storage unit 30 (S106).
Moreover, the association display unit 44 highlights the line that connects the policy
30 of which condition is satisfied, extracted by the association determining unit 28 and
parameters that satisfy the condition using a "blinking line," for example, by referring
to the determination result storage unit 30 (S107).
[0034] By the processes above, the input policy description is displayed in
association with parameters referenced, and when the present parameter value
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satisfies the condition of a policy, the parameter and the policy are displayed in
association in a different display mode. Thus, the operation is temporarily stopped
until there is an input to the parameter display unit 40 or the policy display unit 42
(S108). When the input is a certain terminating instruction (S109: Yes), the operation
5 is completed. On the other hand, when the parameter value of a GUI component
displayed by the parameter display unit 40 is changed, or a policy description is input
to a GUI component displayed by the policy display unit 42 (S109: No), the flow
returns to step S103, the process is repeated from the step in which the policy
analysis unit 24 performs syntactic analysis and semantic analysis on the input policy.
10 [0035] In this manner, when a parameter value is changed, the association between
parameter and policies can be displayed according to the changed value. For
example, when the condition of a policy is satisfied as the result of a change in the
parameter value, the line that connects the parameter and the policy is changed to a
blinking line. Thus, it is possible to easily understand which policy will be executed
15 as the result of a change in the parameter value. Moreover, when the policy
description is changed, a referenced parameter is displayed as a dot line according
to the changed description content. Further, a policy of which condition is satisfied
by the present parameter value is displayed as a blinking line. Thus, it is possible to
easily understand which policy is changed so as to reference which parameter and
20 whether a policy will be executed or not.
[0036] An example of the operation of the policy description assistance system 10
will be described with reference to a specific example. First, the parameter display
unit 40 reads system parameter information defined in advance in the parameter
storage unit 20 into the parameter information storage unit 22 and displays the
25 parameter information on a screen (S101). In this example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is
assumed that four parameters of "Transactions" 110, "LoadAverage" 112,
"NumTotalMachine" 114, and "NumDeadMachines" 116 are defined as parameters.
These parameters represent "amount of system transactions," "system load
average," "total number of system machines," and "number of dead machines in
30 system," respectively. Moreover, these parameters have data types Float (floating
point), Float, Int (integer), and Int, respectively. Further, the ranges that these
parameters can take are set to "0.0 to 1000.0," "0.0 to 10.0," "0 to 10," and "0 to 10,"
respectively. Furthermore, a value designated by a user with the aid of the
parameter display unit 40 is held in "present value" of the parameter information, and
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in the example of FIG. 2, "300," "6.0," "3," and " 1 " are held for the respective
parameters.
[0037] Subsequently, the policy display unit 42 reads policies stored in the policy
storage unit 50 with the aid of the policy analysis unit 24 and displays the policies on
5 the screen (S102). In this example, it is assumed that three policies "P001" 120,
"P002" 122, and "P003" 124 shown in FIG. 3 are stored in the policy storage unit 50.
Moreover, the policy analysis unit 24 performs syntactic analysis and semantic
analysis on the input policies to generate policy information 140, 142, and 144 as
shown in FIG. 4, and stores the same in the policy information storage unit 26 (S103).
10 As shown in FIG. 4, the names of parameters referenced by the respective policy
descriptions are held in the column of the reference parameter 132 as the analysis
results of the policy analysis unit 24. Moreover, the analysis results obtained by the
policy analysis unit 24 analyzing the respective policies are stored in the column of
the policy execution code 134 in such a format that the association determining unit
15 28 can easily evaluate the policies. For example, an intermediate format of an
interpreter such as a syntax tree or a virtual machine code can be used as the policy
execution code.
[0038] The association determining unit 28 determines whether a parameter is used
in the condition part of each policy with reference to the parameter information and
20 the policy information and stores the determination results in the determination result
storage unit 30 (S104). Moreover, the association display unit 44 visualizes which
parameter has influence on execution of which policy by displaying lines so as to be
connected between the four parameters displayed by the parameter display unit 40
and the three policies displayed by the policy display unit 42 as shown in FIG. 5 by
25 referring to the determination result storage unit 30 when there is a parameter
referenced by each policy (S105). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, no policy is
associated with the parameter "Transactions" 150. That is, in the present policy
descriptions, it can be understood that a change in the amount of system
transactions does not have any influence on execution of the policies. On the other
30 hand, the parameter "LoadAverage" 152 is associated with three policies, and it can
be understood that there is a possibility that the respective policies may be executed
according to a change in "system load average."
[0039] Further, the association determining unit 28 evaluates the policy information
using the present parameter values, extracts a policy of which condition is satisfied,
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and stores the extraction results in the determination result storage unit 30 (S106).
Moreover, the association display unit 44 highlights the line that connects the policy
of which condition is satisfied, extracted by the association determining unit 28 and
parameters that satisfy the condition using a "blinking line" by referring to the
5 determination result storage unit 30 (S107). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is
assumed that the present parameters have values of 3000.0 for "Transactions," 6.0
for "LoadAverage," 3 for "NumTotalMachines," and 1 for "NumDeadMachines." In
this case, since all policies satisfy the condition "LoadAverage>5.0," the lines 160,
162, and 164 drawn from the parameter "LoadAverage" to the respective policies are
10 displayed as blinking lines.
[0040] When the processes above are completed, the policy description assistance
system 10 temporarily enters an input standby state (S108).
[0041] Here, it is assumed that the policy "P002" 122 shown in FIG. 3 is intended to
perform "remove machine in light load state" (specifically, the policy operates when
15 the LoadAverage value is small). However, as shown in FIG. 3, the condition part is
erroneously described as "LoadAverage>5.0" like other policies so that the policy
operates when the "LoadAverage" value is large. Thus, a case where the user
performs operations to modify this error on the policy display unit 42 will be
considered. For example, it is assumed that the user modifies the condition
20 "LoadAverage>5.0" of the policy "P002" 122 to "LoadAverage<0.5." Since this input
is not a system terminating operation (S109: No), the processes starting from step
S103 are executed again based on this input.
[0042] That is, the policy analysis unit 24 analyzes the changed policy again and
updates the policy information storage unit 26 (S103). Even after analysis, since
25 there is no change in the types of referenced parameters, there is no change in the
positions of the connecting lines 160, 162, and 164 (S105). However, although the
parameter values are not changed, since the description of the policy condition is
changed, the evaluation results are different. Specifically, the policies "P001" and
"P003" are extracted as policies of which condition is satisfied by the present
30 "LoadAverage" value 6.0 (S106).
[0043] As a result, the lines 160 and 164 between the parameter "LoadAverage"
and the two policies "P001" and "P003" are displayed as blinking lines (S107). On
the other hand, the line 162 between the parameter "LoadAverage" and the policy
"P002" is changed from a blinking line to a normal line. In this manner, the user can
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check that a policy which was not intended to be executed but was erroneously
described to be executed has been correctly modified so as not to be executed
simultaneously with a policy editing operation by modifying the policy "P002."
[0044] Further, it is assumed that the user changes the parameter "LoadAverage"
5 value to 0.3, for example, by operating a GUI component of the parameter
"LoadAverage" on the parameter display unit 40 in order to check that the changed
policy "P002" will be executed in a light load state as intended. Since this input is
not a terminating operation (S109: No), the processes starting from step S103 are
executed again according to a change in the parameter value. In this case, since
10 there is no change in the policy description, the policy information is not changed
(S103). On the other hand, since the parameter "LoadAverage" value is changed
from 6.0 to 0.3, only the policy "P002" is extracted as a policy of which condition is
satisfied.
[0045] As a result, the lines 160 and 164 between the parameter "LoadAverage"
15 and the policies "P001" and "P003" are displayed as normal lines, and the line 162
between the parameter "LoadAverage" and the policy "P002" is displayed as a
blinking line. In this manner, the user can easily check that only the policy "P002"
operates in such a light load state that the parameter "LoadAverage" is 0.5, and that
as a result, the operation of the entire policy description is as intended.
20 [0046] Hereinabove, the policy description assistance system 10 according to the
present embodiment has been described. According to the present embodiment, it is
possible to easily understand association between parameters and policies while
interactively changing the parameters and policies of the monitoring target system.
Specifically, the user can understand which parameter has influence on the condition
25 part (if clause) of which policy, and which policy has the condition that is satisfied by
the present parameter value such that the conclusion part (then clause) is executed.
Thus, it is possible to assist in describing policies so that errors when describing
policies are reduced.
[0047] The present invention is provided to facilitate understanding of the present
30 invention and is not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present
invention can be changed or altered without departing from its spirit and encompass
equivalents thereof.
[0048] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior
Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-95703 filed on April 22, 2011, the disclosure
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of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
[0049] While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the invention is not limited to these
embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
5 form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention.
[0050] Part or all of the present embodiments may be described as the following
supplementary notes, and the present invention is not limited to this.
(Supplementary Note 1)
10 A policy description assistance system including: a parameter display unit
configured to refer to a parameter information storage unit storing a plurality of
parameters for a monitoring target system, and display the plurality of parameters on
a screen of a display device; a policy display unit configured to refer to a policy
information storage unit storing a plurality of policies in which a condition including at
15 least one parameter of the plurality of parameters and a process executed when the
condition is satisfied are described, the policy display unit displaying the plurality of
policies on the screen, and adding or modifying a policy in the policy information
storage unit according to a user input; an association determining unit configured to
dynamically determine association between the plurality of parameters stored in the
20 parameter information storage unit and the plurality of policies stored in the policy
information storage unit; and an association display unit configured to display the
association between the plurality of parameters and the plurality of policies on the
screen in an identifiable manner based on determination results of the association
determining unit.
25 (Supplementary Note 2)
The policy description assistance system according to Supplementary Note 1,
wherein the parameter display unit is further configured to add or modify a parameter
in the parameter information storage unit according to a user input.
(Supplementary Note 3)
30 The policy description assistance system according to Supplementary Note 1
or 2, wherein the association display unit is configured to display whether each
parameter is used in the condition of each policy on the screen in an identifiable
manner.
(Supplementary Note 4)
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The policy description assistance system according to Supplementary Note 3,
wherein the association display unit is configured to display a policy of which
condition is satisfied by the parameter on the screen in an identifiable manner.
(Supplementary Note 5)
5 The policy description assistance system according to Supplementary Note 4,
wherein the association display unit is configured to display association between a
policy and a parameter used by the policy so that the association is displayed in a
first display mode when the condition of the policy is not satisfied, and the
association is displayed in a second display mode different from the first display
10 mode when the condition is satisfied.
(Supplementary Note 6)
A policy description assistance method for causing a computer to execute:
referring to a parameter information storage unit that stores a plurality of parameters
for a monitoring target system, and displaying the plurality of parameters on a screen
15 of a display device; referring to a policy information storage unit that stores a plurality
of policies in which a condition including at least one parameter of the plurality of
parameters and a process executed when the condition is satisfied are described,
displaying the plurality of policies on the screen, and adding or modifying a policy in
the policy information storage unit according to a user input; dynamically determining
20 association between the plurality of parameters stored in the parameter information
storage unit and the plurality of policies stored in the policy information storage unit;
and displaying the association between the plurality of parameters and the plurality
of policies on the screen in an identifiable manner based on the determination results.
[0051] 10: policy description assistance system
25 20: parameter storage unit
22: parameter information storage unit
24: policy analysis unit
26: policy information storage unit
28: association determining unit
30 30: determination result storage unit
32: input and output unit
40: parameter display unit
42: association display unit
44: policy display unit
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CLAIMS
I (We) claim:
1. A policy description assistance system comprising:
a parameter display unit configured to refer to a parameter information
5 storage unit storing a plurality of parameters for a monitoring target system, and
display the plurality of parameters on a screen of a display device;
a policy display unit configured to refer to a policy information storage unit
storing a plurality of policies in which a condition including at least one parameter of
the plurality of parameters and a process executed when the condition is satisfied
10 are described, the policy display unit displaying the plurality of policies on the screen,
and adding or modifying a policy in the policy information storage unit according to a
user input;
an association determining unit configured to dynamically determine
association between the plurality of parameters stored in the parameter information
15 storage unit and the plurality of policies stored in the policy information storage unit;
and
an association display unit configured to display the association between the
plurality of parameters and the plurality of policies on the screen in an identifiable
manner based on determination results of the association determining unit.
20
2. The policy description assistance system according to claim 1, wherein
the parameter display unit is further configured to add or modify a parameter
in the parameter information storage unit according to a user input.
25 3. The policy description assistance system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
the association display unit is configured to display whether each parameter
is used in the condition of each policy on the screen in an identifiable manner.
4. The policy description assistance system according to claim 3, wherein
30 the association display unit is configured to display a policy of which
condition is satisfied by the parameter on the screen in an identifiable manner.
5. The policy description assistance system according to claim 4, wherein
the association display unit is configured to display association between a
15
N0568ADP0046-PCT
policy and a parameter used by the policy so that the association is displayed in a
first display mode when the condition of the policy is not satisfied, and the
association is displayed in a second display mode different from the first display
mode when the condition is satisfied.
5
6. A policy description assistance method for causing a computer to execute:
referring to a parameter information storage unit that stores a plurality of
parameters for a monitoring target system, and displaying the plurality of parameters
Oh a screen of a display device;
10 referring to a policy information storage unit that stores a plurality of policies
in which a condition including at least one parameter of the plurality of parameters
and a process executed when the condition is satisfied are described, displaying the
plurality of policies on the screen, and adding or modifying a policy in the policy
information storage unit according to a user input;
15 dynamically determining association between the plurality of parameters
stored in the parameter information storage unit and the plurality of policies stored in
the policy information storage unit; and
displaying the association between the plurality of parameters and the
plurality of policies on the screen in an identifiable manner based on the
20 determination results.