Method and apparatus for maintaining network device configurations

1. A computer-implemented method for maintaining configurations of network devices in user devices of a network, said method comprising:

updating a database in a network management device each time a configuration of any of network devices in the network changes, said network management device database being updated by a network device whose configuration has changed or by a user of the network management device;

said network management device notifying the user devices in the network each time the network management device is updated,

storing the notifications of the updated of the network management device in a table maintained in each of the user devices if a prior notification relating to the same network device has not been stored in the table, wherein the table stores a list of network devices that have undergone configuration changes;

determining whether a select user device has been notified of an update in the network management device of a configuration change of a network device selected by the select user device, wherein the configuration of the selected network device is determined to have been changed if a notification indicating the configuration change of the selected network device is stored in the table of the select user device;

communicatively establishing a connection between the select user device and the selected network device without synchronizing the select user device with the network management device if the select user device has not been notified of the update in network management device of a configuration change in the selected network device;

synchronizing the select user device with the network management device to update the select user device of the configuration change in the selected network device prior to communicatively establishing a connection between the select user device and the selected network device, if the select user device has been notified of the update in the network management device of a configuration change in the selected network device; and

updating a database in the select user device to correspond with the database in the network management device, when the select user device synchronizes with the network management device.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising deleting the notification indicating the change in the configuration of the selected network device from the table of the select user device after the select user device has been synchronized with the network management device.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 , further comprising configuring the selected network device to perform a desired function requested by the select user device after the select user device has been synchronized with the network management device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said notifying of the user devices each time the network management device is updated comprises the network management device sending a signal to the user devices identifying the network device that has a changed configuration.

5. A system with a processor for maintaining configurations of select network devices in a plurality of user devices of a network, comprising:

a network management device in communication with network devices for synchronizing with any of the network devices which includes updating a database in said network management device each time a configuration of any of the network devices in the network changes, wherein said database stores the configurations of any of the network devices with which said network management device synchronizes;

said network management device notifying the user devices in the network each time the network management device is synchronized, wherein said network management device is synchronized by a network device whose configuration has changed or by a user of the network management device;

a select user device in communication with said network management device maintaining a table for storing the notifications from said network management device indicating the synchronization of said network management device with any of the network devices having configuration changes, if a prior notification relating to the same network device has not been stored in the table;

said select user device determining whether the table in said select user device contains a notification of a synchronization in said network management device as a result of a configuration change in a network device selected by said select user device; wherein the configuration of the selected network device is determined to have been changed if a notification indicating the synchronization of the selected network device is stored in the table of the select user device;

said select user device communicatively establishing a connection between said select user device and said selected network device without synchronizing said select user device with said network management device, if said select user device has not been notified that said network management device has been synchronized with said selected network device;

said select user device synchronizing with said network management device to obtain the changes in the configuration of said selected network device prior to communicatively establishing a connection between said select user device and said selected network device, if a notification sent by said network management device indicating the synchronization between said network management device and said select network device is stored in the table of said select user device; and

said select user device updating a database in said select user device to correspond with the database in the network management device, when the select user device synchronizes with the network management device.

6. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said notification relating to the selected network device is deleted from said table after said select user is synchronized with said network management device.

7. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said select user device configures the selected network device to perform a user desired function based on the configuration of the selected network device stored in said database of said select user device.

8. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said notifications include information identifying the network devices with which said network management device has synchronized.

9. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said select user device is in communication with said network management device throughtout the network.

10. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said network management device comprises a server.

11. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein said user devices comprise personal computers or workstations.

12. The system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the network devices comprise at least switches, routers and hubs.