METHOD FOR OVERCOMING ADDRESS CONFLICTS AMONG DISPARATE NETWORKS IS A NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Converged network management application and system is provided that delivers a management platform as a service that can view and/or manage all managed networks in the aggregate, or any one of them individually (including individual devices within the managed networks), in a secure and efficient manner, providing continuously available intelligence in real time on the managed networks and systems, and overcoming integration issues including conflicting address schemas, the need to avoid unnecessary infrastructure, and the need acquire all necessary information in real time within applicable memory and bandwidth constraints.
1 . A method for addressing a plurality of elements in a plurality of domains, from a single system, wherein said elements are locally assigned addresses that are not constrained to be unique among said plurality of domains, comprising:
(a) combining, within the local domain of each said element, a first identifier, said first identifier being unique among said plurality of domains, with the local address of said element, to form, within said local domain, a combined identifier for said element that is unique among said plurality of domains; and
(b) making said combined unique identifier available to said single system.
2 . A method as described in claim 1 , wherein said combined unique identifier is made available to said single system through one or more intermediate domains.
3 . A method as described in claim 1 , wherein, within each said local domain, the same first unique identifier is used to form said combination.