Regina A Mack

US Patent:

20040233234, Nov 25, 2004

Filed:

May 22, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/443671

Inventors:

Muhammad Chaudhry - Naperville IL, US
Kurtis Longnecker - Plainfield IL, US
Regina Mack - Raleigh NC, US
Joshua Ochs - Woodridge IL, US
Walter Schmidt - Darien IL, US

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G09G005/00

US Classification:

345/735000

Abstract:

The Design Tool of the present invention discloses an apparatus and method for automating the drawing sequence of Microsoft Visio to produce a diagram of a network solution. The Design Tool reduces device selections to a series of automatically generated instructions that control Microsoft Visio. The apparatus and method of the Design Tool accomplish this result by causing the TSA to define custom VLANs and to configure custom connectivity groups (VLAN Groups). Using the Design Tool, the TSA (or other user) activates a series of graphical user interfaces providing access to available virtual local area networks, configured virtual local area network groups, available primary devices and available related devices. By providing input to the graphical user interfaces, the TSA defines configured virtual local area networks, configured virtual local area network groups, configured primary devices and configured related devices for the TSA's network solution. Responsive to receiving the input, the Design Tool instructs the drawing program to create a diagram of the network solution containing the configured primary devices and the configured related devices. Connectivity for each configured primary device and each configured related device is defined by a virtual local area network group identification created as part of the input.