Bootstrapping device state in managed systems

Autonomic and other system management technologies must ascertain the current state of a managed system comprising interconnected but at times independent and diverse managed entities. When an autonomic manager is introduced into a running system, state bootstrapping is required. One challenge involved in state bootstrapping is balancing the need to have current and detailed state information against the need to minimize loading on the managed system and the element management systems that provide the state information to the autonomic manager. This paper describes an approach providing a trade-off between the rate of state information acquisition and the load being placed on the managed system. The approach enables priority to be given to the acquisition of state information for managed entities that are more likely to require intervention in the managed system.