A configuration of a network management system capable of readily managing a plurality of agents having respective addresses, directly connecting the respective agents to a network without changing interfaces, and providing an agent connected singly to the network as a representative of the rest agents...http://www.google.de/patents/US6836802?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6836802 - Network management system uses proxy agent for communicating control information and event notifications between network management apparatus and agents not directly connected to a network
