Abstract: A method for predictively responding to network management data requests includes populating a memory with prefetched response data based on whether one or more requests matches a predetermined pattern and sending a response including the prefetched response data if a request matches the pattern and if the memory includes response data corresponding to the request. The pattern includes one or more expected requests and the periodicity of the one or more expected requests. The response data includes information prefetched from at least one subsystem on a managed network device. According to one aspect, the managed network device is configured with a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent that responds to requests from a SNMP manager.

Abstract: A method for managing Internet Protocol (IP) addresses on a data communications network includes allocating multiple local IP address pools, requesting IP address usage data from one or more of the network edge devices, receiving the requested IP address usage data, determining whether the local IP address pools should be reallocated based upon the requested IP address usage data, reallocating one or more of the local IP address pools based upon the determination and updating one or more of the local IP address pool databases and a global IP pool database based upon the reallocating. Each of the local IP address pools is associated with a different network edge device that is capable of accepting connection requests requiring an IP address. The global IP address pool database includes the information maintained in each local IP address pool.