Gateway management using virtual gateways and wildcards

• US 10,250,680 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Systech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Systech Corporation
• Inventors: Watts, La Vaughn Ferguson, Rucker, Jeff, Wiese, Anderson, Wellington-Oguri, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US15/887,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20180159930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems, methods, and media for managing gateways. In an embodiment, a virtual gateway is generated which comprises a representation of each of one or more active scripts and/or device information (e.g., device drivers, and/or definitions and/or configurations for devices, device types, and/or device groups) stored on at least one remote physical gateway. At least one user interface is provided for editing each of the one or more active scripts and/or device information represented in the virtual gateway. Synchronization is automatically maintained, across at least one network, between the one or more active scripts and/or device information represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active scripts and/or device information stored on the at least one remote physical gateway.

Claims

1. A system comprising a server that comprises:

at least one hardware processor; and

a memory storing one or more software modules that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor,

generate a virtual gateway which comprises a representation of each of one or more active scripts stored on at least one remote physical gateway, wherein the at least one remote physical gateway is communicatively connected with one or more external devices, and wherein the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to monitor or control the one or more external devices,

automatically maintain synchronization, across at least one network, between the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway,

detect a failure of the at least one remote physical gateway, and,

in response to the failure of the at least one remote physical gateway, locally execute the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway at the server, in place of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway to monitor or control the one or more external devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to control at least one of the one or more external devices based on at least one condition.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one condition is communicated from another gateway.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to control at least a first one of the one or more external devices based on at least one condition of at least a second one of the one or more external devices.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second external device comprises a sensor, and wherein the at least one of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to control the first external device based on an output received from the sensor of the second external device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the failure of the at least one remote physical gateway comprises an internal failure that does not affect communication between the at least one remote physical gateway and the one or more external devices.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising the at least one remote physical gateway, and wherein the at least one remote physical gateway, in response to the internal failure, switches to a thin gateway in which execution of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway is offloaded to the virtual gateway at the server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual gateway further comprises a representation of each of one or more active drivers stored on the at least one remote physical gateway, and wherein the one or more software modules further:

provide at least one user interface for editing each of the one or more active drivers represented in the virtual gateway; and

automatically maintain synchronization, across the at least one network, between the one or more active drivers represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active drivers stored on the at least one remote physical gateway.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more software modules further provide at least one user interface for editing each of the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one remote physical gateway comprises a plurality of remote physical gateways associated with the virtual gateway, and wherein the one or more software modules further automatically maintain synchronization, across the at least one network, between the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active scripts stored on each of the plurality of remote physical gateways.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual gateway further comprises a representation of each of one or more inactive scripts which are not synchronized with any scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising the at least one remote physical gateway, wherein the at least one remote physical gateway comprises:

a compiler configured to compile the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway into one or more virtual-machine codes; and

a virtual machine configured to execute the one or more virtual-machine codes.

13. A method for managing a gateway, the method comprising using at least one hardware processor of a server to:

generate a virtual gateway which comprises a representation of each of one or more active scripts stored on at least one remote physical gateway, wherein the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway are configured to monitor or control one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the at least one remote physical gateway;

automatically maintain synchronization, across at least one network, between the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway;

detect a failure of the at least one remote physical gateway; and

in response to the failure of the at least one remote physical gateway, locally execute the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway at the server, in place of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway, to monitor or control the one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the at least one remote physical gateway.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to control at least one of the one or more external devices based on at least one condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one condition is communicated from another gateway.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway and represented in the virtual gateway are configured to control at least a first one of the one or more external devices based on at least one condition of at least a second one of the one or more external devices.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the failure of the at least one remote physical gateway comprises an internal failure that does not affect communication between the at least one remote physical gateway and the one or more external devices, and wherein the method further comprises, in response to the internal failure, switching to a thin gateway in which execution of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway is offloaded to the virtual gateway at the server.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

generate a virtual gateway which comprises a representation of each of one or more active scripts stored on at least one remote physical gateway, wherein the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway are configured to monitor or control one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the at least one remote physical gateway;

automatically maintain synchronization, across at least one network, between the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway and the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway;

detect a failure of the at least one remote physical gateway; and

,

in response to the failure of the at least one remote physical gateway, locally execute the one or more active scripts represented in the virtual gateway at the server, in place of the one or more active scripts stored on the at least one remote physical gateway, to monitor or control one or more external devices communicatively coupled to the at least one remote physical gateway.