Remote maintenance apparatus, terminal connected to the apparatus and computer readable medium for realizing the apparatus and the terminal

• US 20010029529A1
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Published: 10/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akira Ohtsuka, Hideki Ise, Hideki Yoshida, Ikuko Tachibana, Kazuhiko Itoh, Kazuhiro Matsushita
• Original Assignee: Akira Ohtsuka, Hideki Ise, Hideki Yoshida, Ikuko Tachibana, Kazuhiko Itoh, Kazuhiro Matsushita
• Inventors: Tachibana, Ikuko, Itoh, Kazuhiko, Yoshida, Hideki, Matsushita, Kazuhiro, Ise, Hideki, Ohtsuka, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A remote maintenance apparatus is provided. The remote maintenance apparatus includes: a first obtaining part which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from the terminals; a storing part which stores the configuration information while bringing the configuration information into correspondence with generation information; a second obtaining part which obtains configuration information of a failed terminal; and an extraction part which extracts difference information between configuration information obtained by the second obtaining part and configuration information stored in the storing part which has older generation.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

a first obtaining part which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from said terminals;

a storing part which stores said configuration information obtained by said first obtaining part while bringing said configuration information into correspondence with generation information;

a second obtaining part which obtains configuration information of a failed terminal which is associated with failure information which is sent from said failed terminal, or, which obtains configuration information of said failed terminal by identifying the newest configuration information of said failed terminal which is stored in said storing part; and

an extraction part which extracts difference information between configuration information obtained by said second obtaining part and configuration information stored in said storing part.

4. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in

claim 1

, further comprising:

an issuing part which issues, to a terminal, an instruction for said terminal to send configuration information when a configuration information ID sent from said terminal is not the same as the newest configuration information ID which is stored in said storing part; and

wherein said first obtaining part obtains configuration information sent in response to said instruction.

6. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in

claim 1

, further comprising:

a collection part which collects start date and time information, and, end date and time information of maintenance work performed in terminals; and

a generation part which generates evaluation information of maintenance work from said date and time information collected by said collection part.

2. A remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

an obtaining part which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from said terminals;

a storing part which stores the newest configuration information of each terminal obtained by said obtaining part;

a generation part which identifies terminals to which resources are distributed on the basis of said resources and configuration information stored in said storing part, and generates a list describing correspondence between said resources and said terminals to which said resources are distributed; and

a distribution part which distributes said resources described in said list to said terminals described in said list.

3. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in

claim 2

, wherein said distribution part sends a part pertinent to a terminal in said list to said terminal.

5. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising:

an issuing part which issues, to a terminal, an instruction for said terminal to send configuration information when a configuration information ID sent from said terminal is not the same as the newest configuration information ID which is stored in said storing part; and

wherein said obtaining part obtains configuration information sent in response to said instruction.

7. The remote maintenance apparatus as claimed in

claim 2

, further comprising:

a collection part which collects start date and time information, and, end date and time information of maintenance work performed in terminals; and

a generation part which generates evaluation information of maintenance work from said date and time information collected by said collection part.

8. A terminal which is connected to a remote maintenance apparatus via a network, comprising:

an input part which inputs user information;

a collection part which collects apparatus information of said terminal and configuration information of said terminal when said input part inputs said user information; and

a send part which sends said apparatus information and said configuration information, and said user information to said remote maintenance apparatus while maintaining correspondences of said apparatus information, said configuration information and said user information.

9. The terminal as claimed in

claim 8

, wherein said collection part collects changed configuration information when a configuration of said terminal is changed, and

said send part sends said changed configuration information to said remote maintenance apparatus while bringing said configuration information into correspondence with said apparatus information.

10. The terminal as claimed in

claim 8

, wherein said collection part collects configuration information when a configuration information ID stored in said terminal is not the same as a configuration information ID stored in said remote maintenance apparatus, and

said send part sends said configuration information collected at this time to said remote maintenance apparatus while bringing said configuration information into correspondence with said apparatus information.

13. The terminal as claimed in

claim 8

, further comprising:

a detection part which detects start and end of maintenance work or detects start date and time information and end date and time information of maintenance work; and

a notification part which notifies said remote maintenance apparatus of information detected by said detection part.

11. A terminal which is connected to a remote maintenance apparatus via a network, comprising:

an obtaining part which obtains resources distributed from said remote maintenance apparatus;

a setting part which sets said resources in an application waiting state or in an immediate execution state;

a control part which executes said resources when conditions for releasing said application waiting state is satisfied or when said resources are set in said immediate execution state.

12. The terminal as claimed in

claim 11

, further comprising:

an obtaining part which obtains information on said resources from said remote maintenance apparatus;

a judging part which judges whether resources in said application waiting state is unnecessary or not according to said information obtained by said obtaining part; and

a release part which releases said application waiting state of said resources when said judging part judges that said resources are unnecessary.

14. A computer readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform processes of a remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

a first obtaining program code means which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from said terminals;

a program code means which accesses a storing part which stores said configuration information obtained by said first obtaining program code means while bringing said configuration information into correspondence with generation information;

a second obtaining program code means which obtains configuration information of a failed terminal which is associated with failure information which is sent from said failed terminal, or, which obtains configuration information of said failed terminal by identifying the newest configuration information of said failed terminal which is stored in said storing part;

an extraction program code means which extracts difference information between configuration information obtained by said second obtaining program code means and configuration information stored in said storing part.

15. A computer readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform processes of a remote maintenance apparatus used for maintenance of terminals connected to a network, comprising:

an obtaining program code means which obtains configuration information of terminals sent from said terminals;

a program code means which accesses a storing part which stores the newest configuration information of each terminal obtained by said obtaining program code means;

a generation program code means which identifies terminals to which resources are distributed on the basis of said resources and configuration information stored in said storing part, and generates a list describing correspondence between said resources and said terminals to which said resources are distributed; and

a distribution program code means which distributes said resources described in said list to said terminals described in said list.

16. A computer readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform processes of a terminal which is connected to a remote maintenance apparatus via a network, comprising:

an input program code means which inputs user information;

a collection program code means which collects apparatus information of said terminal and configuration information of said terminal when said input program code means inputs said user information; and

a send program code means which sends said apparatus information and said configuration information, and said user information to said remote maintenance apparatus while maintaining correspondences of said apparatus information, said configuration information and said user information.

17. A computer readable medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform processes of a terminal which is connected to a remote maintenance apparatus via a network, comprising:

an obtaining program code means which obtains resources distributed from said remote maintenance apparatus;

a setting program code means which sets said resources in an application waiting state or in an immediate execution state;

a control program code means which executes said resources when conditions for releasing said application waiting state is satisfied or when said resources are set in said immediate execution state.