Device configuration in a distributed environment

• US 20020174209A1
• Filed: 05/16/2001
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Struble, Christian L., Sesek, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for configuring devices on a computer network. Configuration involves initiating a configuration session on a primary device causing the primary device to collect configuration session on a primary device causing the primary device to collect configuration logic for the primary device and one or more secondary devices. The primary device then generates a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices. Each selected configuration setting is then returned and applied to the primary or secondary device for which it is selected.

Claims

1. A method for configuring devices on a computer network, comprising:

initiating a configuration session for a primary device;

the primary device collecting configuration logic for the primary device and one or more secondary devices;

generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices; and

returning each selected configuration setting to be applied to the primary or secondary device for which it was selected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of collecting includes collecting configuration logic from one or more web servers, each web server embedded in a secondary device, and the act of generating includes generating a user interface to be displayed on a web browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of collecting includes identifying the network address of one or more secondary devices and establishing a communication link between the primary device and one or more secondary devices using the identified network address of each secondary device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of identifying includes generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning a network address for one or more secondary devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of identifying includes discovering secondary devices present on the network, and obtaining the network address for each discovered secondary device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of generating includes generating a user interface having user accessible controls for applying a configuration setting across a plurality of primary and/or secondary devices and user accessible controls for applying a selected configuration setting to a single primary or secondary device.

7. A method for configuring network devices, comprising:

initiating a primary configuration session on a primary configuration server administering the configuration of a primary configuration device;

the primary configuration server initiating a secondary configuration session on a secondary configuration server administering the configuration of a secondary device;

the primary configuration server generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary configuration devices; and

returning each selected configuration setting the primary or secondary device for which it was selected.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the primary configuration server is a primary web server, and the act of initiating a primary configuration session includes browsing to the primary web server, and wherein each secondary configuration server is a secondary web server, and the act of initiating a secondary configuration session includes the primary web server browsing to one or more of the secondary web servers.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of initiating a secondary configuration session includes initiating a secondary configuration session on a plurality of secondary configuration servers, each secondary configuration server administering the configuration of a different secondary device, and wherein the act of generating includes the primary configuration server generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and plurality of secondary configuration devices.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the act of generating includes the secondary configuration server returning information concerning the configuration settings of the secondary device to the primary configuration server and the primary configuration server generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary configuration devices.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of generating includes generating a user interface having user accessible controls for applying a configuration setting across a plurality of primary and/or secondary devices and user accessible controls for applying a selected configuration setting to a single primary or secondary device.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for initiating a primary configuration session comprise instructions for initiating a configuration session upon request from a client.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for generating include instructions for generating a user interface on a client device.

15. The product of claim 12, wherein the instruction for initiating a secondary configuration session comprise instructions for initiating a plurality of secondary configuration sessions, each secondary configuration session being initiated for a different secondary device.

16. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for initiating a primary configuration session comprise instructions for accessing a primary web server administering the configuration for the primary device and wherein the instructions for initiating the secondary configuration session comprise instructions for directing the primary web server to access a secondary web server administering the configuration of the secondary device.

17. The product of claim 12, wherein the instructions for generating comprise instructions for generating a user interface having user accessible controls for applying a configuration setting across a plurality of network devices and for having user accessible controls for applying a configuration setting to a selected network device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the primary configuration engine includes a secondary device locator.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the primary configuration engine includes a secondary device database containing the logical network address of one or more secondary devices.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the primary configuration engine further includes a secondary device locator and an update service, the device locator operable to identify the logical network address of secondary devices and the update service operable to update the secondary device database with the logical address of each secondary device not already contained in the secondary device database.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the primary interface generator is a web server embedded in the primary device and the interface generator is operable to generate a user interface to be displayed using a web browser.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the primary interface generator is operable to generate a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning a configuration setting to be applied across a plurality of network devices and having user accessible controls for selecting and returning a configuration setting to be applied to a selected network device.

25. The system of claim 24, comprising a plurality of secondary configuration servers each operable to manage one or more configuration settings of a secondary device, wherein the primary configuration server is in electronic communication with each secondary configuration server and is operable to generate a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and each secondary device.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising a client in electronic communication with the primary configuration server, the client operable to display the user interface and to return selected settings.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the client is operating on a client device different from the primary and secondary devices.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the primary configuration server is operable to receive each of the selected configuration settings from the client and to forward the selected configuration settings for the secondary device to the secondary configuration server.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the secondary configuration server is a web server embedded in the secondary device, the primary configuration server is a primary web server embedded in the primary device, and the client is a web browser.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein:

the secondary web server comprises a secondary interface generator for providing configuration logic for the secondary device and a secondary configuration engine for administering configuration settings for the secondary device; and

the primary web server comprises a primary configuration engine for administering the configuration settings of the primary device and for facilitating communication with the secondary web server, and a primary interface generator for compiling the configuration logic for the secondary device with configuration logic for the primary device into a web page to be displayed by client.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the primary configuration engine includes a secondary device locator.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the primary configuration engine includes a secondary device database containing the network address of one or more secondary devices.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the primary configuration engine further includes an update service, the device locator operable to identify the logical network address of secondary devices and the update service operable to update the secondary device database with the logical address of each secondary device not already contained in the secondary device database.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the user interface includes user selectable controls applying a single setting across multiple primary and/or secondary devices and user accessible controls for applying a configuration setting to a specified primary or secondary device.

12. A computer program product for configuring network devices, the product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable instructions thereon for:

initiating a primary configuration session for a primary device;

from the primary device, initiating a secondary configuration session for a secondary device; and

generating a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices.

18. A system for configuring network devices, comprising:

a primary configuration engine operating on a primary device, the configuration engine operable to collect configuration logic for the primary and one or more secondary devices; and

a primary interface generator in electronic communication with the configuration engine, the interface generator operative to generate a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices.

24. A system for configuring network devices, comprising:

a secondary configuration server operable to manage one or more configuration settings of a secondary device; and

a primary configuration server in electronic communication with the secondary configuration server, the primary configuration server operable to manage one or more configuration settings of a primary device and to generate a user interface having user accessible controls for selecting and returning configuration settings for the primary and secondary devices.