Network based system for analyzing a client system and generating a configuration diagram which describes the client system

• US 20030101022A1
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Correll, Jeffrey N., Shah, Mohammed Kamran, Sierer, Brian H., Fuller, David W. III
• Application Number:
  US10/338,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20030101022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/28 adapted for measuring in circuits having distributed constants
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/34 for reconfigurable circuits, e.g. field programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

System and method for characterizing a system. Electronic communication is established between a server computer and a client system over a network. The client system includes a plurality of devices coupled together, where at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, e.g., graphical, text-based, and/or hardware configuration programs. The server programmatically determines presence of the devices and programs of the client system, and programmatically generates a diagram which visually represents the client system. The diagram includes device icons representing the devices, link icons indicating coupling between the devices, and program icons representing the programs. The program icons are displayed proximate to the device icons representing the devices which store and/or execute the respective programs. The server transmits the diagram to the client system. The diagram is displayed on a display of the client system. The diagram is used to document, modify, and/or debug the client system configuration.

Claims

1. A method for characterizing a system, wherein the system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, the method comprising:

programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the system, wherein said programmatically generating is performed based on the programmatically determined information, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said displaying comprises displaying the diagram on a display of the system for viewing by a user of the system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the diagram on a memory medium of the system.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the diagram is a configuration diagram.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the program icons are visually displayed to indicate associations with respective device icons representing respective devices in which the programs are stored and/or executed.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the one or more programs is a hardware configuration program.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the plurality of devices comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA);

and

wherein said hardware configuration program is deployable on the FPGA to perform a function.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein said programmatically determining comprises programmatically analyzing the system to determine presence of one or more of the plurality of devices and the one or more programs.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein said programmatically determining comprises accessing at least a portion of said information from at least one of the devices in the system.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein said programmatically determining comprises accessing plug and play information to determine presence of the plurality of devices and presence of the one or more programs.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein said programmatically determining comprises querying a configuration program resident on one of the devices in the system to determine presence of the plurality of devices and presence of the one or more programs.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input graphically associating a first program icon with a first device icon, wherein said graphically associating operates to deploy a first program corresponding to the first program icon with a first device corresponding to the first device icon.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

animating said deploying the first program onto the device.

14. The method of claim 13,

wherein said animating comprises moving the first program icon to a location in the diagram proximate to the first device icon.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying a first program on the system after said displaying the diagram; and

displaying a first program icon in the diagram, wherein the first program icon corresponds to the first program.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device icons each have an appearance to visually indicate a type of the respective device.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein the program icons each have an appearance to visually indicate a type of the respective program.

18. The method of claim 1,

wherein the link icons each have an appearance to visually indicate a type of the respective link between devices.

19. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system comprises a measurement system;

wherein the plurality of devices comprise one or more measurement devices which are each operable to perform a respective measurement function;

wherein the one or more programs comprise one or more measurement programs for performing measurement functions; and

wherein said programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs comprises programmatically determining a configuration of the one or more measurement devices and the one or more measurement programs in the measurement system.

20. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system comprises a simulation system;

wherein the plurality of devices comprise one or more devices which are each operable to perform a respective simulation function;

wherein the one or more programs comprise one or more simulation programs for simulating a process, device, and/or system; and

wherein said programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs comprises programmatically determining a configuration of the one or more devices and the one or more programs in the simulation system.

21. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system comprises an automation system;

wherein the plurality of devices comprise one or more devices which are each operable to perform a respective automation function;

wherein the one or more programs comprise one or more automation programs for automating a process, device, and/or system; and

wherein said programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs comprises programmatically determining a configuration of the one or more automation devices and the one or more automation programs in the automation system.

22. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system comprises a network system;

wherein the plurality of devices comprise one or more devices which are each operable to perform a respective network function;

wherein the one or more programs comprise one or more network programs for managing a network; and

wherein said programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs comprises programmatically determining a configuration of the one or more automation devices and the one or more programs in the network system.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input specifying a modification to the diagram after said displaying, wherein said modification indicates hardware and/or software to be added to or removed from the system; and

modifying the configuration diagram in response to said receiving user input.

24. The method of claim 1,

wherein a server computer is coupled to the system over a network;

the method further comprising;

establishing electronic communication between the server computer and the system over a network;

wherein the server computer performs at least one of said programmatically determining information and said programmatically generating the diagram.

25. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system includes a first computer system;

wherein a server computer is coupled to the system over a network;

wherein the first computer system and the server computer system perform respective portions of said programmatically determining information and said programmatically generating the diagram.

26. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system includes a first computer system;

wherein the first computer system performs at least one of said programmatically determining information and said programmatically generating the diagram.

27. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system includes a first computer system;

wherein a server computer is coupled to the system over a network;

wherein the first computer system performs said programmatically determining information;

the method further comprising;

establishing electronic communication between the server computer and the system over a network;

wherein the server computer performs said programmatically generating the diagram based on the programmatically determined information.

28. The method of claim 1,

wherein the system includes a first computer system;

wherein a server computer is coupled to the system over a network;

the method further comprising;

establishing electronic communication between the server computer and the system over a network;

wherein the server computer performs said programmatically determining information; and

wherein the first computer system performs said programmatically generating the diagram based on the programmatically determined information.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

programmatically generating a tree diagram which visually represents the system, wherein said programmatically generating the tree diagram is performed based on the programmatically determined information, wherein the tree diagram displays a hierarchical view of the plurality of devices and the one or more programs; and

displaying the tree diagram on the display.

30. A method for characterizing a client system, the method comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a server computer and the client system over a network, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs;

the server computer programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

the server computer programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display.

31. A method for characterizing a client system, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, and wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, the method comprising:

the server establishing electronic communication with the client system over a network;

the server programmatically analyzing the client system to determine presence of the plurality of devices and presence of the one or more programs;

the server programmatically generating a configuration diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the configuration diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the configuration diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the configuration diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs;

providing the configuration diagram from the server over the network; and

displaying the configuration diagram on a display of the client system.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

storing the configuration diagram in a memory medium of the client system, wherein the configuration diagram is usable for one or more of;

documenting the client system configuration, modifying the client system configuration, and adding or removing programs or devices to or from the client system.

33. The method of claim 31,

wherein the program icons are visually displayed proximate to respective device icons representing respective devices in which the programs are stored and/or executed.

34. A carrier medium which stores program instructions for characterizing a system, wherein the system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, wherein the program instructions are executable to perform:

programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the system, wherein said programmatically generating is performed based on the programmatically determined information, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display.

35. A carrier medium which stores program instructions for characterizing a client system, wherein the program instructions are executable to perform:

establishing electronic communication between a server computer and the client system over a network, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs;

the server computer programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

the server computer programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display.

36. A system for characterizing a client system, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, and wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor; and

a display coupled to the memory medium and the processor;

wherein the memory medium stores program instructions which are executable to perform;

electronically connecting to the client system over a network;

programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on the display.

37. A system, comprising:

a server computer system, wherein the server system is coupled to a network;

a client system, comprising a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs, and wherein the client system further comprises a display;

wherein the client system is operable to access the server system over the network;

wherein the server computer system is operable to;

programmatically determine information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs;

programmatically generate a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

transmit the diagram to the client system over the network;

wherein the client system is further operable to;

receive the diagram from the server computer system; and

display the diagram on the display of the client system;

wherein the diagram is usable for one or more of;

documenting the client system configuration;

modifying the configuration of the client system; and

debugging the configuration of the client system.

38. A method for characterizing a system, the method comprising:

electronically connecting to a system over a network, wherein the system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs;

programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs in the system, wherein said programmatically determining includes accessing at least one of the devices in the system over the network;

programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display.

39. A method for characterizing a client system, the method comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a server computer and the client system over a network, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs;

the server computer providing a first software program to the client system over the network;

executing the first software program on the client system, wherein said executing comprises;

the first software program programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs in the client system;

the first software program programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display device of the client system.

40. A method for characterizing a client system, the method comprising:

establishing electronic communication between a server computer and the client system over a network, wherein the client system comprises a plurality of devices coupled together, wherein at least one of the devices includes one or more programs;

the server computer providing a first software program to the client system over the network;

executing the first software program on the client system, wherein said executing comprises;

the first software program programmatically determining information regarding the plurality of devices and the one or more programs in the client system; and

the first software program providing the determined information to the server computer;

the server computer programmatically generating a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

displaying the diagram on a display device of the client system.

41. A carrier medium for transmission of a first software program, wherein the first software program comprises program instructions executable to:

programmatically determine information regarding a plurality of devices and one or more programs in a client system;

programmatically generate a diagram which visually represents the client system, wherein the diagram includes device icons representing each of the plurality of devices, wherein the diagram also includes link icons indicating coupling relationships between the plurality of devices, and wherein the diagram also includes program icons representing each of the one or more programs; and

display the diagram on a display device of the client system.