Internet enabled computer system management

• US 20040243609A1
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Jitendra K. Singh
• Inventors: Singh, Jitendra K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration

Abstract

Methods for using the Internet to create applications that perform many of the functions now performed by management platforms and third party add-on tools in a much simpler manner are described herein. The applications are easier to use by novices than known tools and lower the overall cost of system management. Using known system components, the system'"'"'s configuration can be viewed or changed over the Internet using an HTML document to list and display the managed systems, together with icons that represent the state of the managed systems. By using “active controls” or Java scripts, the state of the managed systems can be dynamically updated by changing the color of associated icons or the displayed text. Using embedded commands or identifiers within template documents, a program can be created to automatically acquire needed system information. In another embodiment, an HTML CGI document containing desired system information and a reference link back to the system at the manufacturer'"'"'s selected site is created, allowing the manufacturer'"'"'s system to retrieve this system information automatically. The system information is then analyzed against a list of currently valid system configurations to detect potential problems. In turn, if potential problems are detected, the information is sent back to the managed system automatically.

Claims

1. (Canceled)

2. (Canceled)

3. In a computing environment comprised of at least one managed system and system with a configuration database which manages the at least one managed system, a method for verifying system configuration and providing system advisories, the method comprising:

running a program on each managed system and generating a first document comprised of pre-selected system information for each managed system;

sending the first document from each managed system to the system with the configuration database;

storing information from the first document from each managed system on the system with the configuration database;

running a second program on the system with the configuration database that compares the information from the first document from each managed system with a second database of valid configuration information on the system with a configuration database;

generating a second document for each managed system that indicates any differences between the information from the first documents and the valid configuration information; and

returning by electronic mail to each managed system the second document that corresponds to the differences between the first document that was generated for that managed system and the second database.

7. A method as in claim 3 wherein communication between the configuration data base and the at least one managed system is performed over the Internet.

8. A method as in claim 3 wherein the program is run on each managed system at a predetermined interval.

9. A method as in claim 3 wherein the first document is sent from each managed system by electronic mail.

10. A method as in claim 3 wherein the information is stored on the system with the configuration data in a database created to store the first document from each managed system.

11. A method as in claim 3 wherein the second program is a script program.

12. A method as in claim 3 wherein the second program is run at a predetermined interval.

13. A method as in claim 3:

wherein communication between the configuration data base and the at least one managed system is performed over the Internet;

wherein the program is run on each managed system at a predetermined interval;

wherein the first document is sent from each managed system by electronic mail;

wherein the information is stored on the system with the configuration data in a database created to store the first document from each managed system;

wherein the second program is a script program; and

,

wherein the second program is run at a predetermined interval.

4. (Canceled)

5. (Canceled)

6. (Canceled)