System and method for providing a server control interface

• US 20050060654A1
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Steve A., Lee, Juhan, Darcy, Paul B., Snover, Jeffrey P., Martin, Sally J., Hodge, Kevin A., Kiernan, Casey L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,350,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method and system for providing a computing device control interface are provided. A system administrator accesses a graphical user interface and selects a group of actions that are to be executed by a number of computing devices. The actions selected by the system administrator are embodied in a graphical action icon and displayed on the graphical user interface. The system administrator initiates the actions by manipulating the action icon such that it overlaps a computer icon, which embodies one or more computing devices within the network that will execute the selected actions. The computing device icon is also displayed on the user interface. The user interface executes the selected action on the selected computer and then generates an archive file embodying the execution of the selected actions on the selected group of computing devices.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a display and graphical user interface selection device, a method for providing a server control interface, the method comprising:

obtaining an identification of a number of actions to be executed by a computing device;

displaying the number of actions on the display screen;

obtaining a selection of one or more of the actions by the user interface selection device;

generating a graphical icon corresponding to the one or more actions selected by the user interface selection device; and

displaying the graphical icon on the display screen.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the number of actions is setting a global priority for the selected actions.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein one of the numbers of actions is establishing a data collection template for each server.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the number of actions includes an action for specifying a time for the collection template.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the number of actions includes an action for specifying one or more servers to collect data from.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising displaying a summary of the actions selected by the user selection device prior to generating the graphical icon.

7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

8. A computer system having a processor, a memory and an operating environment, the computer system operable for performing the method recited in claim 1.