System and method for providing a server control interface

• US 20050060657A1
• 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 7,337,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/763
• 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. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components for providing a computing device control interface, the computer components comprising:

an action creating component for creating an action icon corresponding to a number of user selected actions; and

a computing device icon component for creating a computing device icon corresponding to a number of servers that will execute the number of user selected actions corresponding to a selected action icon.

2. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, further comprising an executable component for generating an archive file corresponding to the number of user selected actions in the action icon.

3. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 2, wherein the executable creation component generates a script file.

4. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1, further comprising an executable execution component for accepting executable files and for instructing a number of computing devices to execute the number of user selected actions corresponding to the action icon.