Common user interface development toolkit for a system administration program

• US 20060010422A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chickering, Roger, Beekhuis, Christiaan Willem, Jain, Sandeep, Reddy, Kirthiga, Leung, Jenny, Smith, Wesley Scott, Underwood, Rebecca, Orosz, James B., Maxwell, Delle, Relph, John Michael, Zeller, Elizabeth Caroline
• Application Number:
  US11/224,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010422A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A toolkit for developing user-interfaces for a system administration program. The toolkit has a server-side application-programming interface (API). The server-side has task-registry files that each describe a task group. The toolkit also has a client-side API. A developer can customize product-specific properties files for a specific product and write code that calls the server-side and client-side APIs to create a graphical user interface for the specific product.

Claims

1. A method of generating a system administration user interface, the method comprising:

accessing a Task-registry including one or more Task groups;

accessing a product specific properties file; and

generating a user interface as a function of the accessed Task registry and the product specific properties file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Task-registry is accessible on a server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the product specific properties file is accessible on a client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the product specific properties file specifies Task data to be loaded in a system performing at least a portion of the method before a Task is executed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a resource file that includes computer-executable instructions to generate a cross-platform common user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions of the resource file includes instructions to generate an ItemView, CategoryView, TreeView, Task, and ResultView.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a generated user interface prompts a user for parameters to make system changes.

8. A method comprising:

generating a cross-platform, common user interface, wherein the user interface for individual platforms is generated as a function of components, wherein the components include a resource file, a product specific properties file, and a task registry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the components further include one or more plugins, user interface components, and task data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the components are stored on a server and are accessible by one or more clients.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more components stored on the server are platform independent components.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more components stored on the server provide the server service capabilities to communicate with one or more clients, the services including a category service, an association service, a task registry service, and a privilege broker service.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource file can be customized.

14. A system administration program comprising:

a server-side application-programming interface comprising a Task-registry including one or more task groups, wherein the server-side application-programming interface, when executed on a suitably configured system, is accessible over a network as a component in providing a common, platform independent system administration user interface.

15. The system administration program of claim 14, further comprising:

two or more task registries, wherein each task registry includes one or more task groups.

16. The system administration program of claim 14, wherein the system administration program includes a privilege broker service, wherein the privilege broker service enables privileged commands, received over the network, to be executed.

17. A system administration program comprising:

a Task manager that includes a product-specific properties file, wherein the product specific properties file is customizable and the client-side application programming interface is callable to create a graphical user interface or a specific product.

18. The system administration program of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface of the system administration program is common across products.

19. The system administration program of claim 17, wherein the Task manager, when executing on a suitably configured system, calls routines of a server-side application programming interface.

20. The system administration program of claim 17, wherein the Task-manager further includes a resource file.