Consolidated monitoring system and method using the internet for diagnosis of an installed product set on a computing device

• US 20060025964A1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bernard Iulo, Walter A. Manrique
• Inventors: Manrique, Walter A., Iulo, Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method, system, and storage medium and system for managing computer system performance utilizing information acquired over the Internet is provided. The system comprises a user system having existing installed components that include software, hardware devices, system upgrades, and/or a peripheral device. The system also includes a consolidated monitoring tool executing on the workstation that monitors activities occurring on the workstation with respect to the existing installed components. The system further includes a communications link to a vendor system that supplies components and/or services to the user system. Upon encountering a minor error, the consolidated monitoring tool searches a database for the minor error, displays a corresponding explanation of the minor error for a user via translation tables stored in the workstation, and displays a corresponding set of action items for resolving the minor error or preventing a future occurrence of the minor error.

Claims

1. A system for managing computer system performance, comprising:

a workstation including existing installed components, the installed components including at least one of software, hardware device, system upgrade, and a peripheral device;

a consolidated monitoring tool executing on the workstation, the consolidated monitoring tool monitoring activities occurring on the workstation with respect to the existing installed components; and

a communications link to a vendor system, the vendor system supplying at least one of a component and service to the user system;

wherein upon encountering a minor error, the consolidated monitoring tool performs;

searching a database for the minor error;

displaying a corresponding explanation of the minor error for a user via translation tables stored in the workstation; and

displaying a corresponding set of action items for resolving the minor error or preventing a future occurrence of the minor error.

2. A method for managing computer system performance, comprising:

querying a workstation for an inventory of existing installed components in response to installing a new component on the workstation, the existing installed components including at least one of software, hardware device, system upgrade, and a peripheral device;

acquiring vendor contact information for the new component;

building a database of information acquired in response to the querying, the database of information including product information relating to the existing installed components, the product information including a product name, current release level, current maintenance level, and a web site address for each vendor system associated with the existing installed components;

connecting to a web site for a vendor associated with the new component via a communications link;

retrieving product information relating to the new component from the web site;

verifying requirements and compatibility of the new component against the existing installed components based upon results of the retrieving and the product information relating to the existing installed components; and

determining an optimum configuration for the workstation based upon the verifying, and configuring the workstation in accordance with the optimum configuration.

3. A method for managing computer system performance, comprising:

monitoring activities occurring on a workstation, the workstation including existing installed components, the existing installed components including at least one of software, hardware device, system upgrade, and a peripheral device; and

upon encountering a minor error relating to at least one of a component and service of the workstation, performing;

searching a database for the minor error;

displaying a corresponding explanation of the minor error for a user via translation tables stored in the workstation; and

displaying a corresponding set of action items for resolving the minor error or preventing a future occurrence of the minor error.

4. A storage medium encoded with machine-readable computer program code for managing computer system performance, the storage medium including instructions for causing a workstation to implement a method, comprising:

monitoring activities occurring on the workstation, the workstation including existing installed components, the installed components including at least one of software, hardware device, system, upgrade, and a peripheral device; and

upon encountering a minor error relating to at least one of a component and service of the workstation, performing;

searching a database for the minor error;

displaying a corresponding explanation of the minor error for a user via translation tables stored in the workstation; and

displaying a corresponding set of action items for resolving the minor error or preventing a future occurrence of the minor error.