APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MONITORING THE USAGE OF COMPUTERS AND GROUPS OF COMPUTERS

• US 20070156706A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christian Hayes
• Original Assignee: Christian Hayes
• Inventors: Hayes, Christian
• Application Number:
  US11/616,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156706A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/326 for error or online/offline status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for monitoring the usage of computers and groups of computers. A small program called the client module is installed on a client, and a corresponding server module program is installed on a server. The client agent monitors the client for a change in status at regular intervals and sends client usage data to the server if there is a change in status. The client agent also sends client usage data to the server at a regular update interval regardless of whether a status change on the client occurs. A user can group clients into labs and generate reports detailing lab usage, client usage, and user activity. The program also alerts a system administrator of possible problems with individual computers and labs. The program additionally provides a dynamic map which displays real-time status information on labs and computers.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the usage of one or more clients or groups of clients, the method comprising:

creating lab definitions and assigning clients to a lab instance;

monitoring a client for a change in status at regular intervals and sending client usage data to a server if there is a change in status; and

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending client usage data to the server at a regular update interval regardless of whether a status change on a client occurs.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising auto-populating a database with client usage data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising organizing client usage data in the database such that each client has a unique client record in a database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the status of each client record at regular intervals and storing the result in a separate record in a database.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating lab usage reports, client usage reports, and user usage reports.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a dynamic map report which autonomically updates the reported status of a client on the map from a client record stored in the database

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging a user off of a client and changing a client'"'"'s status to offline if a client fails to send an update for a specified number of update intervals.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising autonomically sending a notification to a specified user if a client is offline for a given time interval or if the client is online but has not been logged into for a given time interval.

10. An apparatus to monitor the usage of one or more clients or groups of clients, the apparatus comprising:

a client agent module configured to monitor a client for a change in status at regular intervals and send client usage data to the server if there is a change in status, and to transmit client usage data to the server at regular user-defined intervals;

a lab creation module configured to create lab definitions and assign one or more clients to a lab instance according to a lab definition;

a population module configured to receive messages from one or more client agent modules and auto-populate a database with client usage data provided by one or more client agents such that each client has a unique client record in a database;

a monitor module configured to query the status of each client record at regular intervals and store the result in a separate record in a database;

a lab management module configured to allow a user to modify a lab definition and add and remove one or more clients from a lab instance;

a client management module configured to modify data gathering settings on a client agent, to log a user off of a client and change a client'"'"'s status to offline if a client fails to send an update for a specified number of update intervals, and to send a notification to a specified user if a client is offline for a given time interval or if the client is online but has not been logged into for a given time interval;

a report module configured to generate reports of client, user, and lab events; and

a mapping module configured to create graphical maps of clients assigned to a lab instance, provide client status and lab information for a given client or lab, and update client status and lab information in response to changes in status.

11. The Apparatus of claim 10, wherein the client usage data comprises user login status, time, client IP address, and client MAC address.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the report module is further configured to send a notification to a defined user in response to the occurrence of a predefined event.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mapping module is further configured to allow a user to remove or add clients to a lab map.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mapping module is further configured to allow a user to add or remove a descriptive ticket assigned to a client for display on a graphical map.

15. A system for monitoring the usage of one or more clients or groups of clients, the system comprising:

one or more clients;

one or more labs, each comprising one or more clients;

a server in electronic communication with one or more clients;

a database in electronic communication with the server;

a lab creation module configured to create a lab instance and assign one or more clients to a lab instance according to a lab definition;

a client agent module configured to monitor a client for a change in status at regular intervals and send client usage data to the server if there is a change in status, and to autonomically transmit client usage data to the server at regular intervals; and

a server agent module configured to receive messages from a client agent module and to query the status of each client record at regular intervals and store the result in a separate record in a database.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a population module configured to receive messages from one or more client agent modules and auto-populate a database with client usage data provided by one or more client agents such that each client has a unique client record in a database;

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a monitor module configured to query the status of each client record at regular intervals and store the result in a separate record in a database.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a lab management module configured to allow a user to modify a lab definition and add and remove one or more clients from a lab instance.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a client management module configured to modify data gathering settings on a client agent, to log a user off of a client and changing a client'"'"'s status to offline if a client fails to send an update for a specified number of update intervals, and to send a notification to a specified user if a client is offline for a given time interval or if the client is online but has not been logged into for a given time interval.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a report module configured to generate reports of client, user, and lab events.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the server agent module further comprises a mapping module configured to create graphical maps of clients assigned to a lab instance, provide client status and lab information for a given client or lab, and update client status and lab information in response to changes in status.